A to Z of Guest Services and Helpful Information

Activities and Attractions

Rarotonga offers guests a wide range of attractions and activities. For a taster see the Tourism Cook Islands things to do web page https://www.cookislands.travel/en-nz.

Airport
Kia Orana Luxury Villas are approximately 5 minutes from Rarotonga International Airport.

Air New Zealand                                                                       26300
Air Rarotonga                                                                           22888
Jet Star                                                                                     22888

Airport Transfers
We do not provide airport transfers. 

In order to enjoy Rarotonga we strongly recommend that you book a car or scooter to pick up at the airport from Polynesian Rental Cars http://www.polynesianhire.co.ck/.  This will enable you to travel freely around Rarotonga to enjoy the widely spread out attractions and beaches, the best restaurants which are also spread around the island, and islands best supermarkets CITC in Panama (which is not near any tourist accommodation), and Wigmores in Titikaveka. We are not on the beach front, but we offer a peaceful environment. 

Alternatively, the other options are booking airport transfers with Atupa Taxis (+682) 25517, (+682) 58252 or at the airport upon arrival (subject to availability). The cost of an Atupa taxi is NZ$15.00 per person. 

Alcohol and Non-alcoholic Beverages
The duty free stores in the arrivals area at Rarotonga Airport at the cheapest price to buy alcoholic beverages, and according to some, the prices there are cheaper than at duty free in Auckland.  On Rarotonga the best range and best prices can be found Monday to Saturday at:

The Bond Liquor Store (opposite the Punanga Nui Markets)    21007        
CITC Liquor, Panama                                                                28380 

It can also be purchased at most grocery stores and dairies Monday to Saturday.

The best ranges of non-alcoholic beverages can be found at:

 CITC Supermarket, Panama                                                       22777
Foodland, Avarua                                                                         23378 
Manea Foods, Nikao (a more limited range. Open on Sundays  29806
Wigmores Super Store in Titikaveka. Open on Sundays             20206 

ATM’s
ATM's are located outside ANZ Bank, Avarua, and Bank of South Pacific, Avarua.

Bars
Trader Jacks, which overlooks Avarua harbour, is a must to visit.  It has a good range of drinks, great service, live music some evenings, and a restaurant upstairs. 

Check in
After 2 p.m. (or up to 2 hours earlier by arrangement. Arrangements must be made before arrival and are subject to other bookings).

Check out
Before 10 a.m. (or up to 2 hours later by arrangement. Arrangements must be made before arrival and are subject to other bookings).

Chemist (Pharmacy)
CITC Pharmacy, Avarua                                         29292
Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
After hours emergencies                                        29294
           

Coffee/tea making facilities
are provided in every Villa. Complimentary tea bags, ground coffee, 500mls of milk on arrival, and sugar are provided. Should you run out of tea bags, ground coffee, or sugar please contact our General Manager. Additional milk and other groceries need to be purchased by guests.

Cooking and food preparation
Our Villas all have full kitchens, so you can enjoy meals in your Villa. All Villas also have a Webber barbecue which for safety reasons must only be used on the deck. 

Credit Cards
Visa and MasterCard credit cards are accepted for accommodation payments so long as credit card details are provided when you book your accommodation. We do not hold cash.

Cycling
There are many hiking, walking and cycling trails in Rarotonga. We have road bikes for hire.

Ride Rarotonga, Avarua +682 2 RIDE (27433) contact@riderarotonga.com have mountain bikes for hire.

Cyclone Information
For cyclone information listen to your radio or watch your television. For further information ring:

Evacuation centres will open in the event of a cyclone. Our nearest ones are Nikao Hall (Tel: 20 318) and Tereora College (Tel: 23 820). If there is a cyclone ensure that each person in your care has sufficient food, water and warm clothing to last at least 24 hours. 

Dentist (Dental Surgeon)
Philip Nicholas BDS (New Zealand), Nikao                   20169

Double Glazing and Insect Screens
All Kia Orana Luxury Villas provide the added comfort of full double glazing and insect screens. Please keep them closed at all times. If you do not the harmless mokos (lizards) and cockroaches will get into the Villa. We will not kill mokos - they kill mosquitos. 

Dry Cleaning
Snowbird Laundry and Dry Cleaners has 1-day laundry and dry cleaning service at its main plant in Arorangi (Tel: 20-952) and a small laundry in Avarua (Tel: 21-952). It will pick up and deliver if you call in advance.

Electric Current (Voltage)
230 volt - do not plug in chargers or appliances rated 110 or below unless there is a manual or auto switch to 200+ volts.

Emergency Information
Emergencies                                                               999
National Emergency Operation Centre                       22 261
Emergency Management Cook Islands                      29609 or 54005
Hospital                                                                      22 664
Rescue Fire Services                                                 25 890 or 55893

Dial 999 and you will be directed to the service required: Ambulance, Police, Fire Brigade. Should you be asked, the address to quote is Kia Orana Villas and Spa, 2 Ariki Road, Atupa.

Emergency Lighting
All villas have torches.

Etiquette and Customs
Dress in the Cook Islands is informal except in Parliament, Court, and Church. Shorts can be worn during the day by both men and women, but beach attire should stay at the beach. Nudity is illegal, as is topless sunbathing. The colorful wraparound pareu is popular with local women. Evenings from May to September can be cool, so trousers/jeans, skirts, light jackets, sweaters, or wraps are in sometimes needed after dark.

Embassies and Consulates
New Zealand High Commission            Tel: 20-507

Australian High Commission  (https://cookislands.highcommission.gov.au)

are in the same office near the traffic roundabout in Avarua. No other foreign government maintains an embassy or consulate here.

Evacuation Procedures
In the event of an evacuation please assemble in the rear car park. In the event of a tsunami warning please proceed up Ariki Road to the high ground.

Fire
All suites are equipped with sensitive smoke detectors that when triggered sound a loud alarm. PLEASE EVACUATE YOUR SUITE IMMEDIATELY on hearing the alarm and ring the Fire Brigade on 999. The assembly point is in the car parks.

Fuel/Petrol
The closest petrol station is Pandanas Petrol & Oil (Tel: 21376) at the beginning of Avatiu Road, opposite Avatiu Harbour.

The closest after hours petrol station is Oasis Energy in Nikao (Tel: 22145).

Golf
The Rarotonga Golf Club in Nikao http://www.rarotonga.nzgolf.net/ (Tel: 20 621), is about 10 minutes away from the Kia Orana Villas and Spa, and has a 9 hole course.  

Hairdressers
There is no on-site hairdresser. Rarotonga has a number of very good hairdressing salons.

Hair dryers
There is a hair dyer in all Villas.

Housekeeping
Housekeeping generally commences after 10 a.m. (guests check out time).

As part of our Going Green effort bed linen is changed every 3 days. If you are happy to re-use your towels, simply hang them on bathroom rails. When you would like them washed please put them in the laundry basket in your bathroom. 

Villas are cleaned/serviced every day other than Sunday and public holidays.  Cleaning does not include washing or putting away dishes. There is a dishwasher in each Villa for your use. Should you wish additional cleaning services the cost is $20 per hour.

Internet access
Internet access for Kia Orana Villa guests is via our own Kia Orana Villas Hotspot. You can purchase a Wifi Voucher (for use at Kia Orana Villas only) at Reception during office hours. The cost is: 
• 15GB $10 (active for 7days) Speed: 35Mbps Down & 5Mbps Up
• 30GB $20 (active for 7days) Speed: 35Mbps Down & 5Mbps Up
 
Vodafone’s maximum speed is very slow: 4 Mbps on standard plans to 12 Mbps on super plans. It is not suitable for Zoom or business use.  To access Vodafone's hotspots you must buy a prepaid wireless access card, available from Vodafone (including in the arrivals area at the International Airport) and many shops. The cards start at NZ$15 for 50 megabytes of downloaded data (a gigabyte (GB) is 1,024 megabytes). Wi-Fi-capable laptops/smart phones can tune into hot spots in Vodafone's two offices and at Avatiu Harbour, the airport, and a number of other locations around Rarotonga. 
 

Avarua has several cyber cafes including Vodafone (Tel: 29-680; www.vodafone.co.ck), the country's sole communications provider. It has internet access in its main office in Avarua,  its CITC Avarua office  and in its Muri office. The main office is open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. 7 days a week. The other Avaura office is  open Monday to Friday 8a.m. to 4:o0p.m. and Saturday 8:30a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Iron/ironing board
are provided in your Villa.

Laundry
A washing machine, drier, and washing powder are provided in your Villa. 

Libraries and Museums
The Cook Islands Library and Museum (Tel: 26-468), in Avarua near the Cook Islands Christian Church is open Monday to Friday 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with additional hours on Tuesday from 4 to 8.00 p.m. The library and museum have a fine collection of works on the South Pacific, including many hard-to-find books.

The National Library and the National Museum (both Tel:  20 725) are in Constitution Avenue, Avarua

Liquor Laws
The legal drinking age is 18.

Mail
Cook Islands Post is received by and delivered to Vodafone offices. There is no mail delivery to houses.

Medical services
A range of medical and dental services are available on Rarotonga, which include a Hospital up the hill behind the golf course (Tel: 22-664, or 998 in case of an emergency). It has a 24-hour emergency room and is 10 minutes away from Kia Orana Villas and Spa.

There are an optometrist, two pharmacies, and physiotherapists are also available.

While there are no venomous land snakes, and most of the insects are innocuous, look out for mosquitoes a few of which spread dengue fever, wasps, and centipedes (not harmless millipedes) which do bite. There are now some sea snakes in the lagoons. Do no walk on coral without reef shoes, as coral cuts can get infected. The coral reefs should be treated with caution and respect. Do not swim near reef channels some of which have dangerous currents. The dangerous ones are sign posted. Do not walk in the lagoons without reef shoes as there are stonefish. If you accidentally step on a stonefish, seek immediate medical treatment as the venom can cause severe pain, heart failure and even death if left untreated. Hot water can be used for temporary relief however seeking medical attention and anti-venom is essential. Do not catch and eat reef fish as you could get dangerous ciguatera fish poisoning.

Visitors pay for their own medical costs in the Cook Islands, including ambulance fees (about $800), and the costs of medical evacuation to New Zealand (which will cost many thousands of dollars if a private ambulance plane is required - which must be prepaid) if specialist care is required. Travel insurance to cover unexpected medical costs is essential.

If an emergency should occur during your stay, the emergency services number is 999.

Newspapers
The Cook Islands News www.cookislandsnews.com  which is published Monday to Saturday and the Cook Islands Herald www.ciherald.co.ck which is published weekly, can be purchased at dairies, supermarkets, Bounty Bookshop, and CITC Shopping Center. 

Radio and Television Channels
Rarotonga has 2 FM radio station. Programming is in both English and Maori. Rarotonga has 2 TV channels which broadcast news, entertainment, and sports - Cook Islands TV and Waka TV. The picture on CITV is much better than Waka. When searching for TV stations you will not get TV reception unless you change the search to digital and analogue (and not digital only as the TV stations are analogue). 

Restaurants and Cafes
Recommended Cafes for breakfast and/or lunch near our Villas are:
* Punanga Nui Markets on Saturday mornings. A chance to mix and mingle with the locals, purchase your vegetables, fruit, fish and bread, and enjoy a range of breakfast food. A must visit venue.
* The Waffle Shack, Avarua
* Lucky Rooster Eatery, Avarua
* Café Jireh (opposite the airport)
* The Café, Avarua (inside the Beachcomber)
* The Mooring, Muri Village, for lunch. A bit further to go but great fresh fish sandwiches. It has no liquor licence.
* Charlies in Tikikaveka for lunch and dinner. Also serves great fresh fish sandwiches and a range of other food. It also has a bar. 
* Trader Jacks for lunch.
* Tamarind House Restaurant for lunch.
Recommended restaurants for diner near our Villas are:
* Tamarind House Restaurant. Our personal favourite.
* Trader Jacks in Avarua.
* Antipodes, Black Road, Rarotonga (+682 28 873) overlooking the sea in a  Mediterranean villa.  A great place for special occasions. You need to book.

Safety
The same precautions should be taken as you would take in other countries. Assaults occur mainly outside bars/nightclubs, and rapes also occur (you should never walk home on your own in the dark). Burglaries and other property thefts occur, so do not leave valuables in your Villa room or your belongings unattended anywhere. Please keep your Villa room locked whenever you leave the Villa.

Smoking
Kia Orana Villas and Spa is a smoke-free resort. Smoking is not allowed in your suite, on your deck,  on the swimming pool deck, or in our grounds. Please smoke in the front carpark, or outside the rear gate.

Supermarkets

The best ranges of food, groceries and non-alcoholic beverages can be found at:
 

CITC Supermarket, Panama                                                                                 22777
Foodland, Avarua                                                                                                  23378 
Manea Foods, Nikao. A more limited range. Open on Sundays                           29806
Prime Foods, St Joseph Road, Avarua                                                                 22259
Wigmores Super Store in Titikaveka (which is also open on Sundays)                20206
Wigmores have the best range of health foods, and gluten free foods. They also have a good range of fresh fruit and vegetables.          

Taxi and Transport Services
Taxis operate in Rarotonga. Our local taxi is  Atupa Taxis (+682) 25517, (+682) 58252.

Cook Islands Bus Passenger Transport Limited (Tel: 25512) operate a round the island bus service. 

Telephone
Telephone service is provided throughout the country by Vodafone (Tel: 29-680. Although calls are expensive, it is a modern system.

To call the Cook Islands: Dial the international access code (011 from the U.S.; 00 from the U.K., Ireland, or New Zealand; or 0011 from Australia), the Cook Islands country code 682, and the local number (there are no area codes within the Cook Islands).

To make international calls from within the Cook Islands: First dial 00, then the country code (U.S. or Canada 1, U.K. 44, Ireland 353, Australia 61, New Zealand 64), and then the area code and phone number. 

To make domestic calls within the Cook Islands: No prefix or area code is required for domestic long distance calls, so dial the local number.

For directory assistance: Dial tel. 010 for domestic information, tel. 017 for international numbers.

For operator assistance: Dial tel. 010 for operator assistance in making a local call, tel. 015 for the international operator.

Pay phones: Public pay phones use a Kia Orana prepaid card. Cards are sold in NZ$5, NZ$10, NZ$20, and NZ$50 denominations at Vodafone offices and many shops.

Cellphones: Vodafone rents mobile phones, and it sells prepaid SIM cards for unlocked GSM cellphones and airtime cards.

Time
Local time is 10 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time. That's 1 hour ahead of New Zealand during standard time, and 2 hours during daylight saving. It is 2 hours behind California during standard time, and 3 hours during daylight saving time. The Cook Islands are on the east side of the international date line, which puts them in the same day as the United States, and a day behind Australia and New Zealand.

Tipping
Tipping is now considered normal in Rarotonga. 

Water
While Kia Orana Villas and Spa water is filtered, and most is collected from our roofs, it is topped up as required from town supply water. It is not treated and can become slightly muddy after periods of heavy rain. We recommend that you boil it in the electric jug in your Villa. We supply free commercially filtered water in jugs in your fridge for your arrival, and in our Café. Please fill up your jugs from the water dispenser in the Café. 

Weights and measures
The Cook Islands use the metric system.

Kia Orana Villas and Spa tsunami and earthquake evacuation procedures
 

Tsunamis
If there is a threat of a Tsunami the National Disaster sirens will be activated to warn everyone to move to higher ground.

If the National Disaster sirens is activated, move calmly to the Kia Orana Villas and Spa car park which is the designated assembly area, then wait for further instructions from our staff. If no staff are present then you should move quickly to higher ground up Ariki Road in your car if you have one (which is the road running past Kia Orana Villas and Spa). Do not go to the beach to confirm or to watch the tsunami. Do not stay in low lying areas such as the Ara Metua (Back Road).

If you are at a beach and the sea level has receded, exposing fish and coral, then you should move quickly to the nearest high ground following the nearest Tsunami evacuation signs. Do not stay at the beach. Do not stay in low lying areas.

During a tsunami  stay calm and do not panic. Do not leave the tsunami evacuation area until it is officially announced by the authorities that it is safe to leave the evacuation area. Tsunamis will come in several waves and there are time gaps between the waves.

During a tsunami emergency please follow the instructions of police and other emergency organisation, and give them your full cooperation.
Earthquake Emergency Response Procedures

During an Earthquake:
If inside:
* Keep calm.
* Move away from windows
* Walk; never run.
* Stay indoors unless otherwise directed by the Person in Charge.
* Take cover under solid furniture or doorways.
* Move away from anything that could fall on someone.
If outdoors:
* Stay clear of buildings and tall structures, trees, high walls, electricity lines –anything that could fall on someone.
If evacuated, remain at the assembly point in the Kia Orana Villas and Spa car park, or as directed by the Person in Charge, until the all clear is given.