Cousin...Blast

It was my time to be surprised… It is I who usually surprise others with my appearance but this time the family set me up! It was a cousin fest here in Rarotonga. My cousins Jan and Gordon flew up from New Zealand for a few days to see us. After surprising me by walking in while I was having breakfast we all went into town to surprise Trevor and all us 5 cousins spent the next days out doing each other with catch-up stories. What a lovely thing to do... a family thing.

I promised I would report on the Jet blast sport which I have done a number of times, each one exciting and I say to myself I will just experience it without taking pictures. But, when you see that bloody big plane coming right at you it is a reflex action to put camera to eye.

I will get to the blast site 15 minutes before the plane arrives to get the best spot followed by other tourists and wait in the hot sun (“mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun”) while all the local kids etc, turn up 30 seconds before the landing for a quick thrill then back on their scooters and off to have fun somewhere else.

The first blast I experienced was more interesting watching the tourist. The plane came in over western approach or ocean and due to cross winds was noticeably wobbling from side to side. Two girls ran away terrified and squealing, but, soon the roar of the engines silenced them as the plane pasted safely overhead and landed much to everyone’s amusement.

The day I took these shots the plane came in over the eastern approach so you can see some of the landscape and a shot of my cousin Gordon getting the first part of a Jet blast.

Ka kite