Exploring Rarotonga by scooter is one of the best ways to get around the beautiful island. It’s cheap, easy to park, breezy to ride and gives you the freedom to get off the main route and check out all the corners of the island. But, you do need to get a scooter license in Rarotonga in order to rent and ride a scooter legally while here as a visitor.
Here is everything you need to know to get a scooter license in Rarotonga, including where to get it, what’s involved and some tips on what will be prepare you for a successful licensing and safe road-tripping.
- Why do you need a scooter license in Rarotonga?
- Where to get it
- How to get there
- What’s involved?
- Theory test
- Practical exam
- Costs
- What you need
- Riding a scooter in Rarotonga
- Hiring a scooter in Rarotonga
- Rental options
Why you need to get a scooter license in Rarotonga
Visitors to the Cook Islands can drive a motor vehicle (car) for up to six months using their full overseas license.
However, there is an exception for scooters and motorbikes.
On an overseas license you will only be allowed to drive the class of motor vehicle you are licensed to drive in your home country.
- Note: If you have a current motorcycle class license on your overseas license you do not need to sit the test to acquire a Cook Islands License. You just need to visit the police station, pay NZ$20 and you will be issued your visitor license.
But if you do not have a motorcycle class on your overseas license and you want to ride a scooter in Rarotonga, you will need to obtain a Cook Islands visitors motorcycle license.
Where to get your scooter license in Rarotonga
Licensing for your scooter license in Rarotonga is done at the police station on the main road in Avarua.
As a visitor there are two options for getting to the police station to sit your license:
- Take a bus to town, sit the theory test, and then hire a scooter from one of the rental options within walking distance in town
- Hire a scooter with a temporary license in order to drive yourself to the police station
Taking the bus
This is an easy and stress-free option. You can get off the bus in town and sit your theory test at the police station.
And once you have passed that, there is a small bike rental hut right next door to the police station.
Or there is a larger Polynesian Rental office a few hundred metres back down the road towards the market. It is just a short walk to hire a scooter and return for the practical component of the license.
- Read our guide to getting the bus in Rarotonga here.
Hire a scooter with a temporary license
Some rental companies can issue you with a temporary motorcycle license on arrival in Rarotonga.
Take this with you and ride directly to the police station to sit your full license.
What’s involved? Taking the test.
The scooter license in Rarotonga is made up of two parts:
- a theory test and
- a practical riding exam.
As above, if you have a current motorcycle class license on your overseas license you do not need to sit either the theory or practical components to get a license in Rarotonga. All you need to do is pay NZ $20 and you will be issued your visitor license.
The theory test
The theory test is made up of 25 questions with a mixture of multi-choice and short answer questions.
- Note: You need to get 23/25 correct in order to pass the test for your scooter license in Rarotonga.
If you have sat a vehicle license in New Zealand the test will look very familiar and you will be fine.
It is essentially checking you know the road rules, what to do when driving in the dark/if an animal crosses, and who has right of way/needs to give way.
There is a small room to the right of the main entrance inside the police station where you will sit the theory test.
The practical exam
Once you have passed the theory component you now need to sit the practical test in order to complete your license.
- Note: You need your helmet and scooter to sit the practical component of your scooter license in Rarotonga.
With your hemet and scooter head to join the likely line of visitors waiting to ride the practical component just to the left of the main police station building.
There is a short, concrete driveway that runs to the back of the police station. This is the area for the practical test.
The examiner will ask you if you are feeling confident riding a scooter (make sure to say yes!) and give you short instructions on what you need to do.
The test checks whether you know what all the buttons are for (indicators, turning off and on the engine etc.).
You need to be able to ride in a straight line, turn around, stop at an ‘intersection’ and weave in and out of a line of road cones.
Cost to sit your scooter license in Rarotonga
It costs $40 NZD to sit your scooter license in Rarotonga.
(Note: This does not include the cost of scooter hire or fuel).
- Sitting the exam (theory & practical) = $20 NZD
- Issue of new (or transfer of international) Cook Islands bike license = $20 NZD
- Total cost = $40 NZD.
What do you need to get your scooter license in Rarotonga?
You need to take:
- current driving license
- passport
Dress sensibly and respectfully in town and of course make sure you have a helmet to sit your scooter license in Rarotonga.
Riding a scooter in Rarotonga
The good news is that most rental companies on Rarotonga offer low-powered scooters without gears or a clutch, so in theory, riding a scooter in Rarotonga is technically fairly straightforward.
However, do take it seriously. The rules regarding helmets and bikes in Rarotonga have only come into place in the last few years due to the high numbers of tourist accidents while riding motorbikes or scooters on the roads.
I personally wouldn’t recommend Rarotonga as the place to learn to ride a motorbike.
While the speed limit may seem low at 50km per hour, don’t forget that the island is not a resort.
Local residents are going about their day-to-day life and there is actually a rush hour in the morning getting to work and then again in the afternoon with more motorbikes and cars on the road.
That, plus there are all kinds of island hazards to look out for while riding a scooter in Rarotonga…
- Potholes (this one is a biggie!)
- Roadworks and workers (teams of locals vie for contracts to tend the roadside verges and are often working on the road itself in large teams).
- Chickens and roosters (seriously)
- Dogs (Rarotonga has a lot of dogs that roam everywhere around the island and cross the road at any given time)
- Drink driving (this has been a huge problem in the Cook Islands for tourists and locals alike).
Please do adhere to the laws and take care when hiring a scooter in Rarotonga.
Bike hire in Rarotonga
Hiring a scooter in Rarotonga is one of the most popular ways to get around the island.
The most common motorbikes and scooters for hire in Rarotonga are:
- Yamaha Mio: 125CC with under-seat storage (automatic)
- Yamaha Cygnus-ZR: 125CC with under-seat storage (automatic)
- Kymco Super 8: 125CC with under-seat storage (automatic)
- Suzuki AN: 125CC with under-seat storage (automatic)
- Suzuki GN: 125CC manual gearbox, two seater
Where to hire a scooter in Rarotonga
The easiest place to hire a scooter is through the car rental offices in Avarua.
There are several options that also hire motorbikes…
Polynesian Rentals: Located inside the airport, Edgewater Resort, Muri Beach, Aroa Beach (opposite the Rarotongan Beach Resort) and in Avarua (next to Prime Foods).
- Phone: +682 29 227
- reservations@polynesianhire.co.ck
- www.polynesianhire.co.ck
Island Car & Bike Hire: Located in Arorangi, Avarua and Muri.
- Phone: +682 22 632
- enquiries@islandcarhire.co.ck
- www.islandcarhire.co.ck
Rarotonga Rentals: Located opposite Rarotonga Airport on the main road.
- Phone: +682 22 326
- cutejag@oyster.net.ck
- www.rarotongarentals.co.ck
Adventure Cook Islands: Located in Kavera. Fleet of two seater, fully automatic 125CC rental scooters with a range of daily and weekly scooter hire rates. [Daily: $27 NZD; 2+ Days: $21.50/day; Weekly: $115 NZD].
- Phone: +682 22 212
- enquiries@adventurecookislands.com
- www.adventurecookislands.com
Note: Adventure Cook Islands has a strict “experienced riders only” policy and will only hire scooters if you hold a motorcycle license in your country (ie. ‘Class 6’ in New Zealand, ‘Class R’ in Australia, ‘Class A1’ in Europe).
Accommodation in Rarotonga
There is a great range of accommodation options in Rarotonga with resorts, hotels and motels, holiday homes and self-catering AirBnB’s.
Resorts in Rarotonga
- The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Lagoonarium, Aro’a
- The Edgewater Resort & Spa, Arorangi
- Club Raro, Tupapa
- Nautilus Resort, Muri
- Pacific Resort Rarotonga, Muri
Hotels and motels in Rarotonga
- Magic Reef Bungalows, Arorangi
- Coral Sands Apartment, Arorangi
- Black Pearl at Puaikura, Aro’a
- Moana Sands Beachfront Hotel, Titikaveka
- Muri Garden Lodge, Muri
Holiday homes and AirBnB
- Cooks Oasis Holiday Villas, Arorangi
- Lagoon Breeze Villas, Aro’a
- Muri Lagoon Beachfront Villa, Muri
- Ariki Bungalows, Muri
There are loads of amazing options when choosing accommodation in Rarotonga.
More about Rarotonga
That’s it for our guide to getting your scooter license in Rarotonga. But we do have plenty of other guides to local activities, highlights and some of our favourite things to do in the Cook Islands.
