These are some archive shots from my first trip to the Cook Islands back in 2004. Aloha Airlines used to have a direct flight from Pago Pago to Rarotonga, which sadly didn't last very long so I'm glad I took the opportunity while it was availabe (twice actually). Anyway, after arriving late at night, when I went out on my first morning I immediately got the disconcerting impression that I'd never left Samoa. Rarotonga had the same humidity, all the same foliage, the same kind of mountains, even the same kind of sounds. Viewing this shot of the tide coming in on the reef beside the main hub of Avarua Town, you could easily mistake the location for somewhere in Samoa. But whatever the surface similarities, discovering the differences over the next few days proved one pleasant surprise after another.

Cook Island, off Fingal Head in New South Wales Mamiya M645 1000S Fujichrome Velvia 100 Mamiya Sekor 45mm f/4 Scanned using an Epson v500