Rarotonga Vacation - February

My wife and I will be visiting Rarotonga in February and staying at the Raratongan Beach Resort. We've done a fair bit of research on things to do and are feeling reasonably comfortable with our list...snorkelling, renting scooters, cross island hike, markets, churches, lagoon tours. We are social people who enjoy meeting and getting to know the local people and culture, as well as meeting other travellers. We enjoy nightlife :) We would like to read about your suggestions on best places to go to enjoy a drink in the evening, and meet people ?

We also have questions and need some direciton on Raratonga money matters.

1) Should we bring some NZD with us to "kick start" the vacation, since we arrive on a Sunday ?
2) Would it be best to bring Canadian travellers checks and exchange them locally ? If so....any suggestion as to where ?
3) We understand there are ATMs scattered across the island.....do you know if they accept RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) debit cards with "PLUS" / "INTERAC". Would you recommend this alternative instead of traveller's checks ? Or...a combination ?
4) For budgeting purposes, what should we expect pay per person for a decent lunch and dinner ?
5) How much is beer or cocktails at the local watering holes ?

Thanks in advance for your replies !

Ok...

Your Canadian debit cards will work just fine. I don't know if there's any advantage to bringing travelers cheques. As near as I can tell, they'd just be more of a hassle.

When we were there, last winter, we did both self-catering and dining out. A decent meal (lunch or dinner) is a little on the "pricey" side, by Canadian standards. Still, with the CDN dollar worth a little more than NZ, it's ok. The local beer - Cook Islands Lager - is very good, as are most of the Kiwi and Aussie brands. Again, you'll probably find your drinks on the expensive side. You may want to stock up at the liquor store, near the airport.

Meals are anywhere from $8.00 and up. Beer, around $5 or $6. Mixed drinks (cocktails) at the Pacific Resort were about $15.00 each! Bring a flask!

All the best,
Mark

you have to include aitutaki in your plans, the paradise is there not in rora.

#2 Pleeeeese get it right! It's Raro - short for Rarotonga - NOT rora. Have you been there?

Aging---Thank s for also recognizing this!! Yes, the guy is fixated on misspelling it as "rora", not sure why. I've mentioned this to him on another thread, but he seems oblivious to corrections.

He apparently was on Rarotonga for a little while, and on Aitutaki. He doesn't like "rora" for some reason, and says it's more expensive than Aitutaki.

Anyone who thinks that must not have spent much time on either place, or lived for free with someone on Aitutaki. Aitutaki, as 99% of visitors know, is about 50% more expensive than "rora" for food, accommodation, motorbike rentals, tours, etc.

Anyone out there been to "Jopono", "Conodo", or the "Untied Sates of Meric"? Or maybe "Noo Zill"??

Maybe I have to change my login name to "Rora" ??

Raro

Raro - this guy is making some odd postings on the OZ/NZ branch. He stated a few days ago that NZ's south island is NEVER hot. He also advised a woman travelling alone that hitch hiking was perfectly safe in NZ and to be recommended. He is making lots of posts and many have me scratching my head!

And yes, I did see that you had corrected him previously. It's definitely not just a typo.

Yes, I saw his post telling women it was safe to hitchhike in New Zealand! Not from all the murders and rapes we see on NZTV, and of course the incidents never reported. I think he just wants to run up a lot of posts and brag about how many he has under his belt. Or he's pushing some travel website that is on that link he lists.

He actually did give some good advice on one post, but the other 40 or so were just fluff.

Oh well, usually harmless, so what the hell....

It's perfectly safe to hitchhike in Conodo, too.

As for the costs on Aitutaki, we found that we could economize, quite nicely, by cannibalizing on hitchhiking Finnish tourists. The meat is quite lean with a delicious, smoky flavour.

Regards,
Mark

I actually prefer the Norwegian ones, something in that cod off the Lofoten Islands that lends a bit more taste. And its capital of Loso is really nice too.

You guys are so funny - thanks for the laugh!

You know what they say..."you can't leave the table until you 'Finnish' your dinner"!

hahahahaha! I slay me.

All the best,
Mark

Letterdude---
I thought they said, after a good meal back in cannibal days, "How Swede It Is!"

The odd thing about the website and the posts is the poor English from someone whose website address has a .uk at the end. It also doesn't link to anything that may verify its authenticity.

#12 I agree with your comments. The other thing is that he posts under 'unitedtravel' whereas the website is travel.united. There may be no connection between the two. Additionally, as you say there is nothing to verify the authenticity of the site. Personally I would touch this site with a barge pole.

In fact, the poster's English, together with the frequency and oddity of postings reminds me of a nuisance poster on the OZ/NZ branch who frequently gets banned and then reinvents himself. But this may be my imagination.

LOL.....nice hijacking of the thread.

Anyway....

Thanks "letterdude" for answering my questions.

Does anyone have anything to add for one of our first questions ? I'll repeat it.

We enjoy nightlife :) We would like to read about your suggestions on best places to go to enjoy a drink in the evening, and meet people ?

Thanks again in advance !!

14---Staircase for a local/tourist mix in their 20's and 30's and 40's; Trader Jack's for 40's-70's, lots of ex-pats at happy hour. Game Fishing Club about 2 miles east of town is a nice friendly place to meet locals, play some pool, etc. No membership required.

Thanks Raro...perhaps we'll get a chance to meet.

Cheers !