Cook Islands Shopping Tips by easterntrekker Top 5 Page for this destination

Local shops: Black Pearls

If you are in the market for black pearls you'll see lots i Rarotonga. I am spoiled by the even better buys in Asia so I resisted ....but as the days went on I found myself weakening...

They had some lovely strings of pearls . I noticed the prices to be pretty consistant from store to store. I think you could do OK in any of them , so it would be a matter of finding the item you liked best. You could also buy loose pearls too. There were some items that came from Asia ...so if you want South Pacific pearls...make sure you ask.

What to buy: Here's a web site from Klassic Pearls ...which is located in Avara

Theme: Jewelry

Website: http://www.klassicpearls.com

Tourists shops: Tourists Shops

There are lots of little tourists shops in the town as well as along the way on the road. Along with T Shirts we saw woven things like purses and woven placemats. and some beautiful wooden art works ...loved the masks.
The shops close early on Saturday and are not open on Sunday.

If you get a $3.00 bill back as change its legit....they actually have $3.00 bills!

Theme: Local Craft

Fruits Stands and markets: Try the Paw Paw

There are some wonderful fresh fruits that grow abundantly on Rarotonga. My favoirite was the paw paw ( papaya) . It tasted something like a mango very different than the papaya we saw in the Caribbean.. They were great and only $1.00.

We had a banana tree by our cottage. One day the maid brought us a whole stock she had just picked . They were tiny but ripe and sweet.

Theme: Food and Drink

Perfumes of Rarotonga: Homemade Perfumes of Rarotonga

Along the road to town there is a little island shop that makes beautiful perfumes, bath oil and soaps. The products are made right there in the open air shop. I couldn't resist the coconut oil and coconut soaps. They have a few different fragrances that are made from the gorgeous island flowers. It's nice to support the local cottage industries too.

What to pay: They are about $14.00 NZ for the oils . Pretty reasonable.

Theme: Bath and Beauty