2 to 3 weeks on the Cook Islands

Hi,

we will spend 2 to 3 weeks on the Cook Islands starting on February 19th. Plan is to visit Rarotonga, Atui & Aitutaki (I hope I wrote it correctly ;-).

Can anyone recommend a good hostel. We do not have to be on the beach itself even though it can be nice. we prefer "traveler hostals" to resorts. We are rather on a budget but can afford a little extra ...

How is diving on the Cook Islands ?
Anything we should definitely do ?
Any commentary that would help us ?
And do you know god website ? We are on a RTW so we do not have always good information at hand.

Thanks in advance
Cheers

Gilles
www.OneYearOff.net - one Year Around The World

Actually, it's "Atiu", said kind of like ah-choo, more or less.

Check out the main, independent, website www.ck it is a wealth of info for anyone traveling to the Cooks.

I wouldn't go dirt cheap on any of the three islands. you want to make sure you have at least a ceiling fan, and hopefully mosquito netting, in Feb (to about the end of April). You won't get AC on a budget. Diving is OK on RAr and Aitutaki, good but not great.

See my report on snorkeling etc. in the FAQ on the first topic on this branch.

For RAR, Aitutaki and Atiu, you have to be sure that the connection between the latter two is on for the days you want. Plan to be flexible, as that connection sometimes get changed.

On Atiu consider Atiu Villas, it has hot water and great hosts, and is a cut above the few backpacker places. But, it costs a bit more, all depends on your budget.

On RAR, avoid Vara's on the beach, sounds like it might be too noisy for you. Try Aremango, down the road, book a double room for yourselves. WC is down the hall, as at most backpacker places.

Paradise Inn in town is a good choice if you don't need to be on the beach, but there have been a few negative reviews as of late.

On Aitutaki, check our Rino's, he has some near the beach, but not right on it, that are a little cheaper, and maybe in your budget.

There are lots of reports, most are from before this TT$ started and made it tougher to post, etc. Do a search of posts for maybe the last year or so.

Have fun!

Hi Gilles!
I was on the Cooks in April/May last year - two weeks on Rarotonga, Atiu and Aitutaki. I was staying in:
... on Raro: Rarotonga Backpackers Beachside - nice and quiet place, nice people, management OK, bus stop in front of the house, reasonable prices. And the sunsets! I can fully recommend it. One remark: not every room has mosquito net on the windows, so demand it at your booking.
... on Atiu: Are Manuiri - basic, but not expensive and quite comfortable. It's a 3-bedroom house with shared living room, kitchen and bathroom. Located in the middle of the villages, so everything is near.
... on Aitutaki: Tom's Beach Cottages - VERY basic, but also very cheap. There are definitely better places to stay in. However the location is very good and the place has a 'flair' - it's an old house full of old pictures and keepsakes of the family.

Activities, I tried:
On Raro:
... mountain treks: I tried the Raemaru trek, but didn't make it, because the path was completely overgrown with bushes, and made the famous Cross Island Trek with (as I was told) the best guide - Pa. I was a little disappointed with the trek (the path leads mostly through the bush and you have only about 30 minutes of views - but, yes, they are wonderful, and the waterfall was only a small stream, because there wasn't any rain several days before), but the guide was awesome. A personality, very interesting story-teller ;-).
... generally, there are many places you can walk or hike: hills, valleys, coasts. The only problem is - you have to get there, so I would highly recommend hiring a scooter or a car, because the buses run only once an hour and can be VERY crowded.
... drive or walk the backroads - you'll see some interesting houses and beautiful gardens and you'll meet friendly locals to talk to.
... visit a church for the Sunday Mass; even if you are not religious, it's a great experience - the singing of the people is awesome.
... the Highland Paradise near Arorangi - well, I found the place not very interesting and terribly expensive (I paid 60 NZ$ for 1,5-hour long guided tour and lunch), but on the other hand: the views from there were great, the lunch was very good and my guide was terrific - an older Maori lady who was a mine of knowledge about Cook Islands (all aspects from the ancient time to the present day) and their inhabitants. I loved to talk with her.
... Piri Puruto's show - Piri is a famous coconut palm climber (aged over 70!!!). Unfortunately I didn't see his show, but I've visited him twice and that were very nice visits. He showed me what can one do with and of a coconut and treated me to some very tasty things like coconut cream, coconut marshmallow or coconut chips with coconut honey.
... "island night" - it's a show with Cook Islands' dance and food showed in most of resorts and some restaurants. A "must do", though I didn't experienced it, but I was lucky to see the finals of the national dance competition which takes place in April/May every year and I must say the dance is incredible, so see it!
... Parliament of the Cook Islands - not a BIG attraction, but you can see the 25-seat debate room, have a picture of you sitting on the Prime Minister's seat and learn something about CI politics and politicians.

On Aitutaki:
... the biggest and actually the only big attraction on Aitutaki is the lagoon. A "must do" is of course the lagoon cruise, if you have enough time make it twice with different companies. I can recommend Coral Escape with Lisa and Mike (small boat with roof and ladder, private, non-commercial).
... apart from snorkelling from the boat I tried out two more spots: one was very nice - on the north-west side of the island near the old airstrip. The second - Ootu Beach on the "hook" - wasn't good, because the water was muddy, but it was very suitable for swimming (deep).
... climbing onto the highest mountain (don't remember the name) - nice, about an hour long trek with beautiful views from the top.
... Ministry of Marine Resources - on the north of the island (behind the old airstrip, take the way to the golf course, then watch the signpost on your left). You can see (or even touch) there small green turtles, a poisonous stone fish (touch it if you dare!) and giant clams, which are bred in basins.
... deep see fishing - I didn't experience it, but met a guy who did and was absolutely enthusiastic about it (he caught a 6 kg tuna).
... visit the east side of the island - it's much quieter then the rest and there are some beautiful spots there.

On Atiu:
... riding a scooter through the roads of the island; it is small, but has diverse landscapes (you'll be probably lost several times, but you'll find the way again in a short time)
... walking as above, but then you'll find the island quite big; I would definitely advise not to step out from the paths - the coral rocks which cover the surface are fragile and terribly sharp! my tip: take the road from the villages to the east coast, near Vairakai Marae and Vai Momoiri gorge. Worth the effort!
... visiting some (or all, if you'll have enough time) of small beautiful lonely beaches, swimming (or mostly splashing about) in the ocean, collecting shells and corals
... the best place for swimming is "the olympic pool", i.e. fishing harbour; the water is deep and clear, though the amount of fish and coral is poor (beware of sea urchins!)
... the best (great!) place for snorkelling is so called "coral garden"; it's a beautiful spot, but it is safe only by low tide, so ask locals for the timing (and the localisation, because it is quite difficult to find the way to it)
... guided tours - there are several to choose of, I made two:
...... 2,5-hour tour to the Anatakitaki cave (the one with kopeka birds)
with Marshall Humphreys - magnificent cave, extraordinary birds, very nice and informative guide
...... 5-hour bird watching tour with "Birdman George" - well, I must say I didn't see many birds, nevertheless I enjoyed the tour very much; George is awesome though he doesn't speak much from himself, but if you ask him - you'll get an exhaustive answer; and he's a mine of information about Atiu and the Cooks, so don't hesitate and ask; the tour ended with great lunch on the beach!

Helpful websites:
[http://www.cookislandsatoz.com/]
[http://www.cookislands.org.uk/]
[http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g294328-i2626-Cook_Islands.html]
[http://www.airraro.com/]

In addition I can say that the last issue (from 2006) of the Lonely Planet guide about the Cook Islands was for me really helpful.

Have a great journey!
Artur