?????

Judging from the lack of discussion, one might think that the Cook Islands have disappeared! I'm really beginning to think that my misgivings over the format change had some merit.

I still feel that it does not lend itself to a more conversational discussion. Nonetheless, I hope this finds all those - still awake - healthy & happy!

Best regards,
Mark

Hi Mark

Yeah, there's not a lot going on here at the moment is there?
I'm reduced to having to rekindle memories of the Cooks by looking reminiscently at the scar on my knee from an Aitutaki scooter stacking incident!!
ha ha, how sad and pathetic is that? 8 )

I agree with you about the new format. I posted on another branch and forgot to select the country - no replies. Soon as I resubmitted it I got about 10 replies in a day.

cheers
Sherry

Still thinking of "home" all the time though Mark.

Sounding a little like an alcoholic - "it's been 377 days since I last stood on a beach in the Sth Pacific", but don't think that I'm not constantly plotting to find a way back!

-2 degrees Celcius here this morning - ice on the roads and it even snowed nearby yesterday (only happens every few years) - how could I not be thinking of those humid nights under the stars, with the wind rattling through the coconut palms and the waves crashing on to the reef?

Cheers,

Rob

Scooter accidents are, often, part of life for South Pacific junkies! The lovely Janice sports a "Cook Islands tattoo", herself. As well as a couple of coral scars on her back. Here's a tip...don't swim on your back, while talking, going through coral heads!

I was attempting to check out Air New Zealand's various packages, today. Like so many others, I don't think I could be entirely satisfied with just a couple of weeks. Once you've been made aware of places - particularly secluded areas - such as New Caledonia, Niue, islands off American Samoa or the more distant, northern group of the Cooks, it would be difficult not doing some serious exploring.

For that matter, I'd still love to see Southern NZ and Tasmania. Hence, my researching on the various options for that kind of trip. Has anyone used these "Pass" options? How were they, with repsect to cost & flexibility? For the record, I'd be flying from Vancouver, BC.

Thanks!
MARK

The USD is so weak that I just might need to go to Hawaii this year instead ...................

The first time I went to the Cooks the exchange rate was 2.26 to 1.00. Now it's about 1.26 to 1.00 .....................

To put that in layman's terms: THe first time I went to the Cooks I paid $675.00 USD for RT from LAX to RAR and 5 nights at what now is Castaways ...................

Times have changed, it's now about double that ................

Hi Mark,

Well Shully and Lord B can be found most days posting on tripadvisor. They are the local experts for the site.

I'm off to Raro and Aitutaki for three weeks in November. Just can't stay away.

Donna

Hi Mark
No, the Cooks haven't disappeared and judging by the number of tourists in town last week, the message is still well and truly out there that it is a beautiful place to visit! Mind you, as I sit at my computer, listening to the rain outside (again!) and shivering in my jumper and jeans, I think the "island paradise" label needs a bit of work today!

And speaking of scooter accidents, they are nearly a daily occurance here at the moment. Some people got off the Tahitian Princess last week, straight onto a scooter and on their way around the island ran off the road and straight into the front of the JMC shop at Muri. $5000 damage payments to the shop, $600 damage payments to raro rentals and many bruises (especially to the ego, one would assume) - an expensive one day visit to Rarotonga! For the life of me, I don't know why people, who have never ridden a motorbike before, think that it is safe to jump on one (often with a pillion passenger) and drive around here - without a helmet, and often with several drinks under their belt. It's mindboggling!

Hi Mark, I've also been missing the Cook Islands posts. Its so hard to get there from Hawaii, that I think I'll spend time exploring Tahiti instead of just using it as a layover on my way to the Cooks. Not speaking French makes Tahiti travel a challenge though. Kauai has plenty of brain damaged tourists visiting too.

Jeanie---
"ran off the road and straight into the front of the JMC shop at Muri" !!!!!

That must have been quite a ride, as the JMC is in the middle of a long straightaway!!! They should be given an award for worst driver of the year! Even the weekend drunks haven't managed to hit the JMC/previously-named shop in 20 yrs!!!

Raro - Yep, it was quite an effort! They were driving one of those stupid new bikes - I'm not sure if they were here before you left - like a little buggy, with a cover over the top but the seating arrangement of a normal motorbike). No stability at all. I watched a tourist veering all over the road on one the day before the accident at JMC and had remarked to my son that it was only a matter of time before someone had a major accident. As it turned out, it was only a matter of hours! I take it they were going too fast and just couldn't stop, slid on the loose gravel and voila! (article on pg 3 of CINews 17/7, if you are interested and able to find it online)

Ok...this is great! It's really nice to see so many familiar names and hearing of Cook Islands news. But, getting back to my question, has anyone used one of these South Pacific airline passes...the ones for multiple destinations?

Hi everyone!!! Janice and I want to return!!!

Have just read on Tripadvisor that the American couple involved in that accident told other passengers on the cruise that their throttle had stuck! Even if true, they hadn't bothered to get a licence.

Sorry, Mark, can't help with airline passes.

Just came back (last Sunday) from an unexpected, unplanned vacation to southern Egypt! It was great.
Uploading my pictures, I was thinking back of our last year's vacation to the Cook Islands and I was wondering what happened to the boost in tourism - hoped for by some, feared by others - the Survivor show would cause.
How's tourism this year in the Cooks?

I don't have official figures at hand, but I don't think the numbers this year have varied much from last year. The Survivor series didn't really change anything, it seems.

As of March the Survivor boom had not materialized. Back here in the US I can see why. When I mention the Cooks to fairly well-educated people in the SF area, half shrug their heads, half have more speciific knowledge, like "Isn't that in the South Pacific".

Most did NOT see the Survivor Cook Islands show at all, which surprised me, as 20 million viewers a week did. Maybe many were on the east coast of the US, so that won't lead to a big increase to the SP due to costs, time available, etc.

I think when it hits TV in (or has it already?) NZ and Australia, this will cause some rise in tourism from these closer areas.

Survivor screens in Oz at the same time as in the States (for those who really want to know the outcome, there is the opportunity to go on-line during the day before screening here due to time delay though).

At the moment, Survivor Fiji is screening here, but only late at night, as Survivor now struggles to attract sufficient audience to screen prime-time.

CI are a long way from here, and not top-of-mind for a quick tropical holiday. There are so many spectacular places in North Queensland, and for overseas, most of Oz still looks towards SE Asia, traditionally Bali and Thailand, but increasingly Vietnam, as destinations.

With the promise of increased airline competition, we are likely to be able to get regular return fares of $500 Oz from Melbourne to Singapore by year-end, which will certainly increase traffic to that already high-volume market.

A quote from yesterday's CI News concerning Wilkie Rasmussen, minister for tourism, "as tourism minister, he says he has noted that there has been an increase in visitor arrivals to the Cook Islands but also a decrease to the number of them flying to the outer island of Aitutaki" I actually found this surprising as the Raro - Aitutaki route seems to be a very well-trodden path these days..

PS Agingaquarian: It's amazing how many throttles stick over here!! ;-)

#16 jeaniej Mmm, I know what you mean.

Mind you, I can't imagine that the Americans on the cruise who caused this accident would say to their fellow passengers - "We were bloody idiots, driving too fast on strange roads. Served us right!"