Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Cook Islands vs Other P. Islands Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
namavareza 13:17 UTC 05 Oct 2013 | Hi There, I am Reza from Amsterdam I have visited French Polynesia's Society Islands, Tuamotus islands, Marquesas islands, Fiji islands ( Taveuni, Kadavu, Yasawas ), Vanuatu Islands, Ambrym, Tanna, Efate, Santo and Lord Howe Island in the Pacific. To be honest i think FP has te most stunning scenery i ever say in my life. ( And I have seen even more than this ) Now i am doubting about a Cook I. trip. Compared ( i know tricky ) to those places i have seen, are Rarotonga, Aitu and Aitutaki worth it to pay for? I have read about the northern group of the Cooks as well due to my interests in remote areas. I am craving for someone who has been to the outer atolls of the Cooks ( Perhyn, Manihiki, Rakahanga, Pukapuka ) as well to the Tuamotus ( my only atoll expierence ). Is it even more pristine? I like quiet places with dramatic scenery ( marquesas was my top 1 ever ), remote places, good beaches and nice people and I am able to pay to get away from the crowds. What about Hawaii or Samoa? Hawaii seems to be more dramatic but too touristy in my eyes and Samoa looks too Fiji-like. ( Especially Taveuni looks really like Savai'i at pictures. ) What I can say about those trips I have done is 'it becomes interesting when avoiding the tourists. Like small atolls, Marquesas, Kadavu, Taveuni and Ambrym from Vanuatu. FP most heavenly destination ever, Fiji with the best people. Thank you and I m really looking forward to your reactions again The best, Reza Namavar |
h2ooh 17:03 UTC 05 Oct 2013 | I also like to visit remote places with friendly locals and pristine scenery. Only three places I've visited or lived in come close to that ideal. They are the Baja Peninsula of Mexico in the 1960s, Alaska and the Cook Islands. I've spent time in the Carribean, Mexico, Alaska, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and Tonga. I lived in Alaska for 27 years, logging 1700 hours of flying there. While I have yet to visit the Northern Group of the Cooks I have been to the Southern Group seven times spending more than six months on the outer islands. The Southern Cook Islands offer a nice mixture of scenic beauty and very friendly people. The islands range from a typical busy tourist destination (Rarotonga) to a beautiful atoll (Aitutaki) to a typical small island tourist destination (Atiu) to the remote less-visited islands of Mangaia, Mauke and Mitiaro. I've spent time in Fiji and just returned from three weeks in Tonga. Comparatively speaking both Tonga and Fiji are much more developed and tourist oriented than are the Cooks. Both of of those destinations seem to be dominated by a layer of people and businesses catering to visitors that get in the way of interacting with the local people. They are also more crowded both with locals and tourists than the Cooks. In the Cooks almost all of the lodging, shops and restaurants are owned, operated and staffed by locals. If you want to see the place you are free to roam around as you want. You can rent a scooter and putt around on your own. You can stop and lounge on a secluded beach or chat with the locals in their front yard and feel totally welcome and accepted for who you are. You don't feel like you're looked upon as a source of money. People don't come up to you and offer to take you on a tour or provide some service for a fee. In other words, you're not treated like a tourist. Before discovering the Cook Islands I spent time in Hawaii, four trips in all. Nice scenery but very crowded, very touristy and very expensive. | 1
namavareza 18:33 UTC 05 Oct 2013 | Hi Thank you for answering me. What do you think about the northern group of the Cooks? You wrote you have seen it. You couyld not find a quiet place in Hawaii? You have tried it? By the way, I have been to Alaska as well! bye | 2
h2ooh 20:36 UTC 05 Oct 2013 | What do you think about the northern group of the Cooks? You wrote you have seen it. I haven't been to the Northern Group of the Cooks. The expense of getting to them and the amount of time required to commit to a visit makes an expensive, difficult and chancy venture. I think the Southern Group offers most of what you'll find in the Northern Group at a fraction of the cost. And none of the risk of finding yourself in a place you don't want to be for three or four weeks. You could not find a quiet place in Hawaii? You have tried it? A major the reason I visit a particular place is to meet people and cultures unlike my own. I've been to Hwaii, Oahu and Maui... Sadly, Hawaii is a victim of acculturation. With the exception of commercial exploitation and a few museums Hawaii's Polynesian culture is virtually invisible today. The few remaining remnants persist in the names of places and things and the staged "authentic Polynesian Experiences" at the high-rise hotels. But the essence of Polynesia has long since departed the 50th state of the US. It's not much different in the traveled spots of the Society Islands. If French Polynesia were not as spread out as it is it would look like Hawaii today. So... I go to the Cooks.... I find what I want there.:-) By the way, I have been to Alaska as well! I know, I read your profile. I included it to give you a better frame of reference for my observations regarding remote and pristine. | 3
lagoon 23:42 UTC 05 Oct 2013 | The only way to reach the Northern Group (Cook Islands) is by one of the infrequent freight runs that vessels including the Kwai (from Hawaii), the tall-ship Picton Castle, and some of the smaller local passenger freighters undertake on occasion. You may be able to organise a berth through a visiting yachtie, but it's more likely to be a one-way trip only. Yachts arrive in Rarotonga harbour between May and October to avoid the cyclone season. Rarotonga has the dramatic mountain peaks, surrounding lagoon, reefline scenery. It also has beautiful beaches, an uninhabited interior, and coastal villages where the tourist accommodations are also located. I don't think you will be disappointed by your time on this big island. The outer islands is where more intact culture and the true laid-back lifestyles and genuine hospitality of our Polynesian people reside and where traditions are not overlaid by modern society so much. Each island is different for scenery and customs. Aitutaki is mostly about its magnificent lagoon area, while Atiu has native birds, caves and secluded beaches. Mitiaro has a beautiful nature and people, and very diverse scenery over a small space. Mangaia is proud in history, riddled with caves, ancient inland coral-reef-scape, with a newer reefline surrounding its raised profile. I hope you find some of the things you are seeking from your adventures to the Southern Cook Islands. But keep an ear and eye out in case something comes up for a possible trip to the Northern Group during your visit. | 4
namavareza 11:37 UTC 06 Oct 2013 | Hey thanks for your answer! Helpful. You have seen FP as well? Still dont understand something: At the site of Air Rarotonga I saw you can fly to the northern cook islands! And it is also in my LP book Nobody expierence with this? | 5
h2ooh 18:08 UTC 06 Oct 2013 | It's my understanding that Air Rarotonga still flies to the Northern Group. But, unless you are lucky enough to have your schedule coincide with a scheduled flight, and there's room for you, it is essentially a charter arrangement. A few years back I looked into putting a trip to the Northern Group together. Most of the flights there and back to Raro are to accommodate CI government travelers and possibly emergency flights for medical reasons. Return airfare will be in the $2,500-$3500 range. If you can get 9 other people to go with you can probably charter the 15-seater. That's actually 12 with light luggage for the Northern Group routes or 10 seats with 70kg luggage ea. That would make it more convenient but still spendy. There was an Air Raro week-long flight that landed at several of the Northern Group Islands and stayed overnight at a few of them. But that one did not include accommodations, food or any ground transport. But I didn't want to spend the $2,500-3,000NZD pp plus lodging, food and other expenses of a one-week whirlwind tour of four islands just to say that I'd been there. For a couple that would be in the neighborhood of $8-10,000NZD for one week. So... the question is... do you want to spend twice as much as it costs to get to Rarotonga just to fly to an island that's not that different than the ones in the Southern Group? To check out the Air Raro offerings just go to the site and plug in one of the Northern Islands as a destination. As an example right now there's two flights scheduled for Manahiki in November 2013. I've never visited FP except on business. So I can't say I've seen through the eyes of a tourist. From what I've seen and experienced I just don't like the place. Too expensive, too crowded, too phoney and too French for my tastes. | 6