We were supposed to be in Rarotonga by 29th July to meet Bob, Denise and Sandra from Oz. Light winds meant that we were slightly late and they got there before us.

This did mean that they could take pictures of us dropping anchor and struggling to back into a narrow space on the quayside against a side wind

We made it eventually. This harbour is the only place on the island where we could put the boat and it was very crowded because by luck this week was 'Te Maeva Nui' when the Cook Islands celebrate their constitution

In a northerly wind even this harbour is unsafe as you can see by this cargo boat that didn't make it out in time

Denise and Sandra on the one day when it wasn't too rolly for them to come over to visit Alga

The opening parade of the festival and Oh No! It's a pack of yachties and that man in a frock again! (remember Neptune crossing the line?)

It's enough to make a cat laugh, let alone Foss

In the sensible part of the parade each Island had a float and each evening there was a competition which involved traditional chants (Pe'e) drum dance (Ura Pau) action song (Kapa Rima) and another song (Ute)

Only official photographers were allowed into the hall so I've stolen a couple of pictures from last year to give some idea 

Each island had to display something for each section to illustrate the year's theme and they were stunningly good, even the smallest island

Families are very close here, so close in fact that they bury them in their front gardens!

A breadfruit tree. The Cooks islands claim that the Bounty mutiny happened after they left Aitutaki so maybe it wasn't Tahiti after all

Fruit and vegetable market with the ladies in their flower-trimmed hats

Erik insisted on the inclusion of this picture, taken by Bob, as being at least as daft as his grass-skirt one.
It looks like a "whatever are Foss and Sandra doing" caption competition
and is in fact Foss and Sandra trying to snorkel without getting wet so there you go-definitely as daft as Erik

We've learned that there is a reef anchorage between here and Niue. It has formed recently enough to miss out on the global game of poker or whatever arcane method all the various empires used to decide on national boundaries when they were dividing up the South Pacific.
 So we are heading out to 
BEVERIDGE REEF