Transfer to Aitutaki
 

Hi,

We're in the stages of planning a round the world trip, which finishes in the Cook Islands. We would arrive on Rarotonga ( Sun NZ Flight from Auckland ) at 21.05 but would love to stay on Aitutaki. I don't really want to stay 1 night in Raro ( just want to get there & chill ) and then transfer to Aitutaki. Is there any way to transfer at that time of night ?

Thanks

p.s love all the photos

No. As you can see in the attached link, Air Rarotonga's 1st flight is at 8:00 AM.

http://www.ck/edairaro.htm

Ken

PS: A couple of things to consider -

1) According to Cook Islands law, you must have accomodations pre-booked (at least your first night) in order to gain entry to the country (they want to discourage people from just sleeping on the beach etc) and customs may urn you back if you do not have them. Though the law is rarely inforced, you never can tell if they may choose to invoke it and simply deny you entry.

2) That said, the good news is that there a number of very inexpensive, hostel-type places to stay there (the Cooks are a popular "backpacker" stop). Lonely Planet's "Thorn Tree" board (http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/ca...s.cfm?catid=20) is the best place to inquire about these (which are good and which are bad). Some of these places will likely have representaives to meet the incoming plane.

Ken

Oops, I just noted that Air Raro now has a new 21:30 flight on Sunday night. Probably too tight for you to catch though (you might inquire at Air Raro and see what they think).

Ken

Thanks!

I emailed air Raro and they say we wouldn't make the connection....boo hiss

What's the most relaxing, secluded resort on Raro, preferably with some nice suites ?

Well, if you are still planning on heading out to Aitutaki the next morning I wouldn't bother getting a fancy place - though you might find an evening dip refreshing so a pool might be nice.

But to answer your question, the Pacific Resort is usually considered to be the most upscale resort on Rarotonga - though it's not really all that fancy. Their new resort on Aitutaki is very fancy however (and very pricey). The fanciest places on Raro actually tend to be rental-type units such as "Reflections on Rarotonga" (something out of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"), the "Sokola Villas" and a few other such places.

You might want to take a look at some of the travel agency sites that specialize in the Cooks such as Island Hopper (http://www.islandhoppervacations.com/) or Jetsave (http://www.jetsave.co.ck/) to get an idea of what types of accomodations are available and at what types of prices.

As you may already know, I have tons of information/photos/links on the Cooks posted on both Epinions and Webshots.


Ken

Thanks Ken,

If we kind find somewhere special we'll just stay on Raro. I'd had a look at what other flights were available from Auckland and they all seem to be late at night. I've been to Fiji before so wanted to try somewhere different this time anyway.

I was looking at a lot of your pics the other night, FAB !

Will do some more research.

Thanks again x

oooooooohhhhhhh Reflections looks lovely !

Do you know if there are good restaurants within walking distance ?

Yeah, Reflections is pretty incredible. I was inside one of the units once and it was even nicer than it looks on the Reflections website. Pretty luxurious - flat screen plasma TV (and this was 2 years ago when flat screen were REALLY expensive), canopied 4-poster bed, Balinese furnishings, private plunge pool, they even had their own custom-made dinner plates (available for guests to buy). Very nice indeed.

The only downside (aside from the high price) was the fact that the property was very small and crowded (close to the neighboring buildings). Note that the 2 beachfront units are actually duplexes.

Also, I should warn you that there is something currently going on with the water in that general area (not sure if it directly affects the beach that Reflections is on or if it's bit further west) that is causing eye irritations etc with some swimmers. They are not sure if it's a natural algae or some sort of man-made pollution. It's a longgggg story. Anyway, tests are ongoing and the water is (I think) being sampled daily. A 400 meter long stretch of beach was temporarily closed (not sure for how long, or if it is now open). More info on this issue has been posted on the Cook Island News website (http://www.cinews.co.ck/) from time to time. I might choosing a place directly on that particular stretch of beach. Other beaches seem to be fine. A few months back there was a brief water quality issue at the north end of Muri (not near swimming areas), but that is long resolved now. In any even, the 2 scares have sparked debate on the island about how to maintain the water quality as tourism increases. In that respect, it was a good thing.

Ken

PS: Glad you liked the photos. The are very nice - but I'm not claiming the credit - it's easy to take nice pictures when everywhere you look it's so darn beautiful!

PS - No, I can't remember if there are any restaurants right near Reflections (sorry). Don't recall seeing any right there, but we didn't stay in that area so I have to admit I wasn't really paying attention to eating establishments there.

Ken

Oops - meant to say "I might reconsider choosing a place directly on that particular stretch of beach".

As I said though - not sure if Reflections is affected or not (just be sure and find out before your book anywhere near the SW corner of the island).

Ken

Thanks for all the ifo....great help....much appreciated !

You're welcome.

FYI - I did some poking around, and it looks like Reflections is NOT in the area affected. The affect area is fairly small and the problem appears to be on-again/off-again. Most of the time, even the affected area is OK.

Have fun on your trip. Any other questions, feel free to ask.

Ken

Super ! Thanks Ken, your a star !