INFORMATION
Rarotonga & Cook Islands Information
* The Cook Islands are located in the South Pacific Ocean. Coordinates are 60W and 21SW of the equator. There are 15 small volcanic and coral atolls in the total group—which is southwest of Tahiti, south from Hawaii, east from Fiji and northeast from New Zealand.
* Air Service is daily to the Cook Islands from New Zealand via Air New Zealand or Pacific Blue (a new start-up venture Branson/Virgin Company). Flight time is 3.5 hours from Auckland or 5.5 hours from Christchurch. There is no direct air service to the Cook Island from Australia or the U.S.A. Australian tourists must transit through New Zealand. Los Angeles is the gateway city for the North American and European clientele. Air New Zealand operates many weekly flights to the Cook Islands via Tahiti, then on to the Cook Islands. Flying time is 7.5 hours from LAX to Tahiti, 1 hour refuelling/transit stop, then a short 1.5 hour flight from Tahiti to the Cook Islands.
* No visas are required for tourists entering the Cook Island for 90 days or less with a valid passport and an outward airline ticket. However, specific to the Cook Islands when filling out the immigration card—one must specify the name of your accommodations—so be prepared to fill in the name of your accommodator.
* The currency of the Cook Islands is the New Zealand Dollar. One should change a small amount of currency before arriving or at the airport when entering the Cook Islands. There is a Westpac bank at the arrival gate after Customs.
* Duty Free liquor (2 litres spirits/ 1 carton cigarettes) is available for purchase for each visitor over 18 years of age. When entering the arrival lounge, there are three or four duty free liquor stores. One of the best is SAVA down the hall by the ‘Gents’.
* There is an airport departure tax of NZ$ 25 per adult and NZ$ 10 for children under 12 years old.
* Driving is on the left hand side of the road—“English” style. Local driver’s licenses are required when renting either motorbikes or cars. Testing is just a formality really and is done daily at the Police station in the main town of Avarua, about 13 kilometres from Rarotonga Beach Bungalows accommodation, and costs NZ$ 10 for the license and NZ$ 5.65 for the test. (The license makes a good souvenir of the Cook Islands) . One should change a small amount of foreign currency into NZD dollars, either overseas or at the airport bank, before leaving the airport when entering the Cook Islands.
Rarotonga Beach Bungalows Information
* Our deluxe bungalow accommodations here at Rarotonga Beach Bungalows are in the tropics. Hence, mosquitoes and geckos (small harmless lizards) exist, but major efforts are made to keep them at a minimum at our beachfront accommodation. Complimentary insect repellent is available in each of our deluxe beach bungalows.
* Our “winter” months –May –October—can have cool evenings, especially on motorbikes. A light jacket should be a part of your suitcase for this period. Our “summer” months—November—April—can be sun intense, so headwear and sun block are good items to pack for your holiday at Rarotonga Beach Bungalows.
* There are lots of super– and not pricey — evening dining establishments that are not too far from our accommodations at Rarotonga Beach Bungalows. To name a few close by, we recommend Sails, The Tamarind House, Vaima and The Windjammer. However, our favourite restaurant – The Paw Paw Patch Restaurant–is right next door to our luxury bungalows and is a small, but superb dining spot that enjoys a big reputation. Being directly next door to Rarotonga Beach Bungalows –50 feet away— is almost like having our own “in house” food and beverage operation. Down the street, about 200 yards away is the Maire Nui Gardens—a small café in a botanical garden.
* Two “limited” convenience stores are about 500 yards away in each direction from Rarotonga Beach Bungalows. Another good market is Wigmore’s store –about 4 kilometres away and open 7 days a week until late. Muri Beach—about 3 kilometres away also has numerous convenience stores for the tourist trade.
* Various churches are within walking distance of Rarotonga Beach Bungalows.
* A very good local public bus service stops at our holiday resort here at Rarotonga Beach Bungalows. Service operates both clockwise and anti-clockwise around the island approximately every 20-30 minutes during daylight hours. Fare is NZ$ 3.00 one way and NZ$ 5.00 return (round trip) to the main town of Avarua from our beachfront accommodation in the village of Titikaveka.
* Rarotonga Beach Bungalows enjoys one of the most desirable, enclosed and deep lagoons on the island of Rarotonga. Safe swimming, snorkelling and kayaking is permitted at all tides. Lots of interesting tropical fish and eagle rays live here. No sharks have ever been sighted, but there is the occasional stonefish or eel, which are not aggressive, to avoid.