I kept the queen waiting.
Thunderstorms had delayed my flight. By the time the plane landed, Cook Islands Queen Manarangi Tutai had been waiting at the airport for three hours.
Despite the imposition, she smiled regally, wished me “Kia orana” — “May you live long” — and draped a fragrant necklace of gardenias around my shoulders. I stumbled through an apology. I had planned to stay at her bed-and-breakfast inn on the remote South Pacific island of Aitutaki during my November trip, but I didn’t expect her to pick me up, much less grab my luggage, as she was now doing, and drive me to the B&B herself.
“Don’t worry. We’re on island time,” she said cheerily. Clearly, I had left L.A. behind. Gridlocked freeways, scowling faces and diesel-scented air faded as Queen Tutai hoisted my bag into the back of her well-worn utility truck. In the Cook Islands, I soon learned, there is no traffic, people smile at one another and the air is scented with plumeria. Plus, for $53 a night, any guest can receive a royal welcome.
— Rosemary McClure in the Los Angeles Times