Accommodation & food:
You will be hosted by local families - homestay is the best way to meet
the people, and it brings major economic benefits directly to local
families.
Your hosts will provide full board homestay accommodation, including all
your food during your stay on Mangaia. You will have clean sheets and
mattresses and be provided with a mosquito-netted bed.
Most houses have telephones (you will need a phone card to make any
non-local calls). Some families have internet, and all families will do
laundry and take you to view the eclipse on Sunday morning, plus arrange
your cave tour at Ivirua village.
Remember that your host family knows Mangaia very well, and can help set
up other excursions, plus get you to a favourite swimming spot and teach
you about island life in the Pacific. It does not come more genuine than
this. This is a two-way learning event, so please adapt to the
conditions that you find with good humor. Yes, some houses still use
long-drop toilets, and if this is an issue, please let us know in
advance, and we will find other accommodation.
One month before the eclipse tour starts we will be matching visitors
with their host families. We will also begin correspondence to check for
any special requests you may have - for example, you may need a child
friendly household (if you have children travelling with you) and/or you
might prefer a non-alcoholic household to stay with.
We will put you in touch with your host family before you arrive for the
Eclipse Tour - feel free to call them if you have questions about the
size and layout of their house, toilet and bathroom facilities etc
Local dance show and island style feast: We
have arranged a local dance show and feast for Saturday night - a great
way to be welcomed to the island indeed - you can expect a spectacular
performance, as the Mangaian dance team are enthusiastic entrants in the
Cook Islands national dance competitions every year.
For the feast you can expect locally grown food cooked in a traditional
way. There are thousands of acres of prime farmland and taro swamps on
Mangaia, so the island is not a place that would run short of fresh
fruits and produce
Cave tour : We have arranged for our guests to
do cave tours with local Ivirua village families - you can choose the
gentle two hour excursion, or go for the more serious three-hour
underground expedition. Mangaia has the best limestone caves in the
South Pacific - there are literally dozens of miles of cave systems
riddling the makatea (limestone) fringe of the island
Geologically speaking, Mangaia is probably the oldest island in the
South Pacific, hence there have been millions of years of water flow to
carve out the labyrinth of underground passageways. Something we think
is so impressive that we have included this adventure as part of the
main tour price (do not panic, this is not compulsory, just highly
recommended)
Full eclipse of the sun: Yes, you get this
(with some reasonable weather). The eclipse is on Sunday morning, from
7:15am to 9:37am, but you will not want to miss the 3 minutes of
totality (between 8:19am and 8:22am). This is the point where the whole
sun is hidden behind the moon - it becomes surprisingly dark (a bit of a
shock for the local birds and animals).
Luckily, July is midway thru the non-rainy season in the South Pacific.
Plus an added advantage is that we will be viewing the eclipse from the
eastern shoreline of Mangaia, which is the windward side, and hence less
likely to be effected by the clouds generated by the mountainous
interior of the island.
Early Sunday you will be driven to the eastern side of the island by
your host family. We love to travel on pickup trucks - so it is a early
out of bed on eclipse day morning. Your family will also provide chairs,
some shade if needed, and picnic snacks and local fruit for your
sustenance - especially needed for the hard core eclipse chasers who
wish to experience the whole two hour show.
Being on Mangaia for a full eclipse of the sun - at this remote and
magical place on the globe - is not your average south seas holiday for
sure, but we consider this as adventure travel at its best.
The path of
the eclipse (centre line in red) passes just north of Mangaia
Local information package:
You are met on your arrival at Mangaia airport
with a package of information, including notes on Mangaian history, a
local map, handouts on local visitor attractions, etc.
Special eclipse watching sun glasses: We also
provide specially designed eclipse watching sun glasses. They are tinted
to protect your eyes from harmful UV radiation.
Price: US$1950 per
person. No extra charges for single occupancy, and no discounts are
available for children. To secure your place on this tour we require a
50% non-refundable deposit.
 Not Included In Tour Package
- International airfares to Rarotonga - airfares from Australia from
$825 including taxes -
CLICK HERE for options!
- Accommodation and food in Rarotonga -
CLICK HERE for options!
- Travel insurance (highly recommended)
- Wine, beer, bottled water and soft drinks
- Extra nights accommodation on Mangaia (if you want to stay longer)
Extra nights on Mangaia: We can
arrange for extra days/nights to be spent on Mangaia, either before or
after our basic tour package - this will not increase the price of our
package, as we can help you make arrangements with your host family to
add extra days to your home stay (please pay them directly for your
extra days on the island).
We can also arrange a change in your host family if you wish - please
contact us and we will do our best to find you a suitable host.
Other activities available: We
are also arranging a number of extra island tours (these are not
included in the tour price) - for example a history tour of local
Polynesian marae, a visit to a 100-year-old shipwreck near Tamarua
village and a cross-island four-wheel-drive tour that takes you across
the highest point of the island on steep and narrow forestry roads.
Personal gear list - some
suggestions:
- Passport
- Cash money (only limited banking facilities available on Mangaia)
- Tropical shirts/tops - trousers/dresses are suitable day wear
- Sweatshirt or light fleece jacket (for use during cool weather)
- Raincoat (a lightweight nylon parka works fine)
- Swimming costume and light weight towel
- Sneakers for use on the cave tour (or to other remote locations)
- Sunscreen - sunglasses - sunhat - insect repellent - camera
- Personal medication - toiletries - flashlight
- Reading material
- Driving licence
- Bring your favourite drink, as there is little variety for sale on the
island
|
Air Rarotonga 'Bandeirante' aircraft (used for the
charter flights)
Local Fisherman
Mangaia Island, 2010
Full eclipse of the sun. A photo taken during
a Pacific Expeditions tour to
Gardner Island in July 2009.
Lagoon at Tamarua Village Mangaia Is, 2010
Inland roads on Mangaia Is Cook Islands |
