After a week in Sydney and of what feels like normal everyday living, it's off to the Cook Islands where there is basically one road round the island (all 32km of that road).

The island is surrounded by a reef creating a lagoon - great for snorkelling! And giving the wonderful shades of blue in the photo.

Am staying at a backpackers hostel right on the beach in a little beach hut. The bus (clockwise or anticlockwise once an hour) stops wherever so rigt outside the hostel then.

Rarotonga's main 'town' Avarua stretches from the port and Saturday market at one end to Trader Jacks restaurant and a handful of other little places the other. I think the whole thing only took me half an hour to walk.

After getting my cook island driving licence (for the sum of $20) I hired a scooter for 3 days, trundling around the island stopping wherever, and exploring some of the little side roads and seeing real Rarotonga. The lagoon and the southern end of the island is quite beautiful. Their max speed limit it 50kmph but think I only ever reached 40 - island pace.

A relaxing few days, even had a local give me a ride to the airport as I was waiting for the bus on Saturday.