Trip to Rarotonga, Cook Islands?

Permabanned
Joined
2 Sep 2017
Posts
10,490
So, has anyone been in Avarua, Rarotonga recently? How is the Island? Hotels, prices?

I see that the flights from Europe via Doha and New Zealand are not expensive.
 
Soldato
Joined
14 Sep 2007
Posts
15,660
Location
Limbo
Looked at it a few years back but time to get there and costs were quite prohibitive. Ended up going to Fiji for a second time instead.

To elaborate, it wasn't the raw travelling time but the amount of transfers on dates we could travel that meant we couldn't do it. Whereas Fiji was a single transfer in Hong Kong and regular flights.
 
Soldato
Joined
21 Oct 2002
Posts
14,595
Location
Wellington, NZ
Yeah went last year. Very sleepy island. Nice beaches for swimming and SUP but not a lot else to do other than quad bikes/hire bikes etc.
There's a clockwise and anti-clockwise bus that goes around the whole island which is cheap and ideal for getting to different bars and hotels. We stayed in the Edgewater which was fine (full of kiwi families) but spend a bit more and go somewhere like Muri Beach Club.

I wouldn't go from Europe though. Go to Ibiza:p
 
Associate
Joined
4 Jul 2012
Posts
142
I visited Rarotonga February 2019 for 16 days.

Fantastic place. An absolute paradise island. We spent 50% of our time snorkeling / on the beach, and the other walking, exploring, etc. There's loads of amazing hikes, snorkeling is breathe taking and water is like a warm bath (really, the warmest sea water I've ever experienced).

You can do a lap of the island in 30 minutes (we got a cook island driving licence and hired a moped) or hop on the bus to go anywhere on the island (clockwise or anticlockwise services) so I would suggest staying south / west, in the quieter parts of the island and commute to main shops etc.

Link below to the home we rented. C. £100/night. Hosts were amazing bringing fresh fruit, bread etc.

https://www.booking.com/hotel/ck/honey-rose-retreat-rarotonga.en-gb.html

Price wise, it's fairly expensive probably 1.5x price in the UK for general goods, food etc. But not too bad.

All comes down to budget and length of stay but you can't go wrong. Do it.
 
Caporegime
Joined
29 Aug 2007
Posts
28,594
Location
Auckland
It's a fun place to go, very relaxing, and has a great vibe. We try and go once a year. You're definitely on 'island time' so don't plan anything in too much detail. There's a number of good resorts and more recently Airbnb has started to pick up as well. It's not dramatically more expensive than NZ but the choice, particularly in food, is reflective of its island status.
 
Soldato
Joined
31 Jan 2004
Posts
11,292
Location
Matakana New Zealand
I've not been yet but i want to go there, everybody here in NZ raves about it! So far i've been to New Caledonia and Vanuatu in the south pacific, Fiji, Raro and BoraBora are on my bucket list and i'm well placed for them all. Another one that has revently attracted me is Tuvalu, thanks to a recent 'Yes Theory' video...

 

RxR

RxR

Soldato
Joined
16 Aug 2019
Posts
3,296
Location
Australia
Social media driven millenial junket for a good cause? Why not. It's got the save the dying world (disappearing island) vibe. Ms Thunberg might go there.
 
Permabanned
OP
Joined
2 Sep 2017
Posts
10,490
Thanks, guys, Rarotonga looks more than great. Tuvalu is also beautiful.
I have found the needed information, and with your help, I have decided my next trips will definitely be there.

Look at this:


Yeah went last year. Very sleepy island. Nice beaches for swimming and SUP but not a lot else to do other than quad bikes/hire bikes etc.
There's a clockwise and anti-clockwise bus that goes around the whole island which is cheap and ideal for getting to different bars and hotels. We stayed in the Edgewater which was fine (full of kiwi families) but spend a bit more and go somewhere like Muri Beach Club.

I wouldn't go from Europe though. Go to Ibiza:p

Ibiza is completely different. Maybe only the colour of the water is the same and nothing else.
For me, all the hundreds of Greek islands are closer and as good as Ibiza.
 
Back
Top Bottom