Hey Club,

My wife and I had a great honeymoon in the Cooks. We are pretty active people, but we did a lot of stuff on our own. We did the Pa's cross island hike, which was great. We also kayaked, hiked the beach, and snorkeled by ourselves

I wished we had gone fishing, the one activity we did not cover. If I were you, I'd go down to the harbor in Rarotonga or Aitutaki and ask around about fishing - also check the bars near the harbor. I'm sure you'll be able to find someone who will point you in the right direction

- - - - BB

Clubj- Only fishing we did was in the Aitutaki lagoon, trolling for travelli with lures on the way to being dropped off for an afternoon on a deserted motu. Great day and caught a few for dinner!

The boat continued on to fish elsewhere with bait and returned with a large catch of black cod, flametail snapper, bonefish, parrotfish.

As for game fishing here's some scoop culled from tourist info/maps brought home....

Raro and Aitutaki both have game fishing just outside the reef, mostly within a few hundred meters from shore which allows for great scenic views of the islands. Expect mahi mahi, wahoo, tuna, marlin, sailfish, depending on the season. FAD's are offshore to attract fish.

July- Sept bonus- See whales as the humpbacks head N from Antarctica to S Pacific breeding grounds!

Mentions there are several charter companies on Raro and a few on Aitutaki. Some company ads:

Rarotonga-

"Reel Time Game Fishing". www.pacificmarinecharters.co.ck

The website has info on what kind of fish are in the waters at different times of year and pictures of some big ones that didn't get away!

also

"Seafari Charters"- email greg@seafari.co.ck

Aitutaki-

"Baxter's Fishing Charters"- email baxter@aitutaki.net.ck

Baxter Boys are 5 brothers who grew up next to the fishing club and supposedly know all there is to know about fishing here.

Both islands have game fishing clubs. Visitors are welcome to stop in for a beer and swap fishing stories with locals.

Raro's is somewhere near the marina.

Aitutaki's is "very active" in Arutanga by the main wharf. They often have charters, and info is avaliabe at the club in the evenings. "4PM until late". Wed-Sat. Club Night is Wed, join them to hear "what happened to the big one".

Link to Cook Island Tourism's fishing page:

www.cook-islands.com/activities_fishing.php

Wow! Great advice from both of you! We have been talking about doing the Pa tour...our only thought was we are only on Raro for 5 days and I heard it's an all day activity. But we are pretty active and athletic and it sounds like something we would love, so we will have to rethink that.

Does anything stand out as the absolute, number 1, best thing that you HAVE to do (besides the obvious of hang out on the beach)...like snorkel in a very special spot or something, the best meal or drink you had on your trip, etc?

We are DEFINITELY going to try the game fishing outside the lagoon on Aitutaki. We heard about the whales. That would be so amazing....

The Pa tour is a half-day activity. You can certainly do that and snorkel/swim/hang-out in the afternoon. A VERY worthwhile (if strenuous) activity.

Ken

PS: Also - wade over to the motus at Muri Beach as a "must do" in my opinion.

Sunday church service (if that works out) is also an amazing experience - even if you are not a churchgoer.

Ken

We'll be in Aitutaki on Sunday and attending a church service is on my list! I'm really excited for it.

Is Rumours of Romance near Muri beach? It's hard to envision everything without ever having seen it and the few maps I have seen don't show Rumours. Although, as I hound you all with a 1,000 questions, I'm guessing I'll get the hang of it soon after arriving.

...But I love the help and I'm not patient enough just to wait!!!

Yes, Rumours is near the south end of Muri - just a hundred yards or so from the Island Villa rental house we stayed in during part of our 2002 trip.

Photos PICT5073 & PICT5074 on this page (community.webshots.com/album/549826869BnTcvr) were taken just outside the Rumours of Romance compound (looking to the north towards the Muri Beach motus).

The photo PICT5078 in this page (…webshots.com/album/549972025LRlPBv/2) shows the beach directly behind the Rumours of Romance complex and looking slightly SW.

All of these photos were taken in that general area:

…webshots.com/photo/36601416/103660279102866…

…webshots.com/photo/36601416/103660275702866…

…webshots.com/photo/93138152/109469106802866…

…webshots.com/photo/36601416/103660346402866…

As you can see it is quite scenic

Does that help you understand the local geography?

Ken

Now that I've read about it I wish we went deep sea fishing too. Many pics of visitors with their big fish posted in the breakfast area of our hotel at Raro. Looked like fun! Next time....

Regarding the deep sea fishing at Aitutaki, if you're only doing it on one island may want to check ahead that Survivorpalooza isn't disrupting that activity, by leasing boats charter boats and limiting your options, or whatever.

Clubj- Have you seen Fijijeez's recent "Just Got Back!: post? Lots of info on fishing.