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| Tips and photos for Cook Islands vacations and tourism, posted by real travelers and Cook Islands locals. Map |
 | Cook Islands General Tips | Tips 1 - 10 of 27 |  |
The Cooks enjoy a pleasant, tropical climate - with warm, sunny weather all year round.
Heaviest rainfall and highest humidity December to March, with average temperature over this period around 25 degrees Celsius. (usually ranging between 22 and 29 C) On Rarotonga often bright sunny mornings, and late afternoon downpours - this is also the mosquito season, so bring along some repellent...
The drier months from April to November are a bit cooler, and during the winter months of June - August you will probably need a sweater in the evenings.
Cyclone season is between November and March, but even though the Cooks recently were hit quite hard by two tropical storms, severe weather is rare.
The islands of the Northern Group and Aitutaki are all a bit warmer than Rarotonga. Leave a Comment
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On a lagoon near Muri resides the schooner Silent Lady, whispering of another era, pirates and adventurers, and of course Captain Cook himself.
Take a sunset cruise on the Lady, and pretend you are living the lead role in the most shameless romance novel... Leave a Comment
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It's quite a little challenge to do it in the heat and humidity, but the views and the dip in the waterfall are rewarding! The trek takes about 3-4 hours and it's a bit strenous. Sometimes the path is hard to find and mozzies can be quite annoying. Don't do the trek when it's raining or after rainfall as it gets very slippery. Leave a Comment
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On Friday evenings in Avarua, the food market is held, with all sorts of fun and tempting delights. Try fresh samosas with some of the chutneys from the fruits of Rarotonga.
Saturdays are the big market days, and you can get great sale prices on those lovely pareaus you've been eyeing all week, as well as handmade jewelry to go with them. Catch the rhythm of the island music, and buy some CD's to take it home with you.
I can't decide if it is the sheer natural South Pacific beauty of the lagoons and gardens, or the joyful friendly people with their great good humor. I loved this place, and it's still in my dreams... Leave a Comment
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If you enjoy snorkelling, and don't have a waterproof case for your camera - then get a disposable underwater camera. You'll probably find them on Rarotonga, but to be absolutely sure I didn't end up without one, I picked up mine at the airport (Heathrow) before flying to Los Angeles and on to the islands. They're cheap, the quality of the pictures is usually ok (and ok-ish pics are better than no pics at all!:o) - some of these cameras even come with flash. (not a good thing IMHO, the flash lights up any particles in the water near the lens and is not strong enough to reach the fish/octopus/child/whatever you're actually trying to take pictures of - I prefer the ones without flash.)
Most disposable underwater cameras seem to come loaded with a roll of 27 exposure film, and most can be used down to 15 feet (some down to 50 feet). These cameras are of course also great to use on the beach, where sand & sun lotion might cause problems to your regular camera.
When snapping pics with your underwater camera, remember to get *close* to your subject. Leave a Comment
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I've already raved on about Aitutaki lagoon in other sections of my Cook Islands page. Here however is a beautiful beach that you can easily paddle to in a kayak from O'otu Beach on the mainland, if you want to escape to your own paradise for a day. The swimming is good here, but bring your own food and water and make sure you take any rubbish you generate away with you. Leave a Comment
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The Cook Islands is a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand. It uses New Zealand dollars as its currency, though they do have their own unique and attractively collectable $1, $2, and $5 coins. There is also a special set of $3 notes, worth keeping your eye out for!
There are not many ATMs around. There are two in Avarua (the capital - on Rarotonga). One is at the ANZ Bank, down the eastern end of town, near the round-about. The other is at the Westpac Bank, down the western end of town, near the Foodlands supermarket. I saw another Westpac ATM at a Mobil gas station just before the airport (heading west).
On Aitutaki there are just two ATMs. The ANZ one is at the Mango Store (pictured), about 5 minutes walk south of the Pacific Resort. The Westpac ATM is by the post office in the centre of Arutanga.
You will pay 15-20% more for goods in Rarotonga than you would in New Zealand. However, if you are doing a self-catering trip, you can get everything you need in Avarua. Fruit and veges are expensive, as is fresh milk, and meat. Remember it is transported all the way from New Zealand! Locally grown produce is best at the Punanga Nui market and tomatoes and eggplant were good buys when I was there. Leave a Comment
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This is a view of One Foot Island's coastline. This island (properly called Tapuaeta'i) is a popular destination for lagoon cruises. In the afternoon there can be up to five boats moored offshore and it is a little busy compared to other spots around the lagoon. However, it is very beautiful and a great swimming spot.
There is a little post office on the island, which opens for tourists and sells stamps (Aitutaki has its own stamps) and postcards. You can also get your passport stamped with a special "One Foot Island" visa! Leave a Comment
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O'otu beach is probably the best swimming beach on Aitutaki (leaving aside the beaches on the little lagoon islands). Unfortunately, you need your own transport to get there from the western side of the island, as there is no public transport on Aitutaki. A better bet would be to stay there. I saw three beachfront places to stay. Samade has new looking free standing units, as does Ranginui's Retreat. Just off the beach is Akitua Island, which is where the Pearl Beach Resort is. There used to be a bridge linking Akitua to the mainland but it was destroyed by a tropical cyclone in early 2005. Now there is a ferry service between the resort and O'otu Beach, but unless you have permission to come onto the island, you will be refused at the ferry. It's a very exclusive place! Leave a Comment
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If you're not into the arduous cross-island hike over Rarotonga's rugged interior, you can drive to the hospital, high above the west coast and get a good panorama along that coast from the area just past the carpark. Leave a Comment
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on March 11, 2005
on April 26, 2005
on April 23, 2004
on October 8, 2005
