Customer Reviews

Lonely Planet Rarotonga & the Cook Islands

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My fiance and i were fortunate enough to holiday in the Cooks for 2 weeks in January 07. In the lead up to our trip i purchased this guide and studied it carefully. All the sections were well written and comprehensive. The history and environment section made for interesting background reading and helped to get an idea of life back in the old days as well as the current situation.
The section dealing with Rarotonga and its capital Avarua, as a whole was useful and the information (sights, accomodation, where to eat/drink and shop, other amenities) for the most part (95%) accurate - even prices more or less. We did a daytrip to Aitutaki and that section was also quite good. There were also sections on all the other Southern & Northern group islands but i cannot comment as we did not go to any of these. Still made interesting reading though. The maps were also accurate and well detailed.
One thing i would disagree with is attemting to do the main cross island hike on your own. It is possible but there are no signposts, and the trail itself is quite difficult to find and follow in places, not to mention quite treacherous and hard going in the wet season. We went with Pa a local guide and it was a wise decision as many people have been injured or worse attempting this hike.
Other than this, my main gripe is with actual construction of this book. The plastic coating on the cover started to peel soon after purchase and the pages are starting to come loose from the spine. All this without any heavy duty wear and tear. I think Lonely Planet need to increase their quality control and improve the construction of their guides so that they do stand up to more rigorous use, after all that's what they are for.

For the first timer, this guide is a great introduction to the Rarotonga and the Cook Islands. It is very thorough and has details about shopping, places to visit, popular tours, places to stay, and eat. Not only does the guide provide information about the main island of Rarotonga, but also include bits on the outer islands, which are very popular to visit. I really enjoyed reading up on Rarotonga and felt this book provided a good orientation of Rarotonga and things to see and do. However, some of the information is outdated. It was published in 1996. Because Rarotonga is such a popular tourists destination things are constantly changing, for example taking the boat (ferry) to Aitutaki was quoted as an inexpensive way to visit this tourist hot spot. However, this service is no longer provided. Many of the shops noted in the book, were no longer open or a detailed description of how to find them was not provided. Locals were very helpful in providing the most recent information. There was not a lot of detail about accomodations in summer homes. This proved to be a very economic way of staying inthe Cooks. it could be improved with more thorough contact information. Overall for the first time visitor,this guide was very useful as far as getting an overall "feeling" or what Rarotonga is like.

I found the Rarotonga and Cook Islands Lonely Planet quite informative. I did however have a few problems but I think the overall content allays my initial hesitations.

The volume is lightweight which makes it a great read on the aeroplane. I planned my holiday mainly through reading this book and the information is practical and informative. The advice on things not to miss and where to go is detailed enough to give the reader a good idea of what to expect when they arrive. My main problem was the maps. I thought that they were not detailed enough and left off salient features (such as the Muri Lagoon) that were talked about repeatedly in the text.

Additionally much of the information is too generalised. I have just purchased "The Cook Islands Companion" through Amazon and already I am enjoying it more because the style is laconic but detailed with information that tells me about the country, it's people and its history and how to enjoy this while travelling rather than what to do and where to go.

The Lonely Planet guide fails in some aspects but overall most of the information is more than adequate; in fact pretty much everything is covered to some degree. I recommend it to all those who enjoy dreaming of paradise as well as those planning to travel to the Country.

We just got back from a two week exploration of the Cooks and found this book VERY helpful. The Cooks will quickly convince you that if you've only been to Hawaii, you've only gone half way to Heaven!

Unfortunately, we required hospital services (because of tainted food), and this book over simplifies issues of needed medical care. (Details that should be included in EVERY travel guide!)

Naturally, most prices quoted are actually higher, but that's just dealing with reality.

We observed "newbies" arriving without this book, and therefore, without a clue of where to go or what to do.
FOUR Stars because this book was so valuable, but as with most, there is room for improvement.

Purchased prior to our trip. Found it very helpful in planning, gave good idea what to expect esp. history on islands/traditions. Maps were accurate. Referenced many times while on vacation. Agree with other previous post...do not attempt to do cross island hike alone as it is not marked, Pa was an excellent guide. A visit to Atiutaki highly recommended. Spent 3 days at the Atuitaki Lagoon Resort...wish it would have been more.

Great little book. Lots of helpful info. Essential to really understand the islands. Arrived on time and lives up to the reputation of Lonely Planet.

If you are headed out to the Cook Islands (absolutely fabulous, beautiful place to visit), you MUST bring this book with you. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Purchased this guide a few years ago in hopes of actually going to the cooks, however never made it. Now 5 years later I am really going and can't find an updated version. Does lonely planet no longer publish one for the cooks? Ive only found info inside 'South Pacific' guide book by LP. I think the Cook Islands deserves its own again.

The book is fairly good as travel guides go. It has all the things one needs to help on a visit. I would like a more informative section on what to do about money.

Having recently returned from the Cook Islands, I cannot highly recommend this book. While the history and culture sections are interesting, the lodging and shopping/restaurants sections leave a lot to be desired. Most of the businesses mentioned have either gone out of business or changed hands. This is especially true on Aitutaki, where only one of the businesses recommended was still in its present form! As another reader recommended, the book does not sufficiently cover home rentals which are a great way to stay on these islands for a reasonable amount (and most can be viewed and reserved on the internet!). David Stanley's Moon Handbooks South Pacific guide is a much better choice--it is more up to date and covers all the major South Pacific islands for almost the same amount of money.