Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020

Cook Islands Headache... please help with transport!

Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea

Hi

I'm in the middle of planning my next round the world trip and am having real problems with the Cook Islands. I think I'll be on a Global Explorer ticket so will have to pay extra as it does not include Air New Zeaand.

After Sydney, I need to get to the Cook Islands and then onto Santiago. The travel agent I have spoken to has suggested paying for a return from Auckland, then getting another flight fromAuckland to Santiago direct. This sounds crazy! Now, if i get a single Air NZ or Pacific Blue from Auckland to the Cooks, I then have to wait for a twice weekly Air Tahiti/Air Rarotonga flight to get me to Papeete before I can then catch a flight to Santiago via Easter Island which again goes twice weekly.

Are these my only two options or is there an easy way I'm missing?!

Thanks in advance

Sonia

Yes, as you are not on an Air NZ ticket, from AKL you'd have to go on a separate ticket, either Air NZ or Pacific Blue, then Air Tahiti/Air Raro to Tahiti.

Another option, if you can get to Tahiti on your ticket from SYD or AKL, is to just get a RT from PPT to RAR and back. It's only an hour 45 min or so each way.

Not sure which total is cheap, you'd have to check on the website for prices.

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