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Program Itinerary |
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OVERVIEW |
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Mon, |
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July 5, 2010 |
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Arrive
Rarotonga |
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2-5 |
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Tue - Fri, |
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July 6-9 |
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Rarotonga |
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6 |
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Sat, |
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July 10 |
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Mangaia |
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Sun, |
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July 11 |
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Mangaia
Eclipse! |
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8 |
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Mon, |
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July 12 |
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Rarotonga |
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9 |
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Tue, |
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July 13 |
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Onward |
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Day 1
Mon, July 5, 2010
No Meals
Arrive Rarotonga |
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Arriving on
your own in Rarotonga, Cook Islands (airport
code RAR) you will be met and transferred to
your hotel. The balance of your day and
evening is free to relax and explore on your
own. Those wishing to arrive early or stay
after the eclipse tour may add a hotel night
or choose to book one of TravelQuest’s optional add-on packages
including a pre-tour
excursion to amazing Easter Island or a
post-tour excursion to the stunningly
scenic island
of Aitutaki. |
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Overnight: Edgewater Resort, Rarotonga (5
nights) |
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Days 2-5,
Tue-Fri, July 6-9
4 Breakfasts/3 Lunches/2 Dinners
Rarotonga |
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Few places on Earth
can equal the natural beauty of Rarotonga, where
white surf pounds the island’s encircling coral
reef, while majestic emerald green mountains in
the center of the island provide a dazzling
contrast to a background of clear blue
Polynesian sky. The capital of the Cook Islands,
Rarotonga has fewer than 10,000 inhabitants and
remains an unspoiled island of incredible
beauty, surrounded by a beautiful lagoon, and
white-sand beaches ringing this nearly circular
67 square kilometer (26 square mile) island
paradise. We will spend four days here exploring
Rarotonga, including a beautiful lagoon cruise,
a tour of the island, a visit to the highlands
of Rarotonga and a cultural performance with
dinner. |
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Day 6
Sat, July 10
Breakfast/Dinner
Mangaia Experience |
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Today is devoted to
transferring from Rarotonga to the island of
Mangaia. We will fly in groups of 12 people on
chartered Air Rarotonga flights to Mangaia,
where we will be transferred by local islanders
to our accommodations.
Baggage weights are restricted on this flight, so we have
arranged for travelers to leave their main
baggage in a secure storage area at our hotel in
Rarotonga, and ask that travelers take no more
than 10 kg (22 lbs.) luggage per person to
Mangaia for their 2-night stay. Carry-on bags on
these flights are restricted to 5 kg (10 lbs.)
per person.
During our visit we will experience cultural presentations,
and have time for caving, reef/lagoon walks,
bush walks and shared meals prepared by local
residents. |
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Overnight:
Mangaia accommodations (2 nights) |
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Day 7 Sun, July 11
Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Eclipse Day! |
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In
the early morning hours before dawn, our group
will assemble at the Mangaia airstrip to observe
the sunrise eclipse. After the eclipse
concludes, we will attend a traditional Cook
Islands church service, providing a rare look
into the islander’s Christian heritage. After
this service we will gather for a meal prepared
by the islanders. |
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Local
Eclipse Contact Times at Mangaia
air strip |
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1st contact: |
7:15:05 am |
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altitude
00 degrees
(on the horizon) |
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2nd contact: |
8:19:26 am |
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altitude 13 degrees |
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3rd contact: |
8:22:45 am |
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altitude 14 degrees |
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4th contact: |
9:36:50 am |
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altitude 48 degrees |
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Duration of totality: 3
minutes and 18.7 seconds.
Time zone: UT -10
hours, with no daylight
time. |
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ECLIPSE
WEATHER
PROSPECTS FOR MANGAIA ISLAND |
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by eclipse meteorologist Jay
Anderson |
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The
Cook Islands has a tropical
oceanic climate with two seasons
– and fortunately for eclipse
watchers, July comes in the
middle of the modest dry season.
Mangaia Island itself is 9 km in
diameter, rugged, with a modest
170 m peak in its interior, and
cloud that forms over the land
is usually confined to the
central highlands. Our observing
site is located along the ocean
shore, away from the
cloud-making heights, and
situated to take advantage of
the cooler winds from ocean and
slightly lower cloudiness. The
oceanside location also provides
an unobstructed view across the
ocean horizon to the rising Sun,
already in small eclipse just as
it rises from the sea.
Sunshine records are not available for Mangaia, but the
frequency of sunny skies is
probably similar to Rarotonga to
the north – about 52% of the
maximum possible. Temperatures
are balmy: daytime highs
typically reach the mid 20s C
(about 77°F) and overnight lows
sink to a pleasant and even
slight cool 19°C (66°F).
Rains on Mangaia tend to come in the afternoon after a sunny
morning, and may be quite heavy
for a brief time. This diurnal
pattern favours the eclipse,
which begins just at sunrise,
well before maximum heating and
maximum cloudiness. Because
tropical clouds are convective
in nature – showers and
thundershowers – they are
sensitive to temperature. As the
Moon’s shadow approaches and the
temperature begins to fall, the
typical small morning clouds can
be expected to dissipate. |
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Day 8 Mon, July 12
Breakfast/Dinner
Rarotonga |
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After breakfast our chartered Air Rarotonga
aircraft will begin shuttling everyone back to
Rarotonga. Depending on your departure time, you
will have free time to spend in either Mangaia
or Rarotonga. |
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Overnight: Edgewater
Resort |
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Day 9 Tue, July 13
Breakfast
Onward flights |
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After breakfast you will be transferred to the
airport according to your schedule for your
flight home or onward for the optional add-on
program to the nearby
Cook Islands paradise of
Aitutaki. |
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What
to Expect on Mangaia |
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The
arrival of eclipse chasers for
Eclipse 2010 on Mangaia Island
will significantly increase the
population on this seldom
visited island. On Mangaia,
there is no public
transportation, so we will
either walk up to 2 km (1 mile),
or depend upon local residents
to help us get around, perhaps
even in the back of a pick-up
truck.
There is no doubt that this unique situation will tax the
island’s very limited
infrastructure. In anticipation
of this, TravelQuest has secured
most of the island’s best
available lodgings. Only a very
few of these accommodations have
bedrooms with a private
bathroom. Other accommodations
will be at guesthouses featuring
private bedrooms with shared
bathroom facilities. The
majority of accommodations will
be dormitory style at the school
and public halls. Some of the
‘dorms’ will be segregated
(men/ladies) and a few will be
available co-ed for groups of 10
who already know one another.
All dormitory accommodations
will feature new mattress pads
on the floor, along with new
pillows and sheets.
There are few formal tourist venues on the island, and our
hosts are not trained travel
professionals, so please keep an
attitude of flexibility when
changes must be made, sometimes
on the spot. Tremendous
logistics are involved in this
tour, but in spite of all our
preparations, we can expect that
situations will arise during the
course of your visit that we
have no control over. With this
in mind, each traveler attending
this Mangaia eclipse tour must
understand that at all times
during this group tour your
TravelQuest staff and their
local partners are doing
everything possible to assure
our group’s maximum enjoyment
and comfort. If you have any
questions regarding any aspect
of your journey to Mangaia,
please contact TravelQuest by
phone [+1 928 445 7754] or
email. |
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Back to Top |
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Copyright 2009 TravelQuest
International. All rights
reserved.
Revised: November 10, 2009.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective companies or trademark holders. |
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