Lonely Planet Rarotonga & the Cook Islands (Country Guide) [Paperback]

Oliver Berry (Author)

Book Description

Series: Country Guide | Publication Date: June 1, 2006

Dreaming of a Polynesian paradise? Welcome to the Cook Islands: secluded beaches, cultural riches and the most spectacular scenery in the South Pacific. From bustling Rarotonga and beautiful ’Atiu to far-flung Pukapuka, let Lonely Planet help you find your own place in the sun.

Be Spoilt For Choice – includes coverage of all 15 islands

Don't Get Lost – unless you want to: 34 maps to point you in the right direction

Get Active – if that’s your thing: all the details on diving, snorkelling, trekking, windsurfing and cycling

Sleep Soundly – the very best resorts, hostels and everything in between

Before You Book – find out what our author thought of your resort – get the honest scoop

Editorial Reviews

Review

…Lonely Planet, the intrepid traveler's bible...' --Los Angeles Times, April 2005

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet; 6 edition (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741042909
• ISBN-13: 978-1741042900
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #909,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very useful but of less than average construction., February 6, 2007

By 

Dennis M (Sydney, New South Wales Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Rarotonga & the Cook Islands (Country Guide) (Paperback)

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tons of Info on the Cook Islands, June 20, 2000

By 

Ruta (American Samoa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Rarotonga & the Cook Islands (4th ed) (Paperback)

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.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lost but not Lonely in Paradise, June 9, 2000

By 

Alison - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Rarotonga & the Cook Islands (4th ed) (Paperback)

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.