Cook Islands weather vs Fiji in August

[Mark Goodchild]

Hi guys!

I am planning our honeymoon in August and we are deciding between the Cook Islands and Fiji.

Does anyone know what the weather is like at this time? Obviously I know it is winter. I heard it might be a bit cold and maybe quite a bit cooler than Fiji.

I heard the best time to visit Fiji is in the winter so now I am thinking this is a better bet.

Has anyone got any information about this, it would be greatly appreciated!

Basically trying to decide between Aitutaki in the Cooks or somewhere like Beqa or similar....(lots of choice in Fiji ;-)

Thanks very much for the help in advance!

 

[1fastcat]

Hey Mark,
There is quite a bit of information and recent discussions on the temp in August for the Cooks - go to tripadvisor.com and select the cook islands discussions forums.

Synopsis - Aitutaki will be approx 80-82 degrees +/- in August. This is also the dryest time of the year. Fiji will be in the upper 80's, also the dry time of the year. Personally, I would not visit either location in the winter as that is the wet time, hurricane season. Very hot, muggy, lots of mosquitoes.

I prefer teh dry, more temperate time of summer - FYI going to the cooks for 2 weeks this July.

 

[dolphin adventures]

Hi Mark:

August is the winter in both the Cooks and Fiji but it is the DRY season for both. The wet season is Jan. - Mar. The weather will probably be fine....Aitutaki is dryer than than main island of Rarotonga but it does tend to get wind at some parts of the island. I have done Aitutaki several times and I think it is one of the most beautiful spots in the world. The diving in my opinion is not as great as Fiji because you have to have a calm day to get out the opening in the reef to the dive sites on the outside of the reef. Each time we were on Aitutaki we could only dive once because the boat would not go to the outter reef. All the diving is done on the outside of the reef because the inside lagoon is 35 feet maximum depth.....(I personally think some of the lagoon diving would be great even if it is shallow - I snorkelled here and it was great!). In Fiji you will get in a lot more diving and a lot more diversity in the diving. Hope this helps.

Mary Jane

 

[Reefwalker]

Hi Mark
August is definately the middle of the dry season in Fiji & The Cook's. Though you can still get the odd shower. Underwater visibility is at its peak in Fiji during August, it is also a windy time of year generally, expect around 15-20 knots of wind from the east or south east - look for dive ops on the north-west or west side of the islands to offer some shelter. I can personally recommend the Raki Raki area on the north west corner of Viti Levu. The offshore island Nananu-I-Ra has some really nice dives close to the island and the offshore reefs of Bligh Waters are awesome - but only expect to dive these offshore reefs when the wind is below 20 knots. Bethams Beach Cottages are a great place to stay Webpage (by the way - no connection with me).

 

[lemurs2]

We got married in Aug of 04 on Rarotonga and it was great. The air temp was perfect in the day and at night a sweat shirt was enough. The viz was 200ft and was fantastic. We had just learned how to dive in s. California and so were spoilt by the conditions. The water temp was about 82 in the winter. The lagoons have great snorkelling but the temp is a little cooler, 77-78, because of mountain runoff. The only day it rained was when we were flying over to Aitutaki but it cleared the next morning.
If you visit thorn tree of lonely planet and look for posts by Raro he can tell you everything about Rarotonga, since he lives there. It is definenatly a place we will be going back too

 

[chicoval]

I have been to Nananu-I-Ra many times, and there is no way I would recommend Betham's for a honeymoon couple. The accomodations are very basic, really just a few steps up from a backpacker beach.There is no privacy and no amenities to speak of. The owners and staff are very nice, and it would be an ok budget place to stay for the great diving in the Bligh waters, but not a honeymoon! Better to go to a more upscale spot like Qamea Beach Club or Vatulele. The diving and friendly hospitality will still be better than anywhere in the Caribbean.