CALIFORNIA. HIGHWAY 1

HIGHWAY 1 10/01 - 14/01

Having arrived in Los Angeles at lunchtime after a long flight we checked into an airport hotel to catch up on our sleep before setting off the next morning on our drive to San Francisco. Since we had spent 10 days in LA some years ago we decided to get onto Highway 1 without delay and start our journey northwards.

The scenery was spectacular from the start and it felt really good to be driving on American roads again. We spent that night in Santa Barbara in a charming motel, where you are invited for complementary cheese and wine for an hour in the evening in front of a crackling log fire.

Motel in Santa Barbara



The following morning we continued North and had lunch in the Madonna Inn. If you think the Americans can be a bit over the top sometimes then you haven't seen anything until you see this place. It is hard to describe but suffice to say the gents urinal is a waterfall and the restaurant is completely pink. Try googling it to get a better idea.

The Madonna Inn urinal. Water cascades down the sloping wall on the right and you pee into the waterfall below. Very strange.

In the afternoon we saw one of the most extraordinary sights I have ever seen. A sandy beach covered in hundreds of elephant seals. They arrive in early January to give birth and the beach was covered with females feeding their newborne calves, and fending off huge bulls who were eager to mate again. There was a cacophony of sound as the cows rejected the bulls' advances and the bulls fought each other. They will stay on the beach for a month and, after mating again, will go back out to sea. They will return very briefly to molt in April then remain at sea until the next January. Whilst at sea they will swim up to Alaska and dive to depths of 6000 feet. (I only know this because we spoke to a conservationist at the beach)

They look quite peaceful in this photo but actually there was quite a lot going on.

An alpha male surrounded by females and feeding calves.

Highway 1 runs along the coast all the way to San Francisco, and a section of it approximately 90 miles long and running South from Carmel is known as the Big Sur. This part of the coast is beautiful with mountains and giant redwood trees inland, and the road follows the rugged coast line crossing deep ravenes, round lovely bays and weaves tortuously over rocky outcrops. The area became very popular with writers and artists in the twenties onwards, and then with hippies in the sixties.

Highway 1 crosses Bixby bridge on the Big Sur.

Part of the Big Sur coastline.

The rooms at Deetjens Big Sur Inn are in these wooden cabins which all have names. Ours was called Antique and was above Grandpa's Room.

Relaxing in Antique.

At this time of year Grey Whales are migrating south to give birth, and they pass quite close to the shore. From the cliff tops you can actually see the spouts of water when they blow then you can see their flukes as they dive again. Unfortunately they are too far away to photograph with our little cameras.

Whale watching.

More wildlife on dry land.

North of the Big Sur we had an interesting drive around Carmel and Pebble Beach. It is one of the most affluent areas in America and they actually charge you $10 to drive round it!

Sunset just South of San Francisco.

Entering the suburbs of San Francisco.

 (This one is for Georgie and Olivia who both love Dennys)



THE COOK ISLANDS

RAROTONGA 02/01 - 09/01

The Cook Islands consist of 15 islands, 12 of which are inhabited and cover an area of the South Pacific of 2 million square km. The largest is Rarotonga which is roughly circular with a diameter of about 10 km, and it lies 2000 miles northeast of Auckland. This island is home to the government buildings and the international airport and is where we stayed. The islands have a free association with New Zealand and use New Zealand currency which was handy.

The flight over with Air New Zealand was uneventful, and I still think their safety video, which uses All Blacks players as passengers, is one of the best - and so typically New Zealand.

Having crossed the international date line we arrived the day before we left which was weird and very difficult to enter in the diary.

After Fran's problems with the ministry of Ag and Fish entering New Zealand she decided to play it dead straight entering the Cook Islands. She suddenly remembered that she had some seeds in her suitcase, and whilst she was rummaging through the contents trying to find them in front of the customs officer he kept saying " I am sorry you can't have that, I am sorry you can't have that ." She lost some drift wood she had picked up in Australia, some sheep's wool she had also picked up in Australia, some lupin seeds she had forgotten she had and the packet of seeds she had been looking for.

This process took a while during which the customs officer kept greeting our local fellow passengers with warm handshakes and it became evident that everyone on the island knew everyone else.

Although our hotel was on the other side of the island the journey did not take long. There is only one road round the island and the only decision of a navigational nature that needs to be taken is whether to go clockwise or anti-clockwise.

It was raining steadily throughout the journey and I must admit to some deep depression at this point as we had seen enough rain I was really hoping for some sunshine during this part of our trip. However the rain moved away that night and the weather was pretty good for the rest of our stay.

We were very happy with the hotel and had a sea view just above the beach.

The view from our balcony.

A most bizarre thing happened on arrival in our room; we both went out onto the balcony to see the view and when we tried to re-enter the room the balcony door had somehow locked behind us. Try as we might we could not open it, and the fact that I was bursting to go to the loo did not help the situation. I had a look and reckoned I could climb down to the ground but this idea was firmly vetoed by Fran. Eventually we managed to get the attention of a very nice Italian man who was staying in a room beneath us, and explained our predicament to him. He looked a little bemused but duly climbed the stairs and entered our room through the still open door to release us from our own balcony. We tried several times to reproduce this under controlled conditions but were unable to get the door to lock.

Feeling a bit silly, but happy with life just before we discovered we were locked out on our own balcony.

The island people were lovely and very laid back. They encourage you not to wear a watch but to adjust to 'island time', for which you do not need a watch or clock and if your lunch takes 2 hours to arrive because the waitress forgot to pass on your order to anyone it really doesn't matter.

There is only one TV channel and this was their news reader.

Looking inland at the dense sub-tropical interior.

The rather pretty entrance to our building.

The local supermarket which seemed to have run out of most things, including beer, but they were expecting a delivery 'sometime.'

Making a promotional video for the hotel. The dancers were brought in but the band were the beach boys from the hotel who were expected to turn their hand to anything.

The view from the beach with the hotel's glass bottom boat at anchor. (the one with the roof) You can just make out the waves breaking on the reef across the lagoon.

 You can wade across to this island in the lagoon and the water is never more than chest deep. However Fran was bitten by a Trigger fish when doing this and all subsequent crossings had to made by kayak. 

One of the beach boys feeds fish beneath the glass bottom boat....

.....while Fran looks on.

The day after we arrived I received an email from someone wanting to buy our bikes! I sent them the contact details for the campervan depot, and duly received an email back saying they had picked up the bikes and would pass them on to someone else at the end of their travels. They congratulated me for starting a 'chain of kindness' and that it must make me feel good. It didn't make me feel good at all as I wanted the bloody money! 

A traditional island canoe.

One of the beach boys carries a bride to the canoe......

.....and paddles her out to the little island for her wedding on the beach.

Watching life go by from our balcony.

There were quite a few dogs that trotted up and down the beach. Some were pets and some were wild but they were all healthy and very good natured, and apparently survived on fish they caught in the lagoon.

This dog spent all day fishing but we never saw him catch anything.

It was made clear to guests that they should not feed or befriend the dogs and the staff would always shoo them away from the hotel area. One morning Fran had been sunbathing for a while on the beach and when I joined her I thought she was being rather furtive. Her towel was arranged so that it hung down over the sides of the sun bed and when I lifted it a little there was one of the largest dogs from the beach contentedly lying under the bed. It had been there for some while keeping Fran company and she had named it Cookie. Just then the hotel manager walked past and in the most courteous manner expressed his displeasure and Cookie ran off never to be seen again.



Cookie

Having been dragged out of the audience at a 'traditional island' night I embarrass myself for the second time on our travels.

Fran went weak at the knees after taking this. (He looks a bit to pleased with himself for my liking)

The big event of the week is the Saturday market in the capital Avarua. Everyone seems to go and it is as much a social event as a place to shop. We were waiting for a bus when a car stopped and gave us a lift to the market. That typifies the island.

The handbag is out again as I get ticked off for dawdling.

 

It is probably not worth travelling all the way from the UK to holiday in the Cook Islands, but if you are looking for somewhere to stop over in the Pacific for a truly relaxing few days then I would thoroughly recommend them.