Cook Islands Travel Guide

Visitor Information

The helpful staff of the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation provides information upon request. The address is P.O. Box 14, Rarotonga, Cook Islands (tel. 29-435; fax 21-435; www.cook-islands.com). The main office and visitors center is west of the traffic circle, in the heart of Avarua. It's open Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm. Other offices are:

North America: 17880 Skypark Circle, Suite 250, Irvine, CA 92614 (tel. 949/476-4086; fax 949/476-4088; usamanager@cook-islands.com)

New Zealand: 1/127 Symonds St. (P.O. Box 37391), Parnell, Auckland (tel. 09/366-1199; fax 09/309-1876; nzmanager@cook-islands.com)

Australia: P.O. Box 20, Guildord, NSW 2161 (tel. 02/9955-0446; fax 02/9955-0447; ausmanager@cook-islands.com)

United Kingdom: Nottcut House, 36 Southwark Bridge Rd., London SE1 9EU (tel. 020/7202-6369; fax 020/7202-6369; ukmanager@cook-islands.com)

Germany: Petersburgstrasse 94, 10247 Berlin (tel. 30/4225-6027; fax 30/4225-6286; europemanager@cook-islands.com)

When you get to Rarotonga, stop by the visitor center and pick up brochures and other current information, especially Jason's What's On in the Cook Islands (www.jasons.com) and the Cook Islands Sun, two free tourist publications that are full of facts, advertisements, and excellent maps of the islands. The daily newspapers, the Cook Islands News and the Cook Islands Herald, provide radio and TV schedules, weather forecasts, shipping information, and advertisements for island nights and other entertainment.

Entry Requirements

Visas are not required for visitors, who can stay for 31 days if they have valid passports, onward or return air tickets (they will be examined at the immigration desk upon arrival), and sufficient funds. New Zealand citizens do not need passports to enter the Cook Islands, but they do need them to reenter New Zealand. Extensions are granted on a month-to-month basis for up to 5 more months; apply at the Immigration Department near the airport in Avarua. Visitors intending to stay more than 6 months must apply in advance from their home country to the Principal Immigration Officer, Ministry of Labour and Commerce, P.O. Box 61, Rarotonga, Cook Islands (tel. 29-363).

Customs allowances are 2 liters of spirits or wine, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars, and NZ$250 (US$113) in other goods. Arriving passengers can purchase items from the duty-free shop and change money before clearing Immigration. Firearms, ammunition, and indecent materials are prohibited, as are live animals, including pets (they will be placed in quarantine until you leave the country). Personal effects are not subject to duty. All food and other agricultural products must be declared and will be inspected.

Money

Although the local government mints some unusual coins, the New Zealand dollar is the medium of exchange in the Cook Islands. At the time of this writing, one New Zealand dollar is worth about US65¢. The exchange rate fluctuates, so check the business sections of most daily newspapers or find the present rate on currency conversion websites such as www.xe.com.

How to Get Local Currency -- Westpac Bank, ANZ Bank, and the Bank of the Cook Islands have offices west of the traffic circle on the main road in Avarua. Westpac and ANZ have ATMs. Banking hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm (4pm at ANZ Bank). GlobalEX, in Mana Court west of the traffic circle (tel. 29-907), changes currency and travelers checks, often at better rates than the banks.

Credit Cards -- American Express, MasterCard, and Visa are widely accepted by hotels and restaurants on Rarotonga and Aitutaki. Only the major hotels and car-rental firms accept Diner's Club cards. Discover cards are not accepted anywhere in the islands. If you're going to Aitutaki or another outer island, you can use credit cards at the larger hotels and some restaurants, but not everywhere. Therefore, carry cash or small-denomination traveler's checks.

Getting Around

Air Rarotonga (tel. 22-888; www.airraro.com) is the country's only airline, and it's a good one. It has several flights per day (one on Sun) to Aitutaki and one per weekday to Atiu, Mauke, Mangaia, and Mitiaro. Regular one-way fares are about NZ$200 (US$130) to Aitutaki, slightly less to the other islands in the Southern Group. You can save with Air Rarotonga's discounted fares, which can be as little as NZ$300 (US$195) round-trip to Aitutaki.

Don't forget to reconfirm your return flight.

How to Save If You're Going to Aitutaki -- Air Rarotonga and local travel agencies such as Island Hopper Vacations (tel. 22-026; www.islandhoppervacations.com) will book hotels and most activities on the other islands free of charge. If you are going to Aitutaki, for example, you can save as much as NZ$100 (US$65) by buying a package that includes airfare and accommodations.