Rarotonga is the largest of the Cook Islands and is home to the capital of this independent nation. Vegetated volcanic peaks rise up sharply in Rarotonga’s interior making for excellent hiking with spectacular views. As in the Societies, the hikes are strenuous and often involve fixed ropes up steep eroded inclines. Rarotonga’s booming tourist industry feeds the economy, providing well-paved access roads and established trails, which are all shown on the tourist map available at the information center.
While in Rarotonga, we enjoyed speaking English with the locals (as this nation was formerly a New Zealand colony). We also appreciated the variety of locally grown vegetables and being able to find imported mozerella cheese for our home-made pizza.
The Needle
One of our favorite adventures was climbing one of Rarotonga’s most prominent features, called the Needle. While most likely metamorphic, this 150-200 foot spire resembles harder igneous rock, such as granite. After hiking to the base to survey what equipment we would need to climb it, we discovered an easy route up the Needle’s east side. We decided to give it a go without ropes and gear. A few tricky moves up a wide crack led us to a path, which we followed to the base of a chimney. After shimmying up the chimney, we reached the top offering a view of the entire island. A few days later we would climb it again with our friend, David, on Tystie.
David in the chimney
July- August 2009
