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Facts and Stats:
Population: 14,153
Area: 25.9 square miles
Government: Self Governing Parliamentary Democracy
Time Zone: GMT –10 (No daylight savings)
Country Dialing Code: +682
Languages: Maori, English
Electricity: 240v
Introduction:
If you dream about a remote tropical vacation, look no further than the Cook Islands. The sleepy islands are a true tropical paradise. The interior of the island is lush green volcanic peaks. The inland peaks are surrounded by thousands of coconut palms waving languidly over a shallow lagoon of azure water, enclosed and protected by a reef encircling the entire island. oThis allows for safe swimming and snorkeling if you are wary of open ocean. The island is quite small, even though it is the biggest of the island chain, making it quite easy to get around to different beaches, waterfalls, or other points of interest. Time is slow here, and the locals are friendly, warm and laid back. Definitely make it to an Island Night, or another place where you can see Polynesian Dancing; The Cook Island Dancers are the best dancers in all of the Pacific.
Geography:
The Cook Islands are comprised of 15 Islands in the heart of the South Pacific, nestled between the islands of Tahiti and Fiji. The easiest way to locate it on a map is to find Hawaii, and do a mirror reflection of Hawaii over the equator. Rarotonga is the youngest, biggest, and most populated of all the islands and where the government resides. The island is an extinct volcano and stands 14,750 feet above the ocean floor. The highest peak is 2,140 feet above sea level and a lagoon, which extends several hundred yards to the reef, surrounds the entire island. Nearly all of the shops, houses, resorts or restaurants are located on the main road that rings the outer edge of the island. If you travel by scooter, you can make it around the circumference of the island in under an hour.
Avarua is the main town and capitol on the island and the commercial center of the Cook Islands. During business hours, it has a friendly, bustling atmosphere together with a good selection of shops, banks, cafes and visitor facilities. Arorangi and Muri Beach are home to many of the accomodations the island has to offer.
Brief History:
Polynesians settled the Cook Islands long before any European explorers found the Islands. It is difficult to find accurate records of when they were settled, although they were probably settled by sea going Polynesians on canoes seeking more space and resources from their crowded island homes in Tupai'i, Samoa, and Tonga. Tradition has it that this was the reason for the expedition of Ru, from Tupua'i in French Polynesia, who landed on Aitutaki and Tangiia, also from French Polynesia, who are believed to have arrived on Rarotonga around 800 AD. Some evidence for this is that the old road of Toi, the Ara metua which runs round most of Rarotonga, is believed to be at least 1200 years old. Similarly, the northern islands were probably settled by expeditions from Samoa and Tonga.
Spanish expeditions found the Cook Islands at the end of the 15th century, sighting Pukapuka, and the British found it in the 17th century although they called it " Danger Island" because they could not land. Towards the end of the 17th century, Captain James Cook found many of the southern group Islands, and dubbed them Hervey Islands. Russians gave the name “Cook Islands” when they appeared for the first time on a naval chart in the 1880's and named them after the famous navigator. After the explorers, missionaries began to arrive. John Williams of the London Missionary Society landed on Aitutaki in 1821. He used converted Tahitians to spread the word, and they were largely successful (although, Williams was eventually killed and eaten in Vanuatu).
The islands became a British protectorate in 1888, and transferred to New Zealand control in 1900. On July 26 1965, Cook gained independence. New Zealand passed the Cook Islands Constitution Amendment Act and the Cook Islands became a State in free association with New Zealand. In essence, this arrangement provided that the Cook Islands can govern themselves with their own laws and leaders, retain New Zealand citizenship, and can have defense provided by New Zealand at their request.
People/Culture:
The indigenous population of the Cook Islands is the Cook Islands Maori. They are Polynesians closely related ethnically to the indigenous populations of Tahiti and nearby islands and to the New Zealand Maori.
Maori Polynesians are unhurried, friendly, conservative and very famous for their Polynesian dancing. The dances are performed for Tangaroa, the Fertility God. His sculptures and likeness can be seen on many places on Rarotonga. (Once you see him, you won’t forget why he is the Fertility God). English and Maori are both spoken here, and throughout the Cook Islands there are 6 dialects: Rakahanga/Manihiki, Penrhyn, Mangaia, Rarotonga, Aitutaki and Atiu/Mauke/Mitiaro. Pukapukan is spoken in Pukapuka and Nassau.
It is very safe on Rarotonga, the saying being “It’s a small island, where would you hide?” So, violent crimes are almost non-existent. I never felt any danger at night - on the beach or in town. We personally had a theft situation, but it is rare to encounter any problems during your stay.
Industry:
About 100,000 people visit Rarotonga every year making tourism an important part of the economy. Other industries include black pearls, offshore banking, and agriculture.
Food:
The food here is quite good, although those used to a lot of choices can feel a bit anxious about lack of options. Typically in restaurants, they offer a "Meat" or "Fish" choice, and they may not know exactly what meat or what fish. So, you just have to go with it. Lamb is popular there, so most of the time, the meat choice is lamb, and the fish choice could be Travails, Parrotfish, Wahoo, or whatever was caught that day. There are a handful of nicer restaurants that will be more informative, if that is required. Breadfruit, star fruit, mango, coconut, and poi, are all popular accompaniments, and there is a fusion of Indian type curries with a many dishes that is very pleasing.
Money/Costs:
The Cook Islands have a "free association" arrangement with New Zealand. Under this arrangement, Cook Islanders are New Zealand citizens and use NZ dollars. There is Cook Island currency, but you see it less and less often. Which is really unfortunate, they have a beautiful 3-dollar bill. In the past, Americans and Europeans were largely unaware of the existence of the Cook Islands. For those "in the know" the exchange rate between the US dollar and the NZ dollar made travel in the Cook Islands very affordable. Unfortunately, due to the growing publicity the islands are receiving, prices are going up for things like lodging, food, and drink. Getting here has always been expensive for those outside of Australia and New Zealand because there are very few carriers and flights that go here. It still is pretty reasonable here, although the exchange rates fluctuates, and attention caused by England’s “Shipwrecked” and the U.S’s “Survivor” being filmed in nearby Aitutaki has raised the popularity in the Cook Islands recently, it is still considerably cheaper than Tahiti and Bora Bora.
Tipping is not a customary practice in the Cook Islands and taxes are included in all bills. Haggling is frowned upon. Many places do not take credit cards.
Getting There and Around:
Getting to the Cook Islands from most places is very expensive. Currently, the only airline that flies to Rarotonga International Airport (RAR) from the U.S. is Air New Zealand. Air Tahiti flies to Rarotonaga from Papeete and Pacific Blue has flights from Auckland.
Getting around the island is pretty easy. There is one major outer road and it is a ring around the island. A bus runs the ring around the island, one traveling clockwise and one traveling counter-clockwise. So as long as you are heading in the same direction as the bus, they will pick you up and drop you anywhere. Bus fare is NZD $2.00. There are also taxis to call, and cars to rent but, by all means, rent a scooter! It is such a small place you will find scooters are easier and a lot more fun. Plus, you can go places cars cannot. The driving is on the left and drivers are fairly reserved and observe speed limits. Many locals use scooters too, so typically the speeds aren’t high. You do need to get a local driver's license to legally drive in the Cook Islands, and this essentially means showing up with valid home license at the police station in the capital Avarua with $20 NZ.
Entry Requirements:
You must have a Passport and it must be valid 3 months beyond intended stay. No visa is required for stays up to 31 days. Extension permits are usually granted for visitors wanting to stay over 31 days. You must have tickets or documents for return or onward travel. You must have suitable accommodations and financial ability to support your stay.
Weather:
The weather on Rarotonga is typically tropical and fairly consistent. Summer, between December and April, is hotter and more humid with a higher rainfall and the risk of tropical storms. Winter is between May and November and is cooler and drier. Aitutaki and the other northern islands are noticeably warmer than the main island of Rarotonga. High temperatures are usually around 85 degrees and the lows can get down to the mid 60's during the winter.
Below is a chart showing the average high and low temperatures and average rainfall by month.
| |
Avg high |
Avg low |
Rainfall |
| Jan |
83.8 |
73.2 |
10 |
| Feb |
84.4 |
73.6 |
8.8 |
| Mar |
84 |
72.7 |
10.8 |
| Apr |
82.8 |
71.6 |
7 |
| May |
79.9 |
68.7 |
6.8 |
| Jun |
78.1 |
66.7 |
4.2 |
| Jul |
77.4 |
65.5 |
3.7 |
| Aug |
76.8 |
65.1 |
4.9 |
| Sep |
77.5 |
66.4 |
3.9 |
| Oct |
78.8 |
68 |
5.1 |
| Nov |
80.8 |
69.8 |
5.6 |
| Dec |
82 |
71.4 |
9.1 |
Additional Tips and Information
When walking around in the lagoon waters, wear a pair of thick-soled water socks. There may be stonefish which bury themselves in the sand with poisonous barbs sticking up. If you don't have proper protection and step on one, your vacation will be ruined and you will experience many days of excruciating pain.
When snorkeling, do not ever put any of your limbs inside the mouth of a giant clam. If they close on you, you will likely drown.
The Cook Islands periodically have outbreaks of Dengue Fever. In fact, at the time of this writing 460 people have been recently infected with it. Dengue Fever will not likely kill you, but you will want to die. Dengue Fever is carried by mosquitoes, so make sure you have plenty of mosquito repellent with Deets and use it when outdoors, particularly during the daytime.
Be wary of the exhaust pipes on your scooter. It is very easy to touch your leg to them, which can result in a wicked burn. Ask the scooter rental place to show you where not to touch.
Most of the locals are Christian and Sundays are considered a day of rest. Most stores, restaurants, and other establishments are closed.
You won't be able to help but notice the wild dogs that roam the island because most of them, regardless of breed, have stumpy Dachshund-like legs. The dogs are very friendly but can be a hazard when riding scooters.
Recognize, respect and appreciate the slower pace of life on the island.
Services:
Police: 999
Hospital/Ambulance: 998
Fire: 996
Rarotonga Hospital: 22-664
Community Health Clinic: 20-065
Police Land and Sea Search and Rescue National Police Headquarters Rarotonga: 22-499
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Reviewed by:
jsprague
Review date: Jul-23-2009
I really wanted to give Rarotonga a 5 star rating, but Aitutaki is better. Having said that, Rarotonga is awesome and offers beautiful beaches, good restaurants, and some semblance of a nightlife without being too touristy. Can't wait to go back.
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