Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin

Today we decided we'd get a view of the island's interior by renting some of the dune buggy's located just down the street. Our guide was John, a Cook Islander in his 60s, happy to show us the island's beauty as well as share some of the unique things about the island. After getting strapped in our harness (a la fighter pilot), we started off heading down the road in our buggy going a fairly swift 30mph. It took a bit of time getting used to driving on the left side of the road, but quickly got the hang of it. After a few minutes, we took a detour to our right, and stopped to learn about the local noni juice. John shared that noni juice is known for its medicinal purposes, aiding in digestion, lessening cholesterol and blood pressure, and generally a cure-all for whatever ailment you may have. We sampled a tasting, which he advised you shoot like whiskey. It tastes somewhere between whiskey and vinegar to give you an idea, but I have to admit it did clear up my sinuses immediately.

We continued on our venture, heading inland to more jungle-like terrain. Luckily, it had rained that morning, so we were able to drive headlong into mud pits, sending a flood of the filth over our bodies, and for this lucky driver, directly into his mouth. Just after having spit out as much of the mud as I could get, we hit our next giant puddle. After a while, we were having so much fun we'd aim for anything that looked like a puddle just for some extra entertainment.

John gave us a chance to cleanup when we arrived at a local waterfall and pool. It was quite serene, with the water feeling incredibly soft from the minerals it had picked up on its flow down the mountain. The mud didn't want to come off, but it was refreshing to at least get a layer of it off.

Off we go again, this time heading on the Maternity loop. I didn't quite catch the explanation for that description, though it had to do with one of John's co-workers either getting pregnant immediately before or after going around the loop at high speeds. After having completed the loop, I have to imagine it was the latter. By this point, semi-clean, we had lost our appetite for mud and simply were enjoying getting through the jungle, which Rae compared the fast twist and turns to Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin at DisneyLand.

John's final demonstration was a husking of a coconut, very similar to the demo the day before on our Tomas's Glass Bottom Boat tour. He gave us a chance to eat the inside of the coconut. It was surprisingly bland, I think they sweeten it up before we Americans get a taste.

We got back in time for a quick snack and headed for lunch at Sails. The view never gets old, and the food and drink is delicious everytime.