Cook Islands stopover

The Cook Islands is a lovely vacation destination in the South Pacific, but in early April ’13 my companion and I used the Cooks as a stopover for three days, recovering from our 9-hour flight from Los Angeles before continuing on to New Zealand. 

An added incentive from the airline, Air New Zealand — a business-class ticket with a Cooks stopover cost almost $1,700 less than a nonstop flight from Los Angeles to Auckland.

Airfare was $4,584 (business class from Los Angeles [LAX] to Rarotonga [RAR], premium economy to Auckland [AKL] and business class from AKL to LAX nonstop). In comparison, LAX to AKL nonstop was listed as $6,258. 

I booked the flights at Air New Zealand’s website by clicking on “Make a Multistop Booking” in the window on their homepage that lets you book flights.

Note: the LAX-RAR flight leaves LAX only on Sundays and leaves RAR for AKL only on Wednesdays, so you cannot stay more than two nights unless you go out into the next week.

We had spent 10 days in the Cooks years ago and were familiar with the island of Rarotonga, the largest and most populated island in the archipelago. The indigenous Maori people maintain their culture, and the tourist industry flourishes as the principal economy.

On this visit, having arranged for an early check-in, we stayed at the resort Muri Beachcomber (Muri Beach, Muri, Rarotonga, Cook Islands), located on the most popular lagoon and not far from the main town.

The motel was right on the beach, and our unit was in the front. We had a spectacular view to the east, facing the reef and two motus (reef islets). The lagoon was so shallow that it was possible to walk out at least a hundred yards to shoulder height, and because it was inside the reef it was very calm.

The motel grounds were spacious and beautifully landscaped with tropical flowers. One- and two-bedroom units each had a fridge, microwave, stovetop and A/C. A one-bedroom cost NZD250 (near $207) per night, including a cold breakfast. Kayaks and other water toys were complimentary, as were snorkel gear and water shoes.

Restaurants were plentiful, but even basic café meals were more expensive than in the US, so be prepared for sticker shock when eating out and at the grocery store.

Our first evening, we ate at Sandals Beachfront Restaurant & Barefoot Bar, just a short walk down the beach. The meal was gourmet and delicious. Our entrées were the taro-wrapped ginger lime chicken, pork belly and baked prawns. The restaurant offered two sizes for the meal, with the entrée size about NZD18 (near $15) and the main about NZD30 ($25). 

When we returned to the resort after dark and walked the deserted beach, we were treated to a beautiful starlit southern sky.

The next day we visited the main town. There is only one route around the island. From our resort, we took the local bus circling clockwise rather than counterclockwise. 

The town offered necessary services as well as tourist retail and a few local shops. After strolling around for a bit, we indulged in delicious New Zealand ice cream, an inexpensive treat, before taking the bus back to the motel.

We awoke early our third morning to a spectacular sunrise, the colors changing every few minutes. From the large communal deck with steps to the beach, the view was breathtaking. 

After a noon checkout, we spent a pleasant two hours in the resort’s lounge awaiting the airport shuttle. And from the plane, we enjoyed a beautiful view and reflected that this was the perfect choice for a stopover to Auckland.

CECILIA MORRISSEY

Port Townsend, WA