Ishiteji, as it's known in Japanese, is No. 51 of the 88 temples that form the Shikoku Pilgrimage, and you can usually see a few pilgrims in their white garb and cone hats. The main hall and pagoda are built in the architectural style of the Kamakura Period (1192-1333). Behind the temple buildings is a doorway to a dark hole in the mountain which forms the backdrop to Ishite. This leads to a series of tunnels filled with peculiar Buddhist statuary, leading out to an inner courtyard area containing a strikingly modern golden dome.

For divers, the outer reefs surrounding Rarotonga and Aitutaki are exceptional, offering visibility often exceeding 30 metres year-round. The dive sites feature fascinating underwater landscapes, including canyons, caves, swim-throughs, and towering drop-offs. While some areas can reach impressive depths, the most popular dive sites are typically shallower. Notable dive experiences include exploring the Alexander wreck near Rarotonga.

Valencia welcomes spring with its most colourful and famous festival. Gigantic papier mache monuments, known as fallas, with effigies usually representing celebrities or politicians in a satirical way, are set up on streets and squares throughout the city and burnt to a cinder in spectacular bonfires on the last day of the celebration. The Flower Offering to the Virgen de los Desamparados, when thousands of falleras and falleros in traditional costumes parade through the city, is also a sight to behold.