Arriving to an island after a few sea days is always a beautiful way to begin the day, especially with clear skies and a refreshing breeze. Rarotonga is the largest of the Cook Islands. It has a lush, mountainous middle, a ring road along the shore, and a fringing reef.

We disembarked and spread out around the island for morning activities, including a bike ride, a bus tour, and a hike up a ridge towards the island’s interior.

We made the most of the hours we had, but soon we had to say goodbye to the island and continue on towards French Polynesia. Happily, we brought a bit of the island with us: enough flowers to run an ei katu (flower crown) workshop after lunch.

We finished the day with a presentation from Mike Greenfelder, and we had our evening recap before dinner and a movie.