Arriving over Easter

Hi Cook Island fans

On a RTW, we're arriving in Raro 5.30pm from Fiji on Saturday 7th April, having changed dates without a diary to tell us that's in middle of Easter, oops! So our idea is to stay at Vara's beach house (as recommended by many on this Branch) till following Tuesday then fly to Aitutaki for a week, maybe at Paradise Cove depending on new prices, may be Matriki. We're on a budget of around $50 - 60NZ per night for a bungalow/room for my partner and I. Questions:
1. Any issues over arriving Raro mid-Easter weekend, eg. transport & taxis stop, little room availability, places to eat closed?
2. Is there a sudden rush to Aitu after Easter, ie should we pre book accomo now (we normally like to pre book 1-2 nights and then see if we like the place or change once we're at the resort for the rest of our stay)
3. Any upates on accomodation for Raro (Vara's etc) or Aitu for our price range?
Hopefully weather will improve by time we arrive! Many thanks.

Two years ago I tried booking Matriki for a week at the end of April in February. I was only able to get two of the seven nights that I wanted. There are only 3 beach hut rooms there. They were all booked during my stay. I highly recommend it, it's quite special. Other places on Aitutaki did have vacancies.

Don't know if Easter would be a problem.

Don't know if there will be a rush, but if it is NZ and even Australian school holidays, then that's a popular time for people from those places to travel so there may be and that may or may not affect accomodation availability. Then again for 3 of the 5 days we spent on Atiu in September we were the only tourists on the island, so plenty of spare beds.

FYI we found Paradise Cove a bit small and pokey, with things not quite right in the rooms (taps etc) which meant it wasn't good value for money.

Previously stayed at Matriki (possibly when silvanocat tried to book!) in the detached hut, loved it there! While very very basic it suited our needs and we were aided by fantastic weather.

Hope you have a great time.

When you arrive on Saturday, things will already be very quiet (things start shutting down around noon on Saturdays (even without it being Easter week-end). All the main stores in Avarua will be closed (as will most of the restaurants there). The restaurants at the various resorts will be open, as well as a number of the small convenience stores scattered around the island.

Sunday will be the same - and probably Monday too (if I remember correctly). so you will need to make sure you exchange your money either before you get to the Cooks or at the airport immediately upon arrival as all the banks will be closed until Tuesday.

You might want to consider attending Sunday services at a Cook Islands church (wear appropriate clothing - ie long pants & nice shirt for guys, dress (and a hat if you have it) for the ladies. It's a great experience. Their choirs are incredible.

Ken