Cook Islands Travel Forum

Does anyone have any ideas on budget car rentals in rarotonga? Will we need a car to get around? Appreciate your help.

we are looking at places to get married thinking of rarotonga as its close for us from nz with 2 children, would love to hear of suggestions from other people of good companys or resorts that will organise our wedding, not looking for any thing over the top just a nice ceramony on the beach or even next to a waterfall.will only be the four of us. has anybody organised weddings themself or do you get resort to do everything.we dont mind staying in a resort for the few days when getting married but then i think we will move on to cheaper accommadation, any suggestions
cheers

We have 2 weeks on the islands, what is the best beach to swim/snorkel/sleep? We don't need nightlife. Clean and quiet is more important. Also, accomodation around $US 50 or under. Is it possible? We just need a bungalow that is clean and near the beach. We just decided to shoot over today, so any help would be appreciated.

Any suggestions for cheap but clean and safe lodging? My wife, daughter and I will be heading to Roratonga at the end of October for a little "warm-up" after traveling in New Zealand for about 2.5 weeks.

We are thinking of staying at the Shangri la cottages. Just wondering if anyone has stayed here?

Thanks for your help.

For my trip to the Cook Islands in October this year I have booked the following budget accomodations.

Rarotonga - Vara's
Aitutaki - Tom's Beachcottage and Josie's Beachhouse

Anyone been stayed at those accomodations ?? And how was it ?

what kind of temperature should I expect to find in rarotonga the first week of january?
does it rain a lot then?

how long does it take to circle the island with the bus?

are 3-4 days enough to explore it?

We are traveling to Rarotonga with our 4 year old son at the end of August, and prefer to rent bicycles to get around. We are looking for a rental place that can provide a bike with a child safety seat.

Thanks.

how big sre the cook islands and what is the population? What is the level of crime there and are there any animals that can cause serious harm to humans? Are the cook islands under NZ rule?

I will be visiting the Cook Islands for 2 weeks in September.

Does anyone know of a nice place to stay for arounf NZ$100 - NZ$130 a night.

Would prefer a private beach bungalow with hot water.

Have considered the following:

Varas - beach studios but not sure they are actiually ont he beach and have heard its very noisy

Sunrise Beach Bungalows

Rarotonga Backpackers

Also - is there a preferable part of the island to stay? Muri beach seems to be the most popular but dont think either of the above places are on it.

Help...

I will be visiting the Cook Islands for 2 weeks in September.

Does anyone know of a nice place to stay for arounf NZ$100 - NZ$130 a night.

Would prefer a private beach bungalow with hot water.

Have considered the following:

Varas - beach studios but not sure they are actiually ont he beach and have heard its very noisy

Sunrise Beach Bungalows

Rarotonga Backpackers

Also - is there a preferable part of the island to stay? Muri beach seems to be the most popular but dont think either of the above places are on it.

Help...

I will be visiting the Cook Islands for 2 weeks in September.

Does anyone know of a nice place to stay for arounf NZ$100 - NZ$130 a night.

Would prefer a private beach bungalow with hot water.

Have considered the following:

Varas - beach studios but not sure they are actiually ont he beach and have heard its very noisy

Sunrise Beach Bungalows

Rarotonga Backpackers

Also - is there a preferable part of the island to stay? Muri beach seems to be the most popular but dont think either of the above places are on it.

Help...

A forum posting, Jan.,'05, gave this advice:" When you're in Raro, take the tour with "Piri" . He's a legend and the traditional umu that he and his family cook is the REAL DEAL." So, HOW do I find Piri?

Hi

I may be going to Cook Islands for a wedding in September and the accomodation recommended to me was at Lagoon Lodges. Has anyone stayed here?

Also the bridal party is staying at Castaway Villas which I am told is nearby but when I looked on a map, it doesn't seem that close. Does anyone know how far away the two resorts are from each other??

Thanks!

can anyone tell if there are any budget hotels on rarotonga which allow you to stay 1 nite only & how much it is? Also I will spend most of my holiday on Aitutaka & am looking for budget beach hut accomadation preferably with own bathroom for a romantic break with my partner any recommendation? cheers

My girlfriend and I will be visiting the Cook Islands (Raratonga and Aitutaki) in June. Much to my distress (and the utter disinterest of my girlfriend) this coincides with the World Cup!! Is there anywhere on either island where I will be able to watch the matches (bearing in mind the kick-off times will be 3am, 6am, and 9am or thereabouts)? Please help!!!!

Hi,
Wanting to know if anyone has stayed at Club Raro, Rarotonga.
Planning a 10 day stay on a limited budget.
Also, are there any places of interest, restaurants, cafes and bars around or near the resort.
Thanx

Could anyone tell me if the weather will be warm enough for swimming in june?

Hello We are getting married on Crown Beach in June and we are looking for a way to get from crown beach after the wedding to Sails restaurant for our reception. The travel agent can only find us a Taxi but we we were hoping for something a little more romantic. Will the temperature be hot enough for swimming then? Has any one been to a wedding reception at Sails? What is it like?

greetings

i am honeymooning in the cook islands in late dec. at rarotonga beach bungalows. i work on an oil rig in the gulf which is the worst job in the world so i really want to have the best time of my life. are the bungalows nice as the pictures on the web? will i be able to catch premier league games on boxing day? how much can i get a decent black pearl for? if i like it can i stay?
best regards

Hi, this may sound like a silly question. But what type of electical plug ins are used on Rarotonga. I have a few things I will need to charge up, so I need to know if I can plug my stuff in. Thanks.

Hi you,
I have to arrange a wedding on Rarotonga in november and it should not be some kind of a "Wedding Package".
Has someone perhaps experiences in planning such an event and/or the telephone number of the registry office?

Sincerely,
Willi.

Hello, can anyone tell me what type of currency most places like in Rarotonga? I heard they prefer New Zealand money? Thank ya.

We have a 4-hour lay-over in the Cook Islands on the way from Los Angeles to NZ. Is it worth leaving the airport and trying to see something? Is everything small enough that we could rent a bike, tool around for a couple of hours than return to the airport? Or should we just play it safe?

Kevin

Hi, I know that the question of weather always comes up, but here I go anyway. Hope you can all help. I'm a mum from Sydney Australia and will be travelling to Raro with my kids, 12 & 15 yrs and my husband in January (school holidays in Australia) and I want to know of anyone who has been to Raro in January. Is it really that wet? Will the weather spoil our holiday? We are very keen on the beaches in Rarotonga and hope that we can swim every single day, it's the whole reason why we are going. I know that it is hurricane season in the South Pacific and am seriously considering changing our travel plans and go to Koh Samui as it is dry season in the Gulf of Thailand at that time. Am I worrying too much - should I just go and not worry?

Does anyone know the cheapest way to Rarotonga from NZ?
I looked up airfares from Auckland and they are so expensive.
thanks

Hi, I am going to Rarotonga with a girlfriend later in the year and besides enjoying some down time we would like to find the local night life, and/or meet some people our own age (25). Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks

Could people let me know how much they spent over the time they were there?

Particularly budget travellers like myself?

And any hidden costs?

Thanks

I am planning to visit the cook islands next year and am hoping to stay for 3-4 months, from what i have read and having spoken to my local consulate i am reasonably assured that this should not be a problem.

But, if there is anyone who has been there and experienced any problems with getting visa extensions, please let me know the details?