Noordam, on a 70-day voyage from San Diego to Sydney, will call at the Cook Islands Friday
On Friday Holland America Line’s 1,916-passenger Noordam becomes the first cruise ship to call at the Cook Islands since the COVID-19 lockdown.
She will be closely followed by HAL’s 1,964-passenger Zuiderdam on October 31.
Seabourn Odyssey, AIDAsol, Paul Gauguin and Silver Whisper wrap up arrivals for the remainder of the year.
Bookings for 2023 include Seabourn Sojourn, Europa, MSC Magnifica and HAL’s Volendam.
Tender service
As there is no cruise ship terminal, passengers will be ferried by tenders to the north shore town of Avarua, the capital of the Cook Islands, where they will be welcomed by locals at a pop-up market. There will also be an information desk.
Island hub
Many will go beyond the gateway port and explore more of Rarotonga, which has been described as ‘the beating heart of the Cook Islands,’ where there are no traffic lights and no building is taller than the highest coconut tree.
It takes just 45 minutes to drive around the entire island, with public buses travelling in both directions that stop wherever they are flagged down.
