Cook Islands A-Z Visitors Guide - Small Guide to a tropical paradise
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 Cook Islands A-Z - The Small Guide to a Tropical Paradise

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Takitumu

Takitumu is a large area on the south and southeast side of Rarotonga. It’s a good spot for snorkelling. Several smaller resorts, such as the Little Polynesian are here
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Takitumu Villas

Takitumu Villas are set lush, well-maintained, tranquil gardens that lead to a great beach (8km in both directions). There are ten luxurious villas with king bedrooms, fully-equipped kitchens, spa baths and bidets. There are four honeymoon villas on the edge of the beach. There’s no restaurant as such (there’s a weekly staff and guest BBQ) but the Paw Paw Patch is down the road and other restaurants will pick up guests and drop them back. (More info..)
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Taxes

There is a 12.5% Value Added Tax (VAT) on all goods and services. This is included in prices at most places but you should ask if it’s not displayed, just in case. There is a $30 departure tax ($10 children 2 to 11), payable at the airport.
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Tax Haven

It’s rather ironic that a stridently Christian country can be in the tax haven business. Offshore investors in the Cook Islands pay no income tax, capital gains tax or death duties, although locals pay personal and company taxes. People with money to invest can apply for residence permits through the Cook Islands Development Investment Board - phone 24 296, fax 24 298, www.cookislands-invest.com. It’s not as easy as it once was with rules on foreign investment being tightened in 2003 to avoid loopholes. People keen to get residency should be after lifestyle not loopholes. I’m sure most investors are minimizing tax rather than avoiding tax and far be from me to suggest there are more laundries on Rarotonga than the Snowbird Laundry & Drycleaners… Mind you, I seem to recall the disgraced Australian entrepreneur, Alan Bond, has some financial dealing in the Cook Islands…
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Taxis

Personally, I’d pick up a bus timetable (they’re everywhere) and tailor your outings to suit - they are arguably more reliable than the taxi services and certainly cheaper. Ask the taxi driver for a rate before hopping in and clarify that it’s the total price and not per person.
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Telecommunications

See Communications.
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Tennis

There are courts open to the general public at both the Edgewater Resort and the Rarotongan beach Resort & Spa.
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Time Zone

The time zone is the same as Hawaii - two hours behind California time and 22 hours behind Fiji and New Zealand. This can give some travellers a feeling of ‘Groundhog Day’ - leaving Australia or New Zealand on, say, a Thursday, arriving in the Cook Islands on a Thursday after midnight, going to bed in the wee hours and waking up with a whole Thursday ahead. Of course a Thursday can disappear in a couple of hours on the way home.
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Tipping

Tipping is not encouraged in the Cook Islands. Tip with a smile and 'meitaki ma’ata' (thank you). Polynesian custom says that if you give something for nothing, the person receiving will owe you - and that’s how a tip is perceived. Bargaining can also be taken as an insult.
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Toilets (Public)

There are public toilets in Avarua at Cooks Corner, across from the police station and the Punanga Nui Cultural Market.
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Tonga

If you pick up a brochure on Tonga from a travel agent you will probably read that the Kingdom of Tonga is a “rare sprinkling of jewels set in the turquoise blue of the Pacific”. It could well say the same in a dictionary. The diverse natural beauty, the people and the culture make Tonga a unique and rewarding destination. Tonga is the only Pacific nation never to have been subjected to foreign rule and, as such, traditional lifestyle has been maintained. The monarchy is important, as is the church and the sense of family and inner peace can be somewhat enviable. Visit www.TongaAtoZ.com.
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Trader Jack’s

Trader Jack’s is an institution on Rarotonga. The bar and restaurant is in a great location looking out to Avarua Harbour. You can drop in for a drink, bar snacks (kati kati) or a meal (excellent sashimi). Live music plays some nights. More than likely Jack will be at the street end of the bar and, if I lived on Raro, I think this would be my regular watering hole, too.
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Travellers’ Cheques

Traveller’s Cheques are accepted in the Cook Islands but with ATMs, credit cards, cash exchange facilities is there a place for these dinosaurs in today’s sophisticated world? That said, traveller’s cheques do get a better exchange rates than cash at banks and they are insured in a way that cash can’t be.
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