Flying from UK to Tahiti and Rarotonga, best ways to do this?

Namaste, all.

I'm planning a trip to French Polynesia and the Cook Islands in Aug/Sept, and would really appreciate any tips on the best ways to arrange flights. LP South Pacific guide suggests Round the World Ticket as a good option but after poring over Air New Zealand and Star Alliance websites I'm now totally confused. I basically want to fly out from the UK (London) to Tahiti; remain in French Polynesia 2 - 3 weeks (where I will prob get an Air Tahiti air pass to visit Moorea/Huahine/Bora-Bora/Maupiti).

I'd then like to fly to Rarotonga and stay in the Cook islands for a further 2- 3 weeks (prob visiting Aitutaki and maybe 'Atiu). Heading back home to London UK after that.

I'm a newbie to long-distance travelling, so forgive me if what I'm asking is obvious... But as this is going to be something of a trip of a lifetime, I want to make sure that I do it properly! My ideal would be to buy a ticket that will allow me to travel London - Tahiti - Rarotonga - London, but at the moment from my online research so far it looks like I'll have to do London - Tahiti - Rarotonga - Tahiti - London, i.e. fly back to Tahiti before returning home. Does this sound right? Or is there a simpler way of doing it?

Many thanks in advance for all helpful information... And best wishes to all on here for happy and safe travelling!

Hi NicoRobin,

1. Are you wedded to the idea of doing Tahiti before Rarotonga?
2. Do you have time/budget to do more?

We went the other way, so I would suggest London to Auckland to Rarotonga to Tahiti to London. This way, you take in a different country instead of going to Tahiti twice. The flights to Auckland will be quite long so you might choose to explore Singapore or Australia on the way there as well.

In terms of the round-the-world ticket, there are pros and cons. Personally, I'd book separate tickets.

I absolutely loved Rarotonga. French Polynesia was amazing but I left my heart in Raro. Have a look at the Destinations section of our site if you need ideas on top 10 things to do etc.

Good luck!

Kia, Atlas and Boots

Hi - and thanks for your reply!

I'm not fixated on what order I visit the Cook Islands / French Polynesia in, so your suggestion sounds like a good one. Most people who I've asked about this suggest separate tickets for flights rather than RTW so that's what I'll go with... I'm going to contact Trailfinders next and see what I can work out with them.

I like the sound of Raro, and also plan to visit Aitutaki and hopefully 'Atiu as well (I'm a nature conservationist by trade, so wildlife is a big draw for me as well as snorkelling & beaches etc).

In French Polynesia I'm thinking of trying to visit either Fakarava or Tikehau. Also Mo'orea (as you can boat trip it from Tahiti). I'd like to see Maupiti as well but I think that might be trying to do too much in one trip!

Thanks for your advice, and for the good luck wishes... This is going to be the trip of a lifetime for me, so I really want to plan it out as carefully as possible. I've got a busted wrist at the moment and it's grey cold February... Planning this trip is a great antidote!

Cheers :o) NicoRobin

You might like to have a look at airtreks.com - they have a trip planner where you can input the places you want to visit and they provide a price range for the trip. Once you are happy with your trip route you have the option of speaking to one of their agents to get information about the flights and the exact cost (depends on the timing of your trip). They try to find the most economical flights so you could be booked on different airlines - this might be important if you want to collect mileage points with a particular airline. We booked our Tahiti Pass and Aitutaki flight direct with the airlines. Good luck with your planning - come back and let us know how you make out - it will be a great resource for others down the road.

Probably best to travel via LAX one way or the other as that is the only way you could get to or from Raro without at least two stops. AirNZ direct flights LAX - Rarotonga once weekly are often on special one way for about US$500 or so, but don't show up in the search engines like Kayak/Skyscanner etc unless you break it down into one-way segments and know the exact day the airline travels the route on.
Other option is direct to or from Sydney (also once weekly to/from Raro).
Also Tahiti could be a side trip - Air Tahiti Nui flies twice weekly Papeete Raro return, or you may look at Paris -Tahiti for cheaper fares and then Tahiti -Raro, then Raro to LAX or (SYD or AKL+intermediary destination like Singapore/HongKong) then on to London.
Definitely check out Atiu (see their recent successes with Mynah near eradication, which has helped their Kura population introduction from Rimatara in French Polynesia be even more of a success as a refuge population) and Aitutaki (Blue Lorikeets recovering fast from Cyclone Pat in 2010 - but nowadays marine life suffering a bit from coral bleaching/crown of thorn outbreaks), a couple of years ago once a week Air Raro was doing an island hopper that flies from Aitutaki to Atiu (only that direction - not return) so check out their webpage, and see if you can avoid having to fly back to Raro to connect.
All the best for a great trip of a lifetime

Hi, all.

Thanks for your replies and tips. I've now booked flights via Los Angeles to Rarotonga; then to Aitutaki and Atiu; back to Raro and then on to Papeete and Tikehau; finally flying back to UK via LA again. Most of the flights I could book via Trailfinders, except a few (Aitutaki and Atiu) were booked direct with Air Rarotonga via their website. All pretty easy and straightforward to arrange.

All suggestions here were appreciated... Thanks! :o)

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