where to go?

Hi,

i was just wondering if any one could give me some advice on travelling to the cook islands,

Im planning on going in June next year for 1 month. I have 2 weeks volunteering on rarotonga as a vet and then im planning on having a holiday for the other 2 weeks.

would you reccommend staying on the cooks for the whole time, or visiting tahiti or tonga, samoa etc instead? As i have limited time im not sure whether it would be better to try and see more of the cooks, however ive heard tahiti and tonga are great too, and relatively close? are they easily accessible from raro? and does anyone know how the weather is this time of year?

thanks!!

What are the chances you could volunteer some of your time and go to Manu'a (Ofu, Olosega, and Ta'u islands) in American Samoa? They always are in dire need of not only general vet care, but you could spend a month there spaying and neutering dogs.

--Terry
http://www.vaotolodge.com</a>

Amzy...

I'd stick to the Cooks. Two weeks on Raro aren't enough to learn much about CI. It would cost less to travel to Aitutaki and Atiu for a week on each island than to go to another country. The outer islands are very different than Rarotonga and you'll leave with a much better idea of what the country and the people are all about.

I you go, you'll notice most of the dogs on Atiu and Mangaia have short legs. No dogs on Aitutaki though.

Any time is a great time to visit the Cook Islands.

Tahiti is accessible via a two hour flight that goes once or twice a week, to visit Tonga or Samoa you would have to go via New Zealand.

Aitutaki, in the Cooks, is beautiful, a semi-atoll with a very large stunning blue lagoon and a nice contrast to Rarotonga. No dogs but plenty of cats.

Do check the temperatures in June if you like it HOT, that's the coolest time of year there.
Tahiti is further north and hence warmer. Moorea, which is the closest island to Tahiti island, and where everyone will tell you to go is very similar to Rarotonga though more dramatic. Which means if you want a real physical contrast in islands you'll have to fly to an outer island.

"most of the dogs on Atiu and Mangaia have short legs".....eh???

thanks everyone for your very helpful replies! this is a great website im so happy i stumbled across it!

ps- as a vet i will be very interested to see what you mean by dogs with short legs on the cook islands!

hopefully another time i will be able to spend more time volunteering throughout the pacific, this is my first go at it, im only 22 and will have recently graduated but thanks for the tips!

In 2004 & 2005 when I was on Atiu I noticed that maybe half the dogs on the island had short stubby legs. They look sort of like a cross between a German Shepherd and a Labrador Retriever but with legs only about two-thirds of normal. I noticed the same thing on Mangaia.

I've since seen a breed of dog that looks similar to the ones on those two islands. I'll do some research and post the name of that breed so the folks that are interested will have a better idea of what I'm describing.

The dogs on Raro looked like dogs everywhere else I've been.

Speaking of dogs...
Jan & Tu, owners of Ara Moana lodge near Ivirua, have a dog named Ruff. We called him "Ruff the Wonder Dog". He would scamper up and down the Makatea like a goat. He went with my wife and I on a cave tour with Tere, our guide, and knew every step of the route. He was ahead of us all the way and when we came to a deep abyss in the cave floor, he was sitting there waiting for us. We had lights, he didn't. It was pitch black but he knew right where to stop. He could climb a wall of Makatea that I had to think twice about for fear of not being able to climb back out. If you stay at the Ara Moana as a guest and he adopts you, he will go everywhere with you until you leave. When he sees you packing up to check out, he won't have anything else to do with you. I think he's an Australian Cattle dog.

First, thanks for donating your time as a vet, vets are sorely needed all the time in the Cooks.

I wouldn't try to hit Tahiti/Moorea on this trip. cost a lot to get there and back, and not that much different in general. Forget Tonga, or Samoa, it's in and out of NZ, and lots of $$$$.

Go to Aitutaki for a few days, then hit Atiu on the way back for a few days. Or do Mangaia instead of Atiu, it is very interesting as indicated above.

No dogs on Mauke or Aitutaki.

June is a great time to visit the Cooks, Days will be warm to hot, nights will be warm to refreshingly cool.

When you're doing your vet work, your local co-workers on RAR will give you the names of their friends and relatives on Aitutaki, Atiu, Mangaia, etc. I'd consider those places to visit, as you'll meet people very quickly, maybe some would even meet you at the airport there and put you up (offer to pay a nightly rate, if they won't take money then accept that fact, do NOT push it----then just pay for lots of groceries, DVD rentals, etc.). Bring some of your hometown souvenirs as gifts, such as T-shirts, postcards, pens, etc etc. They will love them. If you can still find a cheap Polaroid camera (if they even make them any more?) bring one and some film, they will love those instant photos. And even a digital camera can get print-outs probably from Roger Malcolm at Atiu villas, or Jan on Mangaia.

Edited by: Raro

Short-legged dogs....

Here's what the dogs with short legs look like on Atiu and Mangaia. I'd say at least 40% of the dogs on Atiu and Mangaia look like this.

i just had a look at your picture - the dog looks like a beagle cross or a jack russell cross, ill be interested to see them when i get over there and see if they are just normal dogs or if they have suffered from some sort of nutritional deficiency or toxicity that has resulted in this condition. thanks for the image, very interesting!

H200h----The picture you put up actually looks like one of the more "normal-loooking" dogs in the Cooks! The classic unusual-looking Cooks' dog is smaller, and the main thing one notices are the short legs with their feet going outwards a bit, instead of straight ahead.

I'm sure it's just from the large inbreeding in the Cooks. The outward-aiming foot is probably some type of recessive trait, but I'm not a geneticist, just a long-time observer!

Actually, all those outward-foot dogs are the friendliest ones, maybe because they just can't run too fast like their more "normal" cousins.

There are very few---if any---"pure-bred" dogs in the Cooks. The littlermy mostly Black Labrador (white rear paws!) came from had four like her, and three that were light-brown sheperd-terrier mixes. It's a dog's life on Rarotonga!

Raro... Now that you mention it I do recall that, on many of them, the feet turned out and they have a waddle to their gait. The bellies of some of the more rotund specimens almost touch the ground.

Maybe they are related to the Queen of England's Corgies (Royal canine pictured)

Silvanocat...
By golly that's the dog! Whaddya think Raro?

Yes, a "royal" Corgi with a mix of shepherd/terrier/dachsund etc etc would be a good description! and yes, their bellies are almost at ground level, and thus they run so slowly, that they make great watchdogs----they do bark if you actuallly enter someone's property, but they don't attack you when you're on the main or back roads---it's too much effort to leave their own little patch of land! but we love 'em!

The main area for these short-legged mutts is a bit east of town near Club Raro and that area. Seems like tons of inbreeding in that area in particular.

Most of the "problem" dogs that chase motorbikes, etc., are really the result of "problem" owners, who rarely feed them, treat them like crap, and mistreat them in general.

Hi there,

Saw your post on a question re Cook islands and that you suggested to go to Aitutaki and Aitu. I will spend 3 weeks in the Cooks and to be honest have done no research, but will be there 27 Dec 08 till 16 Jan 09 so still have time.

Just wanted to check if it is possible to go by boat to these places or if flying is only option (my explanation above is used as an excuse if this is a realy stupid question :-) ). If flying do you reckon I should book flights now or can I go on a whim whilst there?

Also do you know of any good accommodation in Rarotonga as I beleive I need to book somewhere before arriving? I want a place where I can meet people as travelling alone and also somewhere where it is easy to get to sights, beach etc from. Oh yes, I want it all!

Finally, what currency should I bring? Are there plenty of ATM's around? I know this info is all in the lonelyplanet guide but this has sold out EVERYWHERE! Well on the website and about 10 bookshops around here.... :-)

Sorry to harrass you like this, hope you don't mind!

Loads of thank yous coming your way!

Sus

Sussie #15---

Go to the website www.ck for lots of info.

ATM's in town on Rarotonga, and a few other places, no problem with that.

You'll have to fly to the outer islands, freighters are too erratic to plan around.

Flights to most of the outer islands and back are probably already sold out for Dec 15 to Jan 15, as this is when hundreds of CI'ers living in NZ and Australia come home to visit relatives. I'd book ASAP for the outer islands, use the Air Rarotonga website (it will be listed on www.ck) if any seats are available you'll be lucky.

You can meet people easily on Rarotonga, stay at Vara's, Raro Backpackers, Aquarius, etc, if that is your budget range. Higher up, try the Paradise Inn. The Staircase is a good bar in town to meet people.

Lots of posts on where to stay on RAR and the outer islands (assuming you can get a flight to and from one of those). Do a search and then come back with more specific Q's if needed.

Sussie---PS--- The New Zealand dollar is the currency to use. I'd suggest getting some in advance, maybe $NZ200-300, in case you can't get into town for a couple of days and need to pay for your accommodation and food at the local shops.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!! xxxxxxxxx

Ok Raro, thanks for all the info!!! Very helpful indeed. Have now booked flights, but ended up with a whole week on Aitu and only 5 days in Aitutaki, wanted it the other way round but the flights schedule didn't agree with me. Mind you, a week anywhere isn't exactly a long time and 5 days somewhere is a good start so should be ok.

Have also ordered the NZ dollars and feel sooooo organised, all thanks to you!!!

If you have any good accommodation suggestions for Aitu and Aitutaki that'd be great as perhaps i need to book those too? Are all the atolls small enough to stay in same place the whole time and move around or do i need to book different places? God I sound like i have never been away at all before.... Sorry!

Thanks again!!!

Sus

Sorry, just realised I didn't read your reply properly, will of course do searches for accommodation, i am a girl, like to take the easy way out and let someone else do the hard work! x