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CoOK ISLANDS SuN
ISLAND LIFE
Shipwrecked on a tropical island with bluesky all your tours and make reservations using your minutes while on holiday. • Save Data by switching off all auto-updates, restrict background data downloads on your device. • Use Data for live updates or ‘in the moment’ posts via your social media channels. Upload your pics later using WiFi.
What services do Bluesky offer to visitors to the Cook Islands?
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luesky keeps our visitors connected while on holiday. We have over 300 Bluezone WiFi hotspots in the Cook Islands, giving you easy Internet access to your family, friends and social media. Visitors can also enable roaming on their devices. We have over 270 roaming partners. Check if your network roams in the Cook Islands on www.bluesky.co.ck. Get talking with international capped calling. Our one-hour capped calling rates are some of the best under the Pacific sun. For up to an hour pay only $5 to call New Zealand and $10 to call Australia, Fiji, UK, USA and Canada. Grab yourself a Visitor SimCard today. For only $49 it is preloaded with 3GB Data, 30min calling time and 300 texts.
such as our airport, restaurants & cafes, resorts, bars, shops, markets and most public meeting areas. A full list is available on www.bluesky.co.ck
What tips do Bluesky offer visitors to maximise their SIM cards/WiFi? Assuming the visitor is purchasing a Bluesky Visitor SIM card: • First tip would be to make good use of the free SMS txts and calling minutes to contact friends and family back home instead of relying on data operated apps (e.g. Messenger/WhatsApp/ Viber). Better yet, book
• Switch off your data if you're not using it - also saves your battery life. • Data add-on bundles are not available on Visitor SIM Card, so if you're needing more data BUY another Visitor SIM card just in case. • Download the MyBluesky app on arrival to monitor your data/mins/txts usage. • Need to upload your photos from your computer? Tether data from your phone to your computer and get those important captures up online in no time! • Avoid using data when visiting sites that may have low data range/signal. Take your photos and upload them later once you're in good range.
WiFi Tips
Where are the Bluesky retail offices, and what are the opening hours. Bluesky services the whole of the Cook Islands. We have outlets on all islands except Takutea, Manuae, Suwarrow and Nassau. We have three Bluesky outlets on Rarotonga open everyday. Main office in Parekura opens from 8am 6pm; CITC Avarua complex office opens from 8am - 4pm; Muri outlet opens from 10am - 6pm. We also have an outlet located outside international arrivals area, which only opens during international flights.
Where and how can visitors find Bluesky hotspots? Bluezone WiFi Hotspots are located throughout Rarotonga, Aitutaki, the rest of the outer islands at a variety of places
• If you have access to a Bluezone hotspot at your accommodation then save on mobile data and upload your photos/videos using WiFi instead. • Can't find your nearest Bluezone hotspot? Visit www.bluesky.co.ck and find our map with over 100 hotspots located around Rarotonga and Aitutaki. There's sure to be one next
door or around the corner from you. • Make sure to log off your WiFi after each browsing session to conserve MBs • Out of range? Visit any of Rarotonga's cafes/ restaurant with our Bluezone hotspots instead and enjoy the comfort there, along with good food and atmosphere, and a refreshing beverage!
ENGLISH BORN NEW ZEALANDER’S STEVE AND GERALDINE MARSON ARE LIVING A DREAM OF OWNING ‘THE PERFECT BEACH BAR ON A TROPICAL ISLAND’; AND IT’S APTLY NAMED THE SHIPWRECK HUT BEACH BAR.
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ocated at the Aro’a Beachside Inn on Rarotonga’s sunset coast, you couldn’t pick a better location with guaranteed mind-blowing sunset views every evening (weather permitting). Meeting and marrying in Cheshire, both Steve and Geraldine are from sales backgrounds: Steve in engineering, electronics, computer and IT, and Geraldine in pharmaceuticals. “We met at night school because we were working for German or Swiss German companies, so we both went to night school to learn German!” said Steve.
Geraldine and Steve Marson in their Shipwreck Hut Beach Bar, with staff Anna, Stephanie and Priest in the background
IT and barcoding with this company. They took me on to introduce barcoding to the whole group. It was really pioneering stuff at the time!
“The business was sold, so then I set up my own business in Kent called Lynk Data Systems. I did that for ten years then I sold it, which made me enough to retire on at the age of 47!
“We just clicked and started going out in January '86. We got engaged about March and got married in July.” They now have two boys Will and Dan, who are in their mid-twenties: Will is completing his Masters; he's a Steve performing with Anania Brown geomorphologist, and Dan is a musician in a band. “He’s a very good “We moved to New Zealand in guitarist and sings well too!” 2008! Geraldine got a teaching job. I was there three months “The boys were born in before I got so bored I joined Cheshire. We moved to Kent a company as general manager when Dan was about six weeks doing very similar things I was old, as I got a job there with doing in the UK. That business a company as European Sales eventually got sold, so I took Manager for FACIT.” time off and then found this Geraldine gave up work to look place.” after the children then later studied to become a science teacher. “She is actually a scientist. Her speciality was biology, microbiology. And she's got a degree in microbiology. So she now got a secondary degree, which is a teaching degree.” The next big thing for Steve was when they made him managing director in the UK for FACIT. “I was now seriously into the
We are lucky to have such a wonderful, fun team!
Steve said he and Geraldine had stayed at Aro’a Beachside Inn in 2012, then came back in 2014 to find out it was for sale and bought it. Stephanie Vaiimene, the general manager, has been
at Aro’a Beachside Inn since Steve and Geraldine bought it. Every Tuesday Stephanie does a popular guest appearance singing with the band at the Bar. “We are lucky to have such a wonderful, fun team!” We asked Steve if the Shipwreck Hut Beach Bar had anything to do with them buying the place. “Every man wants to have his own bar, sure!” said Steve. “I remember, at the age of 17, we were sitting on a beach in Italy next to this beach bar and I thought, that would be cool, to have a little beach bar.” Since arriving on the island Steve has developed his own singing and guitar skills to the point where he performs at the Shipwreck BBQ on Saturdays. He also sings in a guest spot on Tuesday and Thursday nights when live music is featured from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Famously, the popular Rockin’ Jandals play on Tuesdays with Rarotonga guitar great Anania Brown, and local DJ legend Ian Wheeldon. “What got me into singing was when Geraldine and I were on a skiing holiday in France. They had this dressup karaoke night. I went as Batman, Geraldine went as Cat Woman. I thought: I'll give this a go and sang an Elton John song. Then surprisingly I had a request: Can Batman please sing Daydream Believer? Which I did, and I still sing it today at the Shipwreck Hut Beach Bar!”
DON’T MISS MOMENTS LIKE THIS - GRAB YOUR VISITOR SIM TODAY From any of our Bluesky Outlets in our litte paradise.
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