With a quick 3.5 flight that left Auckland on December 28, we crossed the International Date Line and zipped back in time to December 27 and landed in the afternoon in Rarotonga. It was a cloudy afternoon here, but warm and the air was fragrant with island flora.

Rarotonga’s airport is itsy-bitsy … cute in many ways. There are no taxi ways, for example. The plane lands on the runway and does a 360-degree turn at the end of the runway and heads back towards the terminal. We noticed tens of people from the island who lined the fences around the airport waving to us as we taxied to the terminal. The Boeing 777 we were on visits once a day only for a few months out of the year. Other than that, the island is only visited by smaller planes.

The airport “terminal” itself is quaint. Once we entered, we heard this gentleman standing atop the baggage carousel playing his ukulele and singing island songs.

The baggage carousel scene was simple and cute, too … notice than plants hanging in macrame hangers.

We cleared customs and immigration and were met by the caretaker of the beach house we have rented for the next three nights. It was a quick 15-20 minute drive to the beach house. The house itself is spectacular …

… and the beach is stunning …

We strolled along the beach, barefoot, tonight to a restaurant about a 15-minute walk away. We enjoyed some local cuisine and color and a quiet walk back with the small island offshore in silhouette and the moon trying to break through a thin layer of clouds above. Heaven!

We’ll be back with more updates in the coming days.