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 A view over local rain forest from a cave entrance high up the side of a limestone cliff face
Ivirua Village, Mangaia Island (January 2010) |
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Flights from Rarotonga to Mangaia: We have chartered Air Rarotonga's twin-engined turboprop Embraer 'Bandeirante' aircraft for our outward and return legs. These planes handle 12 passengers (plus 20kg luggage per person). This is a 40-minute flight and the pilots know the local weather and runway conditions very well as they service Mangaia island on a year round basis.
Air Rarotonga 'Bandeirante' aircraft (used for our charter flights)
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 for us, 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 (center line in red) passes just north of Mangaia
(link to website) Local information package: We meet you 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: $1950US 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 - the balance (final 50%) to be paid by the 10th April 2010. We take credit cards, or you can also pay by international bank transfer (TT). Your credit card details can be either phoned, faxed or emailed to us (email address: info@pacific-expeditions.com). Let us know if you need an invoice and/or a receipt. __________________ Day To Day Schedule 9th July (Friday)- Depart Rarotonga at 12am or 4pm on charter flight to Mangaia - Some free time in the afternoon to explore Mangaia with host family 10th July (Saturday) - Depart Rarotonga at 2pm or 4pm on charter flight to Mangaia - Cave, shipwreck and four wheel drive tours available - Local dance show and island style feast in evening 11th July (Sunday) - Eclipse observations on eastern side of island in morning - Church service late morning - Sunday lunch with your host family - Cave, shipwreck and four wheel drive tours available in afternoon - or do the local thing and chill out with a dip in the ocean 12th July (Monday) - Cave, shipwreck, four wheel drive tours all day - Swimming, visiting shops and souvenir stalls 13th July (Tuesday) - Cave, shipwreck and four wheel drive tours etc - Depart Mangaia between 1pm and 6pm on charter flights to Rarotonga __________________ Not Included In Tour Package - International airfares to Rarotonga- Accommodation and food in Rarotonga - 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 favorite drink, as there is little variety for sale on the island __________________ Mangaia Island
Mangaia is the most southerly of all the Cook Islands - it is coolish in winter, and you will see the locals driving around in their sweaters and warm hats. In reality, if you are from a cooler climate, you will find July temperatures very pleasant indeed - more like a English summer, but with a pleasant minimum temperature of about 18 degrees celsius at night. __________________ Group Bookings and Travel Agencies There are a number of school rooms and community halls available for hire on Mangaia over the eclipse weekend - food catering and transport etc will be organized by local island families who will work together on projects like this. They are most often church groups or school committees who are raising funds for a special project.Group accommodation of this type is a well established part of local tradition, and works very well for big groups of people who are happy to sleep on a mattress on the floor of a large hall or schoolroom. If you are a travel agent - or have a larger groups of eclipse watchers needing flights and accommodation - let us know your requirements and we will endeavor to put together a tour to suit your special needs. Email: info@pacific-expeditions.com Fax/Office phone: +682-21999 Mobile: +682-52400 Skype: graham.wragg __________________ Some very informative websites - click on the link below:
Eclipse Chasers - an informative general information web site Eclipser - very good for maps and weather NASA eclipse website - 2010 eclipse, some technical details Cookislands.org.uk - an independant guide to the Cook Islands Moon Handbooks - David Stanley - guide to Mangaia Island |
 
Eclipse path in Polynesia click here for link 
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 
School at Tamarua village
Mangaia Is - Cook Islands 
Limestone cave entrance
Ivirua Village, Mangaia 
Viewing platform over lake
Mangaia Is, 2010 
Ancient star chart inside cave
Ivirua, Mangaia Is 
Cave entrance
looking out onto rain forest 
Beach Boulder, Ivirua Village
Mangaia Island 
White Tern
Lake Tiriara, Tamarua Mangaia Island |
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