Have you ever been to Rarotonga?

My name is Nina Orzeł. I am a kitesurfing, windsurfing, snowboarding and ski instructor. My job helps me to travel. I choose a country, change boards and I go!:) My adventure started when I decided  to train snowboarding in my last year of high school. I moved to Szczyrk to Sport High-school and started to train in snowboarding. Even though I started late, I was in the National Snowboardcross Team.

My first experience travelling was for training and competitions. I was training, studying and working, in winter between competitions as a snowboard /ski instructor, in the summer in Rhodes as a kitesurfing and windsurfing instructor. I studied at the Academy of Physical Education in two majors : Sport, and Tourism and Recreation. Nowadays, I am deciding where to visit and using my skills to explore the world. I go to different places depending on how I feel. So far, I've worked in Austria, New Zealand, Australia, and Greece. This year I went to Japan to get on Japanese powder and eat sushi. When winter finished, I went to Bali, to find out the balinese waves are for surfing. With the locals instructors I caught some nice waves and new skills! 

I was thinking where to go next, and the idea of the Cook Islands got stuck in my head. I applied for a job at KiteSup in Rarotonga, and I got it. In my journey there was small problem, I hadn't taken my kitesurfing gear with me to Japan. So, my parents sent all my stuff from Poland to the Pacific Island. The board which I am using is a waveboard, the Nobile Infinity, and it's amazing. It is a split board, so super easy to travel with. I brought my Nobile board with me and changed kitesurfing style in Rarotonga. Everybody has fallen in love with the waveboard, even though in the lagoon it's normally flat water. All the time after someone has a session on this board, I see happy faces! :) 

Rarotonga has two faces. Incredible mountains and blue water around the Island. The main kiting spot is where I work in Muri. The lagoon is between two islands and usually gets onshore wind. When it's windy, you are in a dream.  You are kititng in clear blue water with turtles and eagle rays, with a view to the jungle and the mountains, which are most of the time covered with mysterious clouds. 

Unfortunately, there are some reefs and everything is dependent on the tides. But when you start to understand the spot, you can have a lot of fun. The spot here is best for bigger kites 10m-17m. The wind here is around 14-23knots, turtles are taking some of the wind. Things also depend on the wind direction, sometimes you need to kite on the other side of the island. When it's a low tide you have to be careful of the corals. You cannot get bored, because on this small island there are plenty of spots, so everyday you can discover new places! The best period to come here for kitesurfing is from July to September. This time is winter here ( 25-30 degrees), but it is dry season, so it doesn't rain too often.

 Between the session on the water it's good to take a break and take coconut from the trees, and in the evening you can visit the Muri food market and try local foods! After dinner it's good to relax with the traditional music or dance performance. Even on days with no wind, you can't get bored. Jump on the water with snorkeling mask and watch incredible fishes, turtles and other life under the water or explore the wonderful jungle, where sometimes it's hard to find the proper path!

It's a small Island, but it has everything that you need to feel be happy. Paradise!

Enjoy every moment in your life and see you in the future!