1) access to internet?? (doubtful but I had to ask) 
2) fresh water reserves in case of lack of rainfall (for drinking)??
3) how expensive is it to ship items from sites like Amazon.uk or is there an Amazon site for New Zealand (which is closer to Cook islands)??
4) I look like a Polynesian - will my 11 yold daughter and I be treated differently or are the locals generally friendly towards foreigners/Americans?
5) about how much money would we need to live for 4-6 months? any way to get discounted air-fare?
6) what kind of visa is required for my daughter and I to stay for 4-6 months? If we decide to live there for more than that, what is required?
7) important foods we need to have access to OR even better, make/grow/raise ourselves: free-range eggs, seafood and fish, green leafy veggies, coconuts, tropical fruits and avocados. *Would like to raise or hunt wild hogs and make my own boar bacon.
8) If we stayed longer I'd need to either barter, trade, or else sell something for money to buy things I cannot grow (namely, electricity) or is there a way to be completely self-sufficient? I thought of trading my baked goods and fresh coconut products as well as coconut milk kefir for things I don't grow or raise myself. *If necessary, I have 16 years experience as a CNA in the medical field as well as childcare and customer service so I could find a job in any of those fields but prefer to be my own boss making and selling my own goods to locals - better yet, bartering and trading since I'm sure money isn't as big an issue (???)
9) If getting electricity is a big deal are there ways around this - like buying a solar powered generator or hydro powered generator? (Basically, I would only need power for charging my laptop which will have downloaded movies, music, and books that I don't want to ship or take with us.) We may decide it's not worth it but I also need power for my blender to make coconut milk.
10) odd question but, we want a pet while there and would most likely want to bring it with us if we left. What are our options? If it's necessary to go back home by boat/ship (even though it would take weeks) we'd do that just so our companion pet could come home with us. I think there are more restrictions when traveling with pets by plane than by boat.... *This would change our departure plans - which boats even service Cook islands and how much would it cost to travel by boat all the way back to Hawaii or Oregon, USA??
11) should a medical emergency arise, what are the options?
12) is cook islands really better than other islands? why yes or no?? THANKS!!
**HELLO everyone!! I have quite a few questions....
Hello,
I am sorry about delay but I will try to answer your questions to my best knowledge. I think you would have easier gotten your answers if you posted one or two in separate threads.
1. Access to internet varies depending on which island you would live on. On Rarotonga it is possible to get something similar to hotspot wifi in your home but it is not as fast as European and American standards as well as it is restricted in data. The data is REALLY expensive.
In NZ dollars you would pay a month:
$25 for 1,5Gb data
$49 for 3,5Gb data
$89 for 8Gb data
$139 for 15Gb data
$299 for 32Gb data
$699 for 75Gb data
As you can understand, downloading HD movies, watching a lot of youtube, Skype video calls and streaming video is not really a option.
2. You dont have to worry about fresh water. There are no lack, has never been lack and is not going to be lack. It also rains quite often. Many times daily for short bursts.
3. No, there is no amazon special site for NZ. Shipping stuff from wherever to international destinations depends on weight, size and mostly what company you use. It is also much cheaper if you can wait and not have a 2nd day service. Since there are almost daily flights from NZ/Australia to Cook Islands flying in stuff from there is quicker then from USA as there is only 1 flight a week from US. If you can ship by ground it is going to be even less costly but you will wait for months.
Dont forget that you will have to pay import duties which varies from 0 to many percent depending on what it is you import. Then on top of that you will have to pay VAT which is similar to Sales Tax on top of the sale rice+freight cost+insurance cost.
4. No, I think the Cook Islanders is one of the most friendly people in the world, and they are friendly to everyone.
5. How much money you would need to live for 4-6 months depends on how you are going to live, where you are going to live and how much and what you eat. First off, your living cost can vary from less then 100 dollars a day to pretty much $5000 a day or more. I guess you can rent a house or flat and get away with a good bonus for staying so long. IF you fish and grow your own fruits and veggies you can live quite cheaply.
To get a discounted airfare you could check out the charter companies that fly to Rarotonga and see if you can by a "chair". My advice is to just book with Air New Zealand and be out 11 months in advance. That is when the tickets are released and is most affordable.
6. The Cook Islands are strict about your stay as a tourist. Your initially allowed to stay for 30 days only. If you require to extend your Visa you can do that hazzle free at the immigration administration but they will extend 30 days at a time to a maximum of 3 months. When the 3 months is due you will have to leave the country for at least 24h by taking a plane to another country (checking out your visa at the airport).
The way to stay is to be employed either by another company or by self employment. Being employed by someone else means that you have special skills not found on locals and that you have a sponsor. But such a job can not be forever, it is included in the sponsorship that you must train a local to take over the job and the sponsor has to pay your return flight.
The other way is to either buy a existing business or start a new business.
7. Most people grown veggies and tropical fruits. But it required that you have a garden. Forget about boar, there is bewilded pigs (domestic ones) but there is no boar. And there is no hunting either. Shooting weapons is illegal.
8. First of all. If you are there on a tourist visa you are not allowed to do business. If you do you will be on the next plane home. You even get pay back on electric distributed back to the system.
Money is more a issue in Rarotonga then the outer islands.
9. Since many of the islands have a very low altitude the country is worried about global warming and melting polar ice so environmental issues is taken serious and therefor the use of solar panels at home is allowed and used.
10. About pets. Actually, taking a pet on a plane is not so difficult. It is less a obstacle to take a pet on a plane then all the vet certificates it would have to go through to go to most countries. I do know that some breeds are illegal to import, example is Pit Bull. Also the animal needs to be de-sexed and the country you import it from has to have been rabies free the last 5 years. There are plenty of dogs on Rarotonga but there are some islands were dogs dont exist due to local rules. One such island is Aitutaki.
The only boats trafficking are the big luxury yachts. If you worry about having a low-cost life to go on one of those is not a option.
11. Should a medical emergency arise then it is good to have a medical insurance. Cook Islands does not have free healthcare and although there is a hospital on Rarotonga more severe surgeries are performed in new Zealand and your insurance must therefor not only cover the healthcare/medicare but also acute flight transportations.
12. What is better or not of the pacific island nations is pending a lot of peoples opinions. I would say a large number of the nations are French speaking and only a few including Cook Islands is English speaking. Among the English speaking Pacific island nations I would say that Cook Islands has the best infrastructure and a population that makes the country as close to self sustainable as it could be. It is my opinion - I am sure some don't share it.
