In 1998 I went to the Cook Islands. It was still completely un-westernized and the only air lines that had the rights to the air space were Air New Zealand and Polynesian Airlines, the main Island has its own air line Air Rarotonga which makes regular runs to Atitutaki a one hour flight, Atiu a fifty minute flight, Mangaia, Mauke also a fifty minute flight, Mitiaro a one hour and twenty-five minute flight, Penrhyn and Rakahanga. There are fifteen islands in total. The main island whose name and capital is Rarotonga is so small you can ride a motor scooter around it in approximately twenty minutes. I think the Cook Islands are why something is just not right on all vacations I have taken since- as I went there first. Were I not a travel agent at the time and had my parents on their second visit not rented a house for a month and invited me out for a two week paid stay [minus my airfare and dinners] I would NEVER have been able to afford to go. I broke my collar bone a day or two before my flight was to leave, I still won’t even ride a bike ‘cause I have full memory of my non helmeted head [at the time they didn’t have helmets and I never brought one] hitting the pavement, but I’d go back to the Cook Islands today. I think. 
When I went to the Cooks you rented the motor scooter first, taught yourself to drive it around which in my case was the worst idea ever because I just decided I liked the front brake best and used it and pretty much only it. I’m lucky I didn’t crash on the first day. After this you THEN take it OVER to the DMV and buy a license. The story of that crash is HERE and the comments have the rest as my Dad added parts.
Except for this Island I am staring out at here and also swam out to, the ONLY Island that Survivor can be using for exile Island [unless they are flying the person which I HIGHLY doubt] you can not paddle around to the Islands you HAVE TO FLY. They are not close, just look at a map. 
I am sure Survivor has pulled this shit before it is just now smacking me in the face because I have BEEN THERE and my parents have been there three times. I’ve done the Cross Island hike and between the three of us we have been every where there is to be on Rarotonga. ALL of the tribes are on Rarotonga although they are trying to make it look like they are using multiple islands they are not. Exile Island takes no more than ten minutes to swim out to I don’t remember exactly but I reached it without problem.
[i]Excerpts from a discussion with my dad over email:
[dad] The show is such bullshit this year. The white guys are at the park where I ran the triathlon. They could head over to the ‘Fruits of Rarotonga’ for a fruit smoothie. They give you the impression that they are paddling from island to island for challenges but since the islands are hundreds of miles apart they are obviously flying them in. The one group on aitutaki are in the lagoon where all the nice resorts are. It just kills the illusion that they are out in the wilderness.
And ……. there is a part missing from the idol.
[me] im in total agreement i bet exile island is that one im looking at ‘in that awesome photo’ and swam out to
[dad] forgot to mention that, you are correct. And the reason that they stopped chasing the chicken is they would have run out on the road and been run over. You may have noticed in one shot when they were chasing the chicken that there was a pile of poles lying on the ground, you can’t cut trees in the park so they have supplied them with poles. Plus I think if you check they do not have bamboo in that part of the world. We have been all over that island I have never seen any.[/i]
At first I wasn’t even pissed about the blatant attempt at fooling the viewer because the Cook Islands want tourism. I’m not sure if they fully realized what they were in for, I’d love to see it now and see if it is different if they have allowed more imports if people can stay for longer than the 6 month maximum. It is NOT EASY to even obtain the rights to stay that long. I was extremely pissed off about the immunity idol and went OFF on my parent’s message machine. I had watched it on Eastern Time at 5pm and they weren’t going to get to watch it till 8pm. I have never looked forward to a Survivor like this one being as I’ve never stepped foot on any of their destination sights soil and was really excited to show Adam areas where I’d been. I had wondered what they were going to do with the immunity idol given that as photographed here from the center of the town is the Polynesian fertility God, Tangaroa. I errrrrrrrrrrupted into a RANT. HOW DARE THEY REMOVE THE PENIS!?! THE dick the COCK the essence of their country’s God. God forbid they piss of the Christians but pissing off different races- green light. You couldn’t pay me enough to fly in there on one of the small charter airlines that can now fly in, companies who obviously felt they could not sell the destination with a religious symbol not accepted in Western Society. The show, the network is willing to exploit and FOR SOME [not all people- but the editing makes their attempts pretty obvious] encourage racism which in my opinion they have already done, just look at the tribes already MADE up of ALL the stereotypes and “caricatures” they say they aren’t making but if they happen to fall into a racist stereotype well shit that isn’t she show’s fault it is theirs. Please. Sorry I don’t buy it. I see right through it. It makes me sick. They won’t show the Dick, and the tourism board from reading this article has allowed western society to ‘talk them into’ changing Tangaroa’s appearance. An insult to the whole country but exploiting racism- [again] NO PROBLEM! It is clear from this one article that not all were happy about the change in Tangaroa but obviously had no say.
I haven’t watched The Amazing Race on a week to week basis since Rob and Amber’s loss was fixed and watching how rigged Big Brother All Stars was although the ‘show’ still ruled because all of my favourite characters ended up in the finals and are extremely entertaining personalities, there was nothing ‘reality’ based about it.
On a positive note although the following photos were taken on the day I broke my collar bone my father and I witnessed something so incredible during the Cross Island hike it is one of those key moments in life a moment so beautiful it will remain as one of my best memories.
You hike to Rarotonga’s peak at 2140ft [we did the hike alone and got lost, it was ridiculous fun] it is called Te Manga. We waited for an overcast day so we wouldn’t bake in the thick rain forest. We left a scooter at each end and started our day’s adventure. Near the top you stand on narrow ridges, we don’t know whether we were on areas that only the locals used or the actual path, we were told it was not a hard hike and we scaled rocks, shimmied roots and could have seriously injured ourselves on many occasions, at one point we did lose trail completely and just had to head in what we hoped was the right direction in relation to Te Manga. It rained on and off all day. The rain was fantastic the after rain was hot and stupid humid but thank Tangaroa for the overcast day because it would have been unbearable with no cloud cover. On the ridge we stopped and heard thunder in the distance. I looked out to the left, my dad to the right, like robots programmed by the hand they write with and quickly realized we were seeing the exact same thing. Rain was hitting us but it wasn’t raining yet the wind was blowing it on us from the sheets that headed towards us both from opposite sides. We got to stand right there and watch the sheets of rain connect to form the storm. The sides did not bond at the same time making the experience that much more thrilling. Unfortunately we could not watch it long as we were sitting ducks on that ridge, but it happened too fast anyway the memory thankfully will last forever.
