Aitutaki-001 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Flight 01: Date: Thursday June 14 2012
Airline: Air Rarotonga
Flight No: : GZ 618
Aircraft: : Saab-Fairchild SF-340(QC)
Registration: : E5-EFS
Departure: : Avarua – Rarotonga International Airport (RAR/NCRG) (15:30)
Arrival: : Aitutaki – (AIT/NCAI) (16:20)
Flight Time : 0h 50m
Welcome back to Part 2 of the Cook Islands Trip Reports. Part 1 can be found at this link:
http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/220499/
or
https://romanian-spotters.forumgratuit.ro/t6721-the-cook-islands-w-ac-anz-rar-part-1-of-3-picsAs most of you may know, The Cook Islands consists of about 15 major islands (Southern / Northern Groups) with Rarotonga being the largest and most popular with tourist. Avarua, the country’s capital is also located here and it’s safe to say that it’s also its economic and political heart. Access to the other islands is offered by the only airline in the Cook Islands, Air Rarotonga, with Aitutaki being by far the most popular of the islands visited, outside Rarotonga. Other means of transportation is available, but there is no regular passenger boat service or anything along those lines, so most people especially visitors opt to fly on this small yet extremely cool little airline. For those of you that are not familiar with Air Rarotonga, it has a rather small operational fleet (1 Saab 340, 2 Embraer 110 Bandeirante and a Cessna 172 used for sight-seeing trips around the island). From what I understand, they will acquire more airplanes in the near future. For more information on Air Rarotonga, visit their website or check out Wikipedia.
http://www.airraro.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Rarotonga
Aitutaki, which is voted as one of the top “most beautiful” lagoons in the world is about 260 km North of Rarotonga. One of the “Survivor” seasons was filmed there, but of course that’s not the reason we went, especially since I only heard about it while being there. Originally we wanted to book a flight and spend 5 nights there, but we weren’t sure how much money we’d have after the wedding, so we chose to hold back on it and see if any specials would come about. Lucky for us, the 2nd day we were in Rarotonga, we stopped by the Air Rarotonga office and found out that there was indeed a special of $109NZD per person, each way. That came to exactly $436 NZD (That’s about $350-$375 Canadian Dollars for both of us); a steal if you ask me. We booked it as soon as we made arrangements with our accommodations in Rarotonga. I must say that Rarotonga Backpackers was awesome. The owner (Paul) was kind enough to refund us the 3 nights we would be gone to Aitutaki and even offered to hold some of our luggage while we were away. I highly recommend Rarotonga Backpackers if you ever decide to stay in Rarotonga.
After booking the tickets and arranging accommodations in Aitutaki, we were advised to “bring lots of mosquito repellent”, advice that can’t be underestimated in importance. I must say we were “as happy as a clam on Sunday”. I don’t know if clams are indeed happier on Sundays, but we sure were pretty damn excited to visit this literal “Paradise on Earth”. I can’t say that we couldn’t wait to get there, because Rarotonga is extremely awesome and we didn’t want to rush anything, so until our time came to show up to the airport on Thursday June 17, we kept ourselves very busy enjoying “Raro” (as locals call it) to the most of our (financial) abilities. The day of the flight, we met our friends from Warsaw and had lunch with them at the local market, then around 2:15 made our way to the airport. Check-in would start at 2:30pm. We were there a little early so we had to hang around to wait for the Air Rarotonga Counter to open. It was a smoldering day and the humidity didn’t help. People started showing up for the weekly Tahiti flight followed by passengers on a flight to New Zealand.
Domestic / International Departure Area of Rarotonga Airport
Aitutaki-002 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Aitutaki-003 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Aitutaki-004 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Aitutaki-005 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
One of Air Rarotonga’s Embraer 110s
Aitutaki-006 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Soon we see Air Rarotonga’s only Saab 340 being towed to its apron location
DSC_2512 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2516 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Local departure board. I think the NZ 45 was a Boeing 777
DSC_2517 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Air Rarotonga Check in Counter:
DSC_2518 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The coolest and most unique passenger waiting areas I’ve ever seen:
DSC_2519 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Soon after we checked in the Air Tahiti ATR 42 arrived from Papeete.
DSC_2524 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2532 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2533 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2558 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2534 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Not long after, we started boarding and made our way to the aircraft. Everyone at Air Rarotonga was extremely polite, including the captain who was always smiling and even offered me the chance to visit the flight deck later on in the flight, something that I was really looking forward to. We boarded the aircraft and in no time, the pilots started the engines and there was a short taxi to runway 26. We taxied on it and started rolling toward the West, rotating about midway of the runway and climbing away from this “small piece of rock” in the middle of the South Pacific.
DSC_2535 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2538 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Boarding Passes:
IMG_3262 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Our flight attendant walking to the aircraft:
DSC_2544 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2547 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2557 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Boarding the Saab 340
DSC_2559 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Captain giving us a friendly smile:
DSC_2562 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The “International Arrival Wing” of Rarotonga
DSC_2563 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Saab 340 Flightdeck.
DSC_2565 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Prior to engine start:
DSC_2566 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Safety Card:
DSC_2567 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
After start-up:
DSC_2569 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2570 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2571 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2574 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2576 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Take-Off toward the West:
DSC_2578 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2580 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2582 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2583 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2584 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2585 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The Western shore of Rarotonga
DSC_2586 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2587 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The edge of the reef:
DSC_2588 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2589 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2590 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Cruising over the South Pacific, heading North toward Aitutaki
DSC_2594 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Our flight path from Rarotonga to Aitutaki:
RAR-AIT-RAR Flight by VioLudusan, on Flickr
I really like the Air Rarotonga F/A uniform, very “island-like”
IMG_3263 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Happy to be on our way to Aitutaki:
IMG_3270 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2598 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Some nice reading material about the Cook Islands:
DSC_2604 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2609 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Front of the aircraft passenger cabin:
DSC_2613 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The island of Aitutaki (3D View). Note the airport on the North Side of the island
Aitutaki-0013D by VioLudusan, on Flickr
As we were nearing Aitutaki, the F/A told me I was okay to go into the cock-pit. I was as excited as a kid getting ready to open his Christmas presents. The captain and first officer welcomed me and showed me the seat and seatbelt. I didn’t expect to be there for the landing, but this turned out even better than I have hoped for. We had a brief introduction / chat and before we knew it, he pointed out the beautiful island of Aitutaki in the distance. I couldn’t believe my eyes how gorgeous it was. Flying the B200 in the Canadian Arctic has its moments of beauty, but this was something out of a “Windows Desktop Background”. The entire approach was visual, though they said, should the weather not be VFR, they do have an NDB approach at Aitutaki. I left the camera in the back with my wife, so she snapped some photos of the landing, as I managed to take a few pictures with my iPhone. I can tell you that these photos don’t do the scenery any justice. It was absolutely stunning.
The amazing island of Aitutaki:
IMG_3276 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
IMG_3278 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
View toward the right side… F/O side.
IMG_3280 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The airport runway 32-14 is on the Northeast side of the tip of the island, built originally by the Americans & Kiwi in WW2. It’s 1804m long (5920ft). We turned right over the lagoon and lined up with the runway, giving us an amazing view of the lagoon. Even the back had some stunning views.
IMG_3281 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
View from the back passenger cabin, taken by my wife:
DSC_2630 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2631 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2633 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Meanwhile, back in the cock-pit:
IMG_3284 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
IMG_3286 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Phenomenal views and picture perfect water:
IMG_3287 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Again, meanwhile in the back:
DSC_2637 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2642 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The captain was flying from the left seat, banking right to turn final, runway 32
IMG_3289 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The airport in the distance:
IMG_3292 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2648 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
IMG_3295 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2665 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
In the cockpit:
IMG_3296 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Short Final:
IMG_3298 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Just about to cross the threshold of runway 32:
IMG_3300 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
After touchdown, seen from the passenger cabin:
DSC_2681 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Captain shutting down the aircraft:
IMG_3305 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
F/O doing his duties:
IMG_3306 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Wow… what an experience that was. I felt very fortunate to have been given this opportunity and I couldn’t contain my excitement, which of course, my wife laughed at. She was very happy for me too. I thanked the crew for this fantastic flight and disembarked in Aitutaki along with all the other tourists on board. The small terminal is extremely nice, giving that special “island feeling”. We were greated by the owner of our lodge with traditional flower necklace and a very warm smile. After collecting our bags we got a ride to our resort, which was very close to the threshold of runway 32. I was happy to be so close to the airport, since I would be able to see the Saab / Embraers in action in the upcoming days.
After de-boarding the aircraft:
DSC_2698 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2701 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2704 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Aitutaki Airport Terminal:
DSC_2706 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Our bags / cargo being unloaded:
DSC_2708 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Welcome to Aitutaki:
DSC_2709 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Ukulele Player:
DSC_2710 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Gabriela and the flower necklace:
DSC_2711 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2716 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The terminal / Saab seen as we drive away toward our resort:
DSC_2720 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2724 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The turn-around was extremely quick and before we even reached the end of the runway (by car, on the road parallel to the runway / fence) the Saab was already taxiing to the runway on its return flight to Rarotonga:
DSC_2733 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Screaming past us:
DSC_2751 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Heading South toward Rarotonga:
DSC_2763 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
From Thursday afternoon until Sunday evening of that week we had a great time in Aitutaki, being completely blown away by the lagoon, the kindness of people and how uneventful and relaxing life was in Aitutaki (at least for vacationers). Here are some pictures from our stay in this piece of Earthly paradise:
Gabriela:
DSC_2771 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Me relaxing by the lagoon:
DSC_2792 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The bungalows at Inano Beach, where we stayed
DSC_2819 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Sunrise in Aitutaki:
DSC_2848 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2864 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2874 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
We also took a day long lagoon trip with Bishop Lagoon Cruises and we had one of the best times of our life. The crew was great, the food was delicious and the views / marine life was something out of a Discovery Channel or BBC show… amazing… amazing… amazing… I felt like I was in some Desktop Wallpaper. Some pics from the lagoon trip:
DSC_2897 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The friendly crew:
DSC_2902 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2908 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2919 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Look at that water…. LOOK AT THAT WATER… (… and pictures don’t do it justice)
DSC_2924 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_2936 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
We couldn’t wait to jump in:
DSC_2950 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3008 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3021 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3030 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Fantastic crew:
DSC_3036 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
An island made entirely of sand:
DSC_3041 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3058 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3097b by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3205 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The crew prepared a great meal with fresh tuna, potatoes, grilled bananas, salad, coconut and other fruit… (and I had a couple of beers)
DSC_3216 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3219 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Gabi and I got our passports stamped on the famous “One Foot Island”. Best passport stamp ever:
DSC_3245 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Relaxing under a palm tree on one foot island:
DSC_3254 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Leaving “One Foot Island” and the smallest post office in the world: (I guess it’s an official record)
DSC_3256 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3259 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3327 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3331 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Some more pics from around the island. This is the highest point on the island and in the picture you can say Aitutaki Airport Terminal and some of the runway:
DSC_3350 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3367 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3414 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
One of the 5 flights from RAR to AIT that come in daily. Some are done with the Saab, some with the Embraer:
DSC_3453 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Having a drink at “The Boat Shed” a great bar and grill
DSC_3493 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Locals that came here from NZ (about 30 years ago) and never left. These two gentlemen were extremely kind and friendly. I just love this pic. It’s something out of a “frozen in time” moment:
IMG_3324 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
IMG_3380 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
IMG_3386 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Local houses:
DSC_3545 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3548 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3569 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
We even went to church on Sunday. Everyone was very welcoming
DSC_3508 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Riding our rented scooter:
DSC_3575 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Local animals. I just love this little guys. So cute:
DSC_3681 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3681b by VioLudusan, on Flickr
One of the resorts in Aitutaki (and a local kitty). I couldn’t help myself when I see little furry animals. I just gotta pet them:
DSC_3651 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Marine research center:
DSC_3586 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3600 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Picture perfect island:
DSC_3634 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3638 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3641 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Flight 03: Date: Thursday June 21 2012
Airline: Air Rarotonga
Flight No: : N/A
Aircraft: : Cessna 172L
Registration: : E5-NTP
Departure: : Avarua – Rarotonga International Airport (RAR/NCRG) (9:00)
Arrival: : Avarua – Rarotonga International Airport (RAR/NCRG) (9:45)
Flight Time : 0h 45m
The 3 nights and 3 days we spent in Aitutaki seemed like two weeks. Time had a mind of its own there. I for once loved it, except it was a bit too quiet for me. I’m not the type of guy to just sit and relax on the beach. I must meet people, see things, do things so 3 days was plenty for me. Gabriela somewhat agrees with me. We both loved Aitutaki though. On Sunday it was time to leave back to the airport and head on the last flight to Rarotonga. We got there about 2 hours early, since we had nothing to do, so we just read, talked to people and waited for our aircraft to arrive. It seems that flights in are quite the event here and lots of family members come to the airport to see their loved ones off. The load was fairly full today, compromising half of tourists and half of locals or ex locals returning to see their families. It was getting dark by the time we boarded the aircraft and the ceilings were lowering and the wind was now out of the South and blowing a bit.
The local airport fire truck:
DSC_3701 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3702 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3704 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Aitutaki terminal:
DSC_3712 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The outside waiting area:
DSC_3715 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3716 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Cute local kids:
DSC_3736 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The Saab landing on runway 14:
DSC_3748 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3749 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3762 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Lots of kids / people seeing off the plane:
DSC_3771 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
DSC_3774 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Boarding the aircraft:
DSC_3781 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Last view of the terminal. Check out the amount of people:
DSC_3783 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Flight back to Rarotonga:
IMG_3440 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
And we had the same F/A like the inbound flight… Very nice young lady:
IMG_3439 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
IMG_3437 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Since it was dark, it was very hard to take photos so this is the only “meaningful” one I managed to take of the lighted runway in Rarotonga. We came from the North and landed on Runway 08.
IMG_3456 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
The crew after landing:
DSC_3785 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Airside of the Rarotonga domestic terminal:
DSC_3791 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Inside the waiting area, waiting for our bags to come:
DSC_3792 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Outside the airport arrival area:
DSC_3793 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Our rented scooter that stayed parked there for 3 days (it was cheaper than to actually bring it back and rent another one)
DSC_3794 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
All in all, I must say this was the most unique and beautiful (scenery wise) trip I have ever taken in my entire life. Air Rarotonga is small, but a great airline with a team that I could only describe as “AWESOME”. This is made even more apparent in the next portion of this Trip report (PART 3). Everyone from the reservation agent, to the check in agents to the pilots, F/A, ground crew and Management was top notch. Great for you Air Rarotonga. Keep up the good work!!! I will def. fly with them again. Aitutaki was fantastic. I highly recommend the lagoon cruise. The snorkeling and marine life is second to none (that I have ever seen).
I hope you enjoyed this part and come back for Part 3, the final of these 3 trip reports.
zzzToBeContinued02 by VioLudusan, on Flickr
Comments, observations and suggestions are always welcomed and encouraged
Thank you for your time
Vio
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