As we love to travel and with borders closed with Covid 19, we decided to take the opportunity to take a break to the tropics. Also, as Australia was on again, off again with lock-downs, we decided to book a quick short trip to Rarotonga, leaving 28th June and returning on the 6th July 2021.
A recommended tour, especially in the first day or so of your holiday to get the lay of the land, history and awesome lunch, Island style.
We signed up for a deal for 8 nights in an Air B n B which included airport transfers and return airfares with Air New Zealand ex Auckland. Total costs were approx $3300.
Rarotonga is a group of 15 islands with the main island being Rarotonga. This is a round island with a circuit road hugging the coast line and is 32 klm’s around. The road is sealed, but has long sections of very rough seal. The maximum speed on all roads is 50 klms/hr.
Our scooter at the main market.
You can easily catch shuttles or taxis from the airport to your accommodation, or collect a hire car or scooter from very close to the airport.Just a tip on scooters, make sure to get the full size wheeled types as the smaller wheels are dangerous due to the rough roads. Cars are around $50 a day and a scooter is $15/20 a day, plus $10 for a helmet which is compulsory to use for everyone. With a scooter, of which you will literally see hundreds, it is very easy to park.
A typical beach scene, warning don’t stand under a coconut tree!! A falling nut landing on your head could kill you.
Temperatures at this time ranged between a low of 17 degrees to highs of 28 degrees celsius and supposedly this is the dry season, but was quite wet at times!! Sunrise is 7am and sunset was 6pm.
There are a huge range of accommodation options from beach front units for $300/600 a night, and back country properties from $120 a night. You need to decide where and what type of accommodation you prefer. We decided on an Air B n B approx 1 klm inland up a gravel road. This was very private and quiet and the facilities were spacious with a separate bedroom, large bathroom and lounge. kitchen and dining. Plenty of space with fridge/freezer, washing machine, full gas oven and hob. TV is available but reception is patchy.
For internet, the island has Vodafone wifi accessed through “hot spots”. You can purchase a voucher at most stores and prices and data limits vary as they have special offers going. When we arrived we scored a 15gb 4 day plan for $10, but on renewal it cost us $30 for a 4 day 7.5gb plan. The local currency is New Zealand dollars and although eftpos is available most places many only take cash.
We took $1000 in cash and this covered all our excursions, food purchases and meals out with drinks. It also covered our scooter hire and fuel. I did buy a wet suit for $159 but used my credit card and had to use the card again on our last night and morning as cash had run out. As we ate at a local resort restaurant which had eftpos, this worked out fine.
So where are the attractions? We stayed on the main island but there are outer islands that can be explored with flights from Rarotonga either for a day trip or for extended stays. Close to the airport is the main shopping hub, just a couple of klm’s away. This has a variety of shops, banks, food stores and a “supermarket”. The largest food supermarket is slightly hidden from view, being closer to the airport and set back from the road. Our unit was near Muri Beach which appears to be the most popular location, but honestly, everywhere or anywhere around the island has it own unique advantages. Muri beach is protected by two large lagoon islands which are between the mainland and the outer reef. This can make this area a bit more sheltered, but that can depend on the wind direction. Snorkelling is very safe in this area. The best place we found for swimming and seeing a variety of fish species and possibly turtles is “Fruits of Rarotonga” approx 10 klms towards the airport from Muri going the long way around. Many tour groups come to this spot to view the turtles.
Eating out prices are very similar, if not slightly cheaper than New Zealand prices and the meal proportions are very generous. I’ll post some pictures with prices. Grocery store prices for common items are very expensive compared to NZ. Butter is $10 for 500 grams, bread is $3 to $5 a loaf. Cafe food and drink is the same as NZ. You will find it hard to get fresh eggs and they only have carton or powdered milk which is not great tasting!! There are heaps of fresh fruit, but not much in the way of vegetables like carrots, broccoli, cabbage etc. Banana’s, paw paw, mangos, coconuts and pineapple are found everywhere. In fact with coconuts, these can be picked up almost anywhere. Just make sure you NEVER walk under a coconut tree! A coconut falling on your head could likely kill you!! The trick with a fallen coconut is how you open them! We had a demonstration and believe me, you need the right tools to do this.
Our tips for a great Raro experience would be to arrive on a Thursday or Friday and have a quick look around the Island, then head to the Saturday market which is down by the port close to the town centre. Here you can stock up on any food you might like as well as souvenirs, clothes, vodafone voucher, drink bottles, snacks and so much more. Get there around 9am or you will get caught in larger crowds and possibly miss out on items.
One suggestion to familiarise yourself with the island is to go on the Island Safari tour. This takes you right around the island and includes going inland and up into the mountains. Your guide will point out all the types of trees, plantations and cover much of the history. By doing this tour you can make note of places to come back to for more exploring. The tour concludes with an amazing lunch and cost us $90 each.
There are a few places to view a meal and dance show but to us these are very touristy type activities and not our “cup of tea”. Prices ranged from $55 to $155 per person. You can also book an “umu” meal which is where the food is cooked in an earth oven, similar to a NZ hangi.
The highlights for us was the Saturday market, the safari tour and swimming with the fish. The negatives were the wild roosters that seem to crow 24/7 and the hundreds of roaming dogs. Although the dogs are friendly they will approach you looking for food even at the resort restaurants! and look out for them on the roads.
A wee snippet of the market entertainment
The islands are full of character. The locals “live very much off the land and you will see hundreds of wild chickens, cows, goats and even pigs, like this fellow who lived up our wee road.
A family pet or maybe a future meal