Local time is GMT -10.
Electrical current is 240 volts, 50Hz. The three-pin flat blade plug with two slanted pins are used.
Cook Island Maori is widely spoken by locals, but English is in common use.
There is little risk of disease on the Cook Islands, but visitors should take precautions against insect bites and sunburn. Outbreaks of dengue fever can occur so a good arsenal of mosquito repellent and protective clothing is advised.Although no vaccinations are required, one or two may be recommended by your doctor as a precaution: vaccinations for hepatitis A and hepatitis B are sometimes recommended while a typhoid vaccination may also be required.Locals consider the tap water safe, but boiled or bottled water is advised for visitors, particularly in rural areas. A range of medical and dental services are available on Rarotonga, including a hospital and various pharmacies, but medical facilities in the Cook Islands in general are limited and comprehensive travel insurance is advised to include air evacuation for emergencies.If you require medication during your stay in the Cook Islands, it is best to take it with you. Make sure you have the necessary documents from your doctor to get the medication through customs.
Tipping is not expected and is contrary to Cook Islands custom.
Visits to the Cook Islands are usually trouble-free. There is relatively little crime, but it is always advisable to protect your valuables.
Inhabitants of the Cook Islands are very religious and frown upon inappropriate dress. Beachwear should not be worn in town, and topless sunbathing is not acceptable behaviour.
The main business centre is Avarua on Rarotonga Island. The business environment in the Cook Islands is fairly casual and relaxed. However, punctuality is important and dress should be modest, particularly for women. Meetings will be conducted in English when foreigners are present, although islanders may speak to one another in Maori to clarify their understanding during proceedings. It is not meant as an offence. Meetings usually begin and end with a prayer. Business hours are generally 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
The country code for the Cook Islands is +682. In the main town of Avarua, there is a telecommunications office, Telecom Cook Islands, offering international telephone, fax, email, internet connections, and other services.
The following goods may accompany travellers over 18 years to the Cook Islands: 2 litres of alcoholic beverage or 4.5 litres of beer, and 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 1kg of tobacco. No firearms, cartridges or cartridge cases, gunpowder, bullets, and other forms of ammunition are allowed without prior permission from the Minister of Police.
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