Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# All The Help I Can Get! Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Cook Islands
rakau 11:46 UTC 19 Nov 2007 | Hey, i just booked a one way flight to Rarotonga on air new zealand, they had a good deal so i bought a ticket. So basically im going to rarotonga with no plans, and no way home! i wanted to through myself in the deep end a bit..lol i plan to come back to auckland, but before then i would like to see some other islands, possibly tahiti and samoa... so my first question is how do i book flights from raro to anywhere else? or does anyone know a good route to take so i can see some other islands and get back to auckland, as cheap as possible. i've tried looking up flights from raro to tahiti etc but it never comes up with prices or even how to book them. so i also know the currency is the same as a nz dollar, but are the living costs the same? e.g. price of food etc? im also looking for a cheap place to stay so anyone with any knowledge on places to stay would be a great help. and if there is anyone on here who will be going to raro end of feb time (i arrive on the 23rd) who is keen to meet up and explore the islands then give me a message. im 20 and male :) and just incase it would case problems i am also gay. but dont worry, my personality is not that of the typical gay guy lol so yeah im abit confused and unsure of what the hell is going on! any help or advice would be sweet, thanks x Danny |
hollybell 12:21 UTC 19 Nov 2007 | Hi Danny, I'm pretty sure that you need a return ticket to get in to Raro if not you will be turned away!!!! so my advice is to book everything from Auckland before you leave! Flights between islands like Aitutaki (a must) Atiu and Mauke etc can all be booked on Raro. Read all these pages there is lots of info here also google The Cook Islands!! Have a good time BOOK YOUR RETURN TICKET!!!!! | 1
raro 14:49 UTC 19 Nov 2007 | Hi Danny--with a name like "Rakau", which is a CI Maori word (there is a Motu Rakau in Aitutaki) , you may be a Cook Islander. If so, you'll need proof of this before they will let you in at RAR with a one-way ticket. Go the the CI Consulate in Auckland, or Wellington, to get this, you'll need proof you are a Ci er. Otherwise you will be sent out on the same plane you arrived. And if you are not a CI er, and arrive without an onward or return ticket, you'll likewise be sent back on the same plane you arrived on. You can't get to Samoa from the Cooks. You can get to Tahitim, it's a separate ticket, on Air Tahiti. Air Rarotonga may be acting as the local agent on Rarotonga, check their website. Food is a little more expensive in the grocery stores, but eating out is not much more than in Auckland. | 2
rakau 02:33 UTC 20 Nov 2007 | thanks for the reply guys, yeah i know i have to book myself a ticket out of raro i just havent got around to it yet, im just planning my stay in raro/aitutaki before i work out what date i will fly out. Its actually becoming quite exspensive so am unsure if i will be able to go anywhere else, so it might just be a ticket back home. I did check out air tahiti but it didnt bring up any prices or a way to book a ticket? no im not a cook islander lol im just one of those white ones that can speak maori :) at the moment im just finding it hard to find a hostel in both raro and aitutaki | 3
raro 03:36 UTC 20 Nov 2007 | Yes, you'll need that return ticket before you can travel to the Cooks. There are several backpacker places on Rarotonga, including Vara's, Aremango, Aquarius, and a couple of others. Go to the main website www.ck it has almost everything listed that you'll need to plan your trip. The RT to Tahiti is fairly expensive for someone on a tight budget, so it may not be what you want. | 4
bauhaus 05:10 UTC 20 Nov 2007 | a return ticket from Rarotonga to Tahiti in february is at 738 nz inc taxes at the moment with air raro. I know because i am traveling to the cook islands between feb 16-march 3 and i plan to go to tahiti for a few days if there really is not much to do in rarotonga on your own as most people are saying (although i think they have to be wrong) | 5
raro 06:42 UTC 20 Nov 2007 | Rakau--see my PM reply to you. | 6
bksrocks 07:10 UTC 23 Nov 2007 | You may want to try and rent a house, that'll probably be the cheapest rent! | 7