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We’re off next month to Raro & Aitutaki. I used to go a fair bit but haven’t been for years. Just wondering
a) what’s the best deal for phone roaming?
b) I LOVE scooters! But the whole getting a license thing is just a money making scheme. Last time I had to rent the scooter for the drivers license and I had to ride it past the wooden post and I looked back and they had walked inside – weren’t even looking! Any way around the ‘drivers license?’
c) One thing I’ve never done is One Foot Island. Fingers crossed weather is good. There is Tripadvisor but just wondering if anyone has personal experience to add to lagoon tours and one foot island.
I haven’t been to Niue and Tahiti but I totally rank the Cooks above and beyond any other Pacific Island! Partners first time so hoping the weather is good!
Kia Ora,
We are off on Saturday week – can’t wait.
With regards to phone – last time I just used BlueSky – http://www.bluesky.co.ck/content/page/mobile-prepaid/m/166/. We got one of the data packs – didn’t use voice or text – was about $50 for 3GB for 2 weeks. There are two Blue Sky shops in Avarua, and a few around the island (they have Blue Sky signs on them).
Scooter License – I think if it is for a few days you are fine – otherwise you will need your license (if you follow rules, lots don’t).
Have a great trip.
Hi kiwi wings. The travel sim is the way to go. $50 for 3 gb of data and some calls. It used to be valid for 30 days but a few months ago they changed it to a two week validity. Most hotels are very expensive for wifi.
You are now able to use your New Zealand divers license for driving in the Cooks however it has to be valid for the category you are driving so if you don’t have a motorbike on your NZ license you need a local license. If you take your expired license when you renew you won’t need a driving test.
One foot and the Aitutaki lagoon is the most amazing place. I am a bit biased as I did live in Rarotonga for a while.
An Android app called flowx is great for getting an overview of what the weather is going to be like. The forecast from the local met office generally says “showers”
Have a great time.
Cheers, Matt
Cheers for the tips wasabi2k and mattinnz. I see bluesky is the only provider there. I think I read you can get a sim or something on arrival at the airport so I’ll try that.
Unfortunately the weather doesn’t look great and it’s real so I’m not sure the scooter fits into plans at the moment. However it’s likely to be warm and depending on how heavy the rain is I might just take the poncho and deal with it 🙂 Hopefully things clear up for one foot.
Our trip seems to have inspired other family to look at going to Rarotonga late next year which has prompted me to go searching for accommodation again.
So I’ve found a website which is like a ‘holiday homes’ type site for the Cook Islands which I think actually represents better value for money when it comes to accommodation. Bookabach.co.nz includes Rarotonga as does holidayhouses.co.nz
I had completely forgot my cousins had stayed in homes several times. Also while we were in Rarotonga someone told us that many kiwis had become quite good at visiting Raro for cheaper than we had. Makes you feel like a bit of an idiot! 🙂 But they weren’t wrong. Even noticed one of the luxurious places was being advertised on vrbo for cheaper than other hotel sites.
Although some of the locations may not seem as ideal as others, I think it’s easy enough to take the bus (although we never took that particular mode of transport) or rent a car etc for the days you want to get around. You can apparently hire watersports gear at Muri from http://www.captaintamas.com/x,992,23/facilities.html if you really want to spend time in that particular area.
Funnily enough I managed to get a scooter license without going through the apparent 25 written questions and short practical. Not sure how – possibly went to wrong line and they just processed me anyway?
There’s another website which gives an idea of the island nights on Raro as well http://enjoycookislands.com/uploads/general/Island-Nights-Info-2016.pdf
We went to Te Vara Nui which was pricey but the food was good, the show was great and the drums – were incredible! You can do an additional cultural village tour which people seemed to have enjoyed. They also pick you up and drop you off to your accommodation which was much appreciated as we had moved away from Muri to Titikaveka.
One other thing I will say is that people there are so friendly. We cycled around the island and the chain came off was really stuck behind the cassette. Someone stopped and pulled out their spanner and helped. The next day we cycled to Muri night markets and we were just arriving and ended up with a flat tyre. A local gave us a ride back on his ute after we’d eaten. Super cool.
Anyway, just a few things to consider for future trips.
Ha – I’m more of a rambler than a writer!
Hmmm – I did discover a few other things which I found useful. Could type up a few things and throw in a few pics and send it to you for fixing/editing. I doubt it would be a comprehensive destination guide though. Or could just slot them in here
The Cook Islands are fabulous. I’d definitely love to see a destination guide put together. I can probably share some photos and ideas from visit earlier this year.
Regarding reference to VRBO.com (Vacation Rental By Owner), I’ve used their site to book an apartment in Oahu, Hawaii before. It worked very well and price was fair.
And we went to Italy in Sicily. My husband is a cook and he took three-month courses there for his restaurant; at that time I sometimes entertained myself with walking tour of taormina sicily http://www.sicilyactivities.com/one-day-activities/taormina-walking-tour . So you can pay attention to Italy just for everyone who enjoys cooking, delicious food, etc.
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