Cook Islands News - 11.07.06

Survivor fever is alive and well if the enthusiasm of Louise and Bob Craven from Davis, California, is anything to go by.

Bob is a urologist with a busy practice and is on call 24/7 all year round, while Louise is a teacher, writer and amateur photographer. Both are also huge fans of the Survivor series and have been since the very first series.

They're such avid fans that they have visited all the locations where the show has been filmed including the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia and the Pearl Islands in Panama (twice). So of course, they just had to come to the Cook Islands in the wake of the new series filmed in beautiful Aitutaki, which they have visited.

Louise said after they saw the beauty of the Cook Islands on television, they decided to come here as soon as possible.

Louise is so keen on Survivor that her favourite hobby is working with her friend Dan Bollinger's website Survivor Maps which offers detailed maps of each of Survivor's 14 filming locations.

Naturally, these take quite a bit of research as the producers of the series tend to be very protective and secretive about where they are filming. This is understandable on the part of the producers, but it does not deter the intrepid duo who visit nearby areas and can often judge by the landmarks where the film locations are most likely to be. Dan, who is an industrial designer by profession, then draws the detailed maps.

They also take the time to talk to the local people and try to learn as much as they can about the locale as well as capturing the essence of what makes that area so special and makes their travel such a fascinating experience.

For instance, special memories on their trip to Aitutaki include meeting people like brothers Stuart and Michael Henry, the island nights at Samades on the Beach and touring the motu with Puna and Tutu of Aitutaki Adventures. They were also charmed to meet two little brothers on the beach, aged six and four, who taught Louise and her friend Wendy how to coax a hermit crab out of its shell by whistling!
While on the island of Rarotonga they stayed at Sokala Villas where they just loved the beauty of Muri lagoon and indulged in their favourite activities of snorkeling and kayaking. They also explored Avana valley and the hinterland.

Their pictures of the sow and her nine piglets are hilarious as is their photograph of two puppies belonging to an internet café operator as they play on a sand mound.

A special highlight for them was a chance meeting with Sir Tangaroa Tangaroa MBE, who was Queen's Representative from 1984-1990. He regaled them with a story about being a radio operator for American troops on the island of Penrhyn during the Second World War when he was 19-years-old.

They also solved an old family mystery about the origins of several shell necklaces 'from the South Seas' which Louise's mother had been given as a gift back in the late 1930s and which Louise is fond of wearing. Their host, Lawrance Bailey, took one look and identified the necklaces as coming from the island of Mangaia!

Incidentally, they plan to spread the word about how beautiful it is in the Cook Islands and how enjoyable their experience has been and all the fascinating people they have met on their visit.

Louise and Bob say they are pleased to hear that Air New Zealand is planning a direct LA to Rarotonga route which will cut several hours off the trip that took them 20 hours and four plane changes this time round.

Louise also has her own website and plans to add details of their experiences in the Cook Islands on their return to California. Look it up at www.survivorwezzie.com

 - Noeline Browne