Finding a Place in the South Seas

The idyllic Cook Islands, about 3,000 miles directly south of Hawaii, have accommodations within the budget range of backpacking travelers--but make arrangements for a bed before you arrive.

The country consists of 15 islands with a total landmass of 93 square miles scattered over an area of the Pacific as large as Western Europe. Many budget travelers wind up there when traveling across the Pacific on a circle-Pacific fare or as part of an around-the-world ticket.

When I visited the islands several years ago I found it to be one of the few places left in the world that had neither television nor a traffic light. The country operates in free association with New Zealand. New Zealand dollars are accepted in the Cook Islands, but you might want to have some local money, also called dollars, which includes a $3 bill and a triangular $2 coin.

The international airport is on Rarotonga, a volcanic island fringed with beautiful white-sand beaches. It’s the only one of the islands with a mountainous center covered in jungle, similar to Tahiti. Even though there are about 10,000 inhabitants, at times you get the feeling you’ve dropped in on one big family. Two roads circle the island; the outer road is about 32 miles. Local buses circle the route, and charge $2 per ride. Opportunities are there for sailing, windsurfing, diving, hiking and motorcycling.

The first Europeans to reach Rarotonga were the crew of the HMS Bounty in 1789. Missionaries followed the explorers, and you can see the results of their efforts today: Next to nothing is open on a Sunday.

Earlier this year I received a letter from Bill Vaughan of Napanee, Canada. He had just completed an around-the-world trip, using youth hostels, YWCAs and backpacker hostels, and he passed on information about his experience arriving in the Cook Islands:

“While waiting in the customs and immigration line, a very large island woman in a uniform asked if there was anyone in the lineup who did not have a hotel or other accommodation to go to.” Because there wasn’t a youth hostel in Rarotonga, Vaughan was one of three who had decided to wait and see what was offered upon arrival.

According to Vaughan, all three were taken from the line by an official who “gave us a little lecture that it was a no-no to come to ‘Raro’ without accommodations pre-booked. This was because they didn’t want hippies coming and sleeping on the beaches.” They were also told that no camping equipment would be allowed in.

“We were referred to Hugh Baker, who apparently turns up as each flight comes in in a rusting and battered station wagon to pick up strays like us.”

Baker’s hostel consisted of four rooms in a long building, all occupied by young couples, and several more rooms up the hill. Bill ended up sharing a room with the other male traveler for about $9.75 apiece per night. There was a small lounge, TV and kitchen, as well as a shower.

For hostel accommodations write: Hugh and Ioana Baker, P.O. Box 587, Rarotonga, Cook Islands.

Two leading guidebooks also recommend Baker’s hostel, although the Lonely Planet publication warns that it can be inconvenient for those who don’t have their own transportation because it’s at the top of a steep hill.

The most extensive information source for this area is “Rarotonga & the Cook Islands--Travel Survival Kit” (Lonely Planet, 1994, $11.95) by Nancy Keller. Along with listings for more upscale accommodations it includes information on nine budget facilities in Rarotonga.

If you plan to make stops in other areas of the Pacific you might prefer “The South Pacific Handbook” (Moon Publications, 1993, $19.95) by David Stanley, which includes the Cook Islands.