Why buy when you can rent in the Cook Islands?

By HEATHER BROOKE

If you're tired of trying to stuff yourself, your luggage and your family into a hotel room, perhaps it's time to stretch out in your own holiday home.

Rarotonga has some of the most affordable and available rental properties in the South Pacific. If you usually stay in a hotel, you'll be surprised how much more you can get for your money by renting.

Annabelle Tatuava, a property manager at Rarotonga's Shekinah Homes, says it is advisable to book in advance. "August to February are our busiest times, but sometimes it's necessary to book six to 12 months in advance for the best houses."

My fiance and I arrived in June without a reservation and were able to rent a three-bedroom beach house for just $400 a week. It's a hassle-free process: once we decided on our house, we went in early to Shekinah Homes to sign any paperwork.

There was none. For our receipt, Annabelle just wrote the amount we paid and the house name, "Tropical Breeze", on the back of her business card. No formalities here.

Our house was near the Fishing Club, where locals met to fish or socialise in the bar, and a 15-minute walk to the main town of Avarua.

Like most houses on the island, it was a one-storey bungalow, similar to those in New Zealand - a large living-room, open-plan kitchen/dining room, bathroom, two toilets and three large double bedrooms. The house looked new and came with new appliances imported from New Zealand, comfortable furniture, cooking and dining utensils, towels and linen.

A cement-and-wood deck circled the entire house, and the living room and two bedrooms had sliding doors that opened out to the deck.

Outside, there was a grassy lawn accented with coconut and pawpaw trees, and a wandering band of chickens from next door. Further down, there was a ridge of broken coral, the beach and a lagoon.

One of the advantages of renting is the sense of community you discover. We talked to residents to find the best places to buy produce, fruit, meat and other food.

We discovered the Punanga Nui market in the main town of Avarua was best for fresh fish, taro leaves and produce. On Friday afternoon, many women sell meals they've prepared at home, such as roast chicken and rice, or raw fish marinated in lime juice and coconut milk.

It seems the whole island converges on the market, eating dinner on wooden picnic tables and drinking the juice of young, green coconuts through straws. A band provides music and once dinner is over, the young people move on to the bars and clubs of Avarua.

There are several supermarkets, but it's worth getting what you can from the markets where sellers pass on recipes. I bought a pile of fresh taro leaves from an old woman who told me how to make the traditional Polynesian rourou, which is like sweet coconut spinach. I don't think I'll be the next Polynesian gourmand, but at least it was edible and fun to make.

I had better luck with the fish, and after dinner we relaxed on our back porch with rum cocktails. It's a perfect scene: just the two of us, our own seaside home, watching the sun set and the silhouettes of the fishermen heading out to the reef for their evening catch.

* Although Rarotonga is just 32km in circumference there are dozens of properties to choose from. Some rental agencies also offer houses or self-catering apartments on the nearby island of Aitutaki.

Prices range from $400 to $1200 per week. We dealt with Shekinah Homes (Ph 682 26004); you can also try Rarotonga Realty (Ph 682 26664) and travel agencies like Jet Save Travel, which have listings of rental houses and self-catering apartments.

Some houses can be rented directly from the owner by contacting them via email or telephone. Also, listings with photographs of the houses can be found on the Internet.

Shekinah

Rarotonga Realty

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