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| Cook Islands Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Bungalows Bungalows Mark Phoenixson Suprising fact: the Cook islands cover a surface bigger than India. Most of it is Pacific Ocean of course, but still, the 15 islands in the heart of the South Pacific known as the Cook islands spread over an area the size of India with a total population of just 14,000 souls. |
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| These unique and friendly Polynesians have their own language and government
and enjoy a vigorous and diverse culture with significant differences
between each island. Despite some 70,000 visitors a year to the capital
island – Rarotonga – the Cooks are largely unspoiled by tourism. They offer
a rare opportunity for people from the cities of the world to experience a
different type of vacation. There are no high-rise hotels, only four beach
buggies and very little hype. Ideal for travellers seeking more than the
usual clichés associated with the South Seas, each island has its unique
qualities and offers the visitor a special experience. ______Getting Around Edit This The round-the-island bus is a good way of getting around Rarotonga. It plys the coast road in both directions originating in Avarua (though you can flag it down anywhere). It runs during business hours on weekdays half the day on Saturday and not at all on Sunday. There are also taxis available on Rarotonga and Atiu. You can rent a car on Rarotonga Aitutaki and some of the other islands but nothing would be more than a half hour away. The real advantage is with 4WDs and sturdy motorcycles which can get you to some of the more out-of-the-way spots and up the steeper roads. You'll need a local driver's permit (available from the police station in Avarua); driving is on the left. Keep your wits about you on Friday and Saturday nights when there's heavy drinking going on. Bicycles are a good way to get around and readily available for hire. The fastest way to get between the islands is by plane. Via 18-passenger turboprop planes Air Rarotonga connects the main island with most of those in the southern group and several in the northern. The longest trip takes about 4 and a half hours; the shortest are under an hour. You can get 30-day 'Paradise Island Passes' for around US$50 per sector. You can also get between the islands by private yacht or passenger freighter. Rarotonga however has a small harbour and if your ship is too large you'll most likely have to get to land by lighter - which is how you'll get to shore on every other island save Penrhyn the northernmost island the only other one with a wharf. Getting to the outer islands can be a challenge as ships make it out there infrequently and there are no firm schedules. You can snatch a few hours here and there if you want to keep going with your ship but if you decide to get off for a longer stay be prepared to wait days for the next boat. The airport on Rarotonga is on the north-western coast just a few kilometres west of Avarua. There are car hire agencies there and taxis are available. Aitutaki's airstrip is at the northern end of the island; there's a bus connecting the airstrip with town and there are places to hire cars motorcycles and bicycles at several places around the island. There's an airstrip on the northern coast of Atiu a short drive from the five villages. Motorcycles and bicycles are available for hire at a few motels. _______Getting There Edit This i Air There are direct flights from Los Angeles, to the east, and from Fiji and New Zealand to the south and west. Air New Zealand is the only major international airline now servicing the Cook Islands from North America. Approximate flight time: From Rarotonga to London is 24 hours (Air New Zealand flies via Los Angeles International airport (LAX) frin the east or Auckland from the west. Rarotonga (RAR) is 3km (2 miles) west of Avarua (travel time – 10 minutes). Hotel coaches meet each flight. Taxis and buses are also available. The airport facilities are open according to flight arrivals and departures and include duty-free shops bank/bureau de change bars shops and car rental (Avis and Budget). Departure tax: NZ$30 for passengers over 12 years of age; NZ$15 for passengers aged 2-12 years. Sea Cargo/passenger lines operating to the Cook Islands are run by Cook Islands Shipping Limited New Zealand Motor Vessel Company and EXCIL – Express Cook Islands Line. ________Beaches Edit This Beach in front of the bungalows Beach in front of the bungalows Mark Phoenixson Cook Islands are perfect destination for a family holiday or honeymoon. Beaches of Cook Islands are filled with palm trees growing just above the hot whooshing water. And the ground is, of course, white-sandy. Peace, quiet, waves, palm trees, sand are words to describe Cook Islands. You can go to Hawaii, Dominican Republic, Maldives or some place like that, but you will nowhere find that peace like in Cooks. So, sit, take a deep breath, relax and find yourself for a moment in timeless PARADISE!!!! Rarotonga beaches are quite different from what was written above. Since Rarotoga evolved from a volcanic origin, there is a continental coral reef encircling the entire island (at a distance ranging from 50-200 m). There are some nice sand beaches that are engulfed with a calm lagoon (sea between the shoreline and mentioned coral reef). From my experience, there are just like 3 sandy beaches at Rarotonga at all, the rest is only rocky, coral flat areas with less than 60 cm of water (not suitable for swimiming at all). Reefs are razor sharp and slippery, wearing reef shoes is a vital need. If you expect a dream beach like the one from Blue Lagoon, than looks at Aitituki or different Island from Cook Islands - you could be severely disappointed with Raratoga's beaches (as I am). ________Things to do Edit This On Cook Islands you have lot of thing you can do. Most famous is surfing and diving, but you can do lot of other activities. ::::::::Aitutaki Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Picture from Aitutaki. I wish I'm there!!! Picture from Aitutaki. I wish I'm there!!! Marko Aitutaki is a very beautiful island with romance and fun written all over it!! Aitutaki Hotel and Travel Guide Travellers heading for the Cook Islands should consider spending at least a couple of nights in Aitutaki to allow one full day of snorkeling in the lagoon which is a sort of giant aquarium: you can't believe that the colour of the lagoon portrayed in the pictures is real until you see it with your own eyes! Air Rarotonga provides a good daily service from/to Rarotonga and electronic tickets can be bought online (www.airraro.com). For those who don't have enaugh time, the same airline offers the "Aitutaki Day Tour" from your Rarotonga accomodation including transfers to/from Avarua airport, flights, island tour, lagoon cruise (with lunch, towels and snorkeling gear usually provided). Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: www.jetsave.co.ck/aitutaki.htm :::::::Manuae Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Manuae, Cook Islands is an uninhabited atoll in the south Pacific Ocean. It consists of two islands enclosed by a lagoon. The larger island is called Te Au O Tu and the smaller island is called Manuae. The island is a breeding ground for birds and turtles. ::::::Rarotonga Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa hk With its jagged peaks and deep valleys, fertile slopes of red earth and sparkling aquamarine lagoon, Rartonga comes pretty close to the classic image of paradise. Raratonga was one of the last of the Cook Islands to be visited by European ships, but since its "discovery" it has always been a favorite of sailors and merchants. Many old South Sea hands consider it the most beautiful island in the Pacific. Countless travellers' tales, books, plays and films have created a vision of an archetype of heaven in the South Seas -- massed coconut palms, jungle-clad peaks, the boom of combers smashing on the reef, the crimson flamboyant trees and the beat of the drum dance. Amazingly enough it is all true. Casual chats with overseas visitors will often confirm their surprise that such a place exists. One feature remarked on by most visitors but almost unnoticed by Rarotongans is the number of tiny wild chickens which wander without hindrance wherever they choose. These fowl are too scrawny or quick to make serious contributions to cooking pots. Every morning before dawn and often in the middle of the night a chorus of cockerels starts up, with each rooster trying to outdo the other in staking their claims to territory and harems. Maybe the only bad side of Rarotonga is, as a picture on the right shows, the many stone beaches which are not quite accessible. But, it also has many beautiful sand beaches which are very accessible and very beautiful! Once there: The island is a rather small one, circumventing 32km, so it is easy to get around by bike or a motorcycle, both are readily available in main tourist areas. A nice way to start the discovery is to head towards East from Avarua. Try Tamarind House for their splendid breakfast (coconut pancakes with banana; French toast with syrup and bacon, good lattes,..). A good snorkeling spot is about 15km down the road by a little juice bar called "Fruits of Raro". They will guard your bag for free, but be aware - you might be tempted to try one of the delicious fruit smoothies that they prepare to charge yourself up for snorkeling! The waterfall at the South point of the island, that is from where the drinking water comes from, is way too over-rated. If you have extra time, you can hike/drive up to see it. The Waterfront restaurant on the West of the island offers the best sun-set views and by far the best dinners with superb ambiance. Be sure to be there already to watch the sunset, reserve a table and go down the beach to enjoy the sunset. |
