VILLA ONEMARU (Soothing Sands Villa)
Just opened 400 metres up the Circle Island Road is a brand new private pool villa, Villa Onemaru (meaning “Soothing Sands”). This is a wonderful, completely private vacation retreat and includes a large blue pool, deck, daybed pavilion, indoor – outdoor dining, 2 master bedrooms with ensuite and plasma TV, a 3rd bedroom with plasma TV and PlayStation, a bathroom with spa bath, full kitchen, dining / sitting room with plasma TV, and games room, laundry, and children’s play ground tucked away in the back garden. The Villa also includes and outdoor shower and kayaks, and is located directly across from a lovely beach and blue lagoon. In addition guests of Villa Onemaru are also able to use all of the free guest facilities and services at The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa eg Daily Activities Programme, Games Lounge, Gym, Pool, Kids Club. For further information or to arrange a viewing, please dial Front Desk on “0”.
VILLA TIARE TAPORO (Lime Blossom Villa Estate)
Occupying over 900 square metres, Villa Tiare Taporo is the largest super-luxury private estate villa in the Cook Islands. The Villa is a restored and expanded heritage home, and was originally hand-built of coral and limestone by the legendary trading schooner captain of the 1940s and 50s, Captain Andy Thompson, as his home. Named after Captain Andy’s schooner Tiare Taporo (“Lime Blossom” in Tahitian), this luxury private villa estate features a large blue swimming pool and vast entertainment deck with gardens, a pavilion with two daybeds, a spa pavilion, a luxury Blue Bathhouse, sauna, 3 bedrooms with super king beds, plasma TV and own ensuite (two with double vanities and showers), a spacious sitting / dining room, separate casual breakfast / lunch bar, full kitchen and laundry. At the front of Villa Tiare Taporo is a spacious, romantic verandah complete with locally-crafted furniture, and this is where Captain Andy used to entertain friends with lime-muddled rum, and in fact where Andy introduced two men who were to become famous for their adventuring, renowned author Robert Dean Frisbie and South Seas hermit Tom Neale. This meeting fired up Tom Neale’s imagination and it was where he formed the intention to go and live on the far-flung atoll of Suwarrow; his island adventures famously documented in “An Island to Oneself”. For more information on the Tiare Taporo Villa Estate or to arrange a viewing, please dial “0”.
WAKE-UP CALLS
Self-programming wake-up call facilities are available on all in-room phones. To set, please press the wake-up call button on your phone. Alternatively you can arrange your wake-up call through the Front Desk. Your room is also fitted with a CD player/ Radio Alarm Clock which you are able to program yourself. For assistance in setting your alarm clock, please dial “0”.
WALKING & HIKING
As most of Rarotonga’s population lives on the narrow coastal fringe, the lush mountainous interior is virtually uninhabited and can be reached only by hiking tracks and trails. While there are walks and trails that are safe and accessible for all levels of fitness, we would recommend you go on an organised walking tour to get the most out of the knowledge and experience of the local guides, and to save becoming lost in unfamiliar terrain (some trails shown on maps have long since become overgrown, and it is not fun sleeping rough with limited food and water even in Paradise!).
Pa’s Mountain Walk offers a 4-hour Nature Walk and a strenuous 4-hour Cross Island Walk. Pa has 12 years’ experience in guiding walks and has built up a worldwide reputation for the depth of his knowledge and his humour. You’ll learn about local legends, fauna, flora and medicinal plants, and he is also happy to guide other walks by arrangement. Tours operate Monday, Wednesday and Friday at a cost of NZD$55pp for adults and NZD$25pp per children 12yrs and under.
Pa’s Mountain Walks can be booked through our Front Desk - phone “0”.
Travellers Tip! Even if you’re going on a guided tour, ensure you take with you plenty of drinking water (and even a small pick-me-up snack) as it can get very hot and you can quickly become dehydrated, especially if your body is not used to the tropical conditions. The heat can be especially taxing for those with heart problems, so try to pick a cooler, preferably overcast day if you’re keen to hike up to the Papua Waterfall or up into the mountainous interior. Also, take your swimsuit and sunblock! Most of all though, enjoy!
Cross Island Trek update: Please note for your own safety that the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation has now issued an official warning against attempting the Cross-Island Trek without an experienced local guide. This is because the path is now thickly overgrown, and soil erosion can also make parts of it particularly hazardous, plus if you inadvertently divert to the wrong path you can find yourself walking alongside large electricity cables. Recently the Cook Islands Police were called out to rescue lost hikers whose holiday experience was somewhat marred by this event. In any case, taking along an experienced guide enriches your walk with deep local insights, knowledge and colourful yarns.
WATER
The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa has in place a water filtration and UV-sterilization system, which means your tap water has been through a comprehensive purification process. If you do however have any concerns you may prefer to boil your drinking water, or to buy bottled water from Captain Andy’s Beach Bar or from your room Mini Bar. Please note that only bottled water is served in all our Restaurants.
WEATHER
Unlike some nations closer to the Equator that have marked extremes in wet and dry seasons, Rarotonga enjoys a pleasant climate year-round with relatively minor fluctuations in temperature and climatic conditions. June to September are our cooler months, whilst December through to March is our warmer season. As Rarotonga and Aitutaki are tropical islands in the heart of the South Pacific, passing warm tropical showers can be experienced at any time, without any specific pattern. The term ‘rainy season’ is however a complete myth when it comes to the Cook Islands, as there is no ‘rainy season’ here. The warmer months tend to be slightly wetter (statistically speaking anyway), but luckily if there is any rain it’s – very conveniently – often at night! The drier months from May/June to August/September range in maximum temperature from almost 25 to 26½ degrees Celsius. The warmer, more humid season from December to March enjoys a maximum temperature range of between 27 to 29 degrees Celsius. So even if there’s a tropical shower, it’s usually still warm and often sunny as well! It pays to remember that some of the most gorgeous blue sky shots that you see in brochures were actually taken in January, one of the absolutely best months to visit, often picture-perfect!
Travellers Tip! Don’t get discouraged if you wake up and it looks like an overcast day; very likely it will have completely cleared by mid-morning. It’s also wise though to ‘make hay while the sun shines’ as there are never any guarantees when it comes to the weather. In other words, don’t wait until the last day of your trip to go on a special expedition, because, Murphy’s Law being what it is, it may well be raining on just that day! Tropical showers though are common, but are usually warm and short-lived. Also, many people seem to think it’s best to avoid the months from November through to April, yet these are by no means uncomfortably hot (after all, there’s the air conditioning in your Resort room to retreat to if you feel the need for a refresher!). By avoiding these months travellers miss out on some wonderful, seasonal aspects of life on Rarotonga, such as fresh mangoes, pineapples, guavas, lychees and avocados (yum!), the vibrant spectacle of the flamboyant (flame) trees in full flower lining the Circle Island Road (also known as Rarotonga’s Christmas Tree), and the haunting beauty and aroma of the yellow or pink tipani (frangipani). Definitely not to be missed!
MONTH |
MAX °C |
MIN °C |
SUNSHINE HOURS |
January |
28.8 |
22.9 |
179 |
February |
29.1 |
23.1 |
171 |
March |
28.9 |
22.6 |
181 |
April |
28.2 |
22.0 |
174 |
May |
26.6 |
20.4 |
164 |
June |
25.6 |
19.3 |
169 |
July |
25.2 |
18.6 |
177 |
August |
24.9 |
18.4 |
182 |
September |
25.3 |
19.1 |
177 |
October |
26.0 |
20.0 |
185 |
November |
27.1 |
21.0 |
178 |
December |
27.8 |
21.9 |
181 |
WINDSURFING
There is a Windsurfing School at Muri Beach (about 20 minutes on the anti-clockwise bus from the Resort) where beginners courses are offered for NZ$35 per person using a simulator (half hour) plus one hour in the water. They also have windsurfers for hire at NZ$25 per hour. Call Captain Tama’s Lagoon and AquaSportz Centre on 27 350, 20 810 or 55 002 for more detailed specs on the gear available.
