2011 - NZ To SF - Day 23

Day 23: (5 June 2011 (-1 in time zone)):
- Return bike. Leave ~8:10am. Tom puts lei on me. Short chat. Tom say grew up here. Not much change.
- At Airport: when plane lands, serenade guy gets in position, greets with leis, etc.
- Nice views of Aitutaki on take off. Small blue & green patch in dark blue endless ocean.
- Turbulence, especially when descending. Nice views of Raro. Mountain island in sea.
- Person with same bag on baggage claim.
- Walk to town. Some spurts of rain in morning. Navy boat in harbour against green mountains.
- Go to Punanga Nui market. Pretty big. Music, shows. Octopus with coconut. Taro leaf w/ coconut cream & breadfruit. Very delicious. Same type of description from island night. Pulasami [sic. eventually learned is palusami]. When I say try: "Good man" "will put some hairs on your chest." One of the most memorable delicious meals of this trip, eating and dripping on picnic tables.
- Carved rock commemorating AUSAID & PR China for help in creating the market.
- Walk to town. See wreck. Nice view of small town & mountains.
- Large queue @ police (driver license processing?). Police & court surprisingly modern buildings.
- Cool church. The old palace thing on map: no way to access, see piles of rocks (wall / rectangle) in bushes, is that it?
- Walk to place on interest on map: Auditorium. Well-kept building, trees, not much else. National museum & library closed for Sat.
- Wait for bus, but must have missed it.
- Walk to town. Can't find Internet or the brewery (does this exist?) I saw on bus the other day.
- Get on anti-clockwise bus. Very full. Beach views on South of island. Pass clockwise bus ~5-10 min before I get off.
- Office closed. Some people tell me just take bed. Pay next day. Windy & cold.
- Internet @ café.
- Take walk south to Beach Cove (?) when beach ends. Told water very high, so beach has shrunk. Sign with McDonald's on it: 2855 km away.
- Eat at burger place close to here. Wait for German until ~10:30 (leaving @ 11:30). Sleep. Japanese girl in room.
- At night: 3 people arrive. Girl is Canadian. Jeff is Canadian: in room.

Photos available at: http://mandarinmanmarktravelbriefs.blogspot.com/