Intern: Ora Reka

By
Tayla Beddoes
Photography By
Craig Owen

Kia Orana everybody, it's Tayla here! Warmest greetings from a little paradise. This post is to help you when navigating the Rarotonga nightlife. You'll learn of the hottest spots to hit, and when to hit them.

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First things first, I have to apologise for the brief hiatus our intern blog has taken. I was away in New Zealand for my brother’s 21st a couple of weeks ago, followed by a quick family trip to Vietnam, and therefore wasn’t able to upload anything for the blog. However after arriving back to work this week, everything is back in full force with holiday mode well and truly over (unfortunately). One things for sure, I’m definitely excited to be back in a little paradise, surrounded by the familiar warmth of the people and the place.

Speaking of warmth and happiness, that brings me to this week’s blog post; Happy Hour in a little paradise! Following on from Maire’s nightlife post a few weeks back, this can be added to your database so when you’re navigating the Rarotonga nightlife, you’ll not only know the hottest spots to hit, but also when to hit them! So grab your mates, your wallets, your sober driver and get ready for a proper night out in a little paradise.

21.3 Vaiana’s Bar & Grill

  • On the Pub Crawl, Vaiana’s is the first stop of the night and you tend to arrive after 8pm. However with Vaiana’s being situated right on the beach in Nikao, it makes sense that their Happy Hour operates from 4pm to 6pm so you can sit back, let your toes shift in the sand with a cold beer in hand and watch the sun set right in front of you. 
  • Ever since it opened Vaiana’s has been one of the most popular places on the rock - not just for locals, but also tourists. 

High Tide Bar & Grill

  • High Tide is situated in the Avarua township just after St Joseph’s Catholic Church. It’s definitely a nice, relaxed and easygoing place to grab a drink with your mates. There’s also a wide open balcony and a pool/billiards table to top it off.
  • High Tide is open from 3pm till 11.30pm and they have two different happy hours throughout the day. The first is from 4pm - 6pm and another at 8pm - 10pm. There’s a wide range of alcohol available at awesome prices with standard sized glasses being $3, and $5 for a tall glass. 

Hula Bar

  • If you asked any local when Hula Bar’s happy hour was, they’d be able to answer you in a heartbeat; 11am - 11pm. With $3.50 drinks on offer, there’s plenty to go around as you’ll soon find that no matter what day of the week it is, Hula Bar is a popular place to be. And with a good view, good music, good food available to order and good drinks at good prices (understatement) - why wouldn’t you have a good time?
  • Hula Bar is located right across the road from the airport. So visitors, whether you’ve just landed in Rarotonga or are departing her shores, it’s a great place to soak up the island vibes or kill some time while you wait for your flight.

Hidie’s

  • Hidies is located in Cook’s Corner in the Avarua township; if you can’t find the entrance from the road, simply follow the music! It’s always going off at Hidies. You can expect to hear a great mixture of mainstream music mashed in with some local island favourites, ensuring you get the best of both worlds on your night out.
  • Hidies has you sussed with their $2 tequila shots - but if you’re not into the hard liquor, don’t sweat, there’s tonnes of other drinks available and you can even take advantage of their special; 2 Vodka Cruises for $10. 

Rehab Nightclub

  • Save the best for last, right? Rehab is the main nightclub on the island, and is always the last stop on everyones night. 
  • Entry costs just $5 and is even free on Wednesday nights. As soon as you walk in, you’re met with quite a scene; the main bar is located squarely in the centre of the room where you can go to get your spirits, and there’s a secondary bar containing RTD’s and other assortments is just off to the right of the entrance. A stage on the far left of the nightclub is used to host concerts for musicians visiting our little paradise, but when it’s not being used for shows, it’s being used for you! That’s right, you can get on up there to sing and dance your little hearts away - Don’t worry it won’t just be you up there though. Well, unless you’re early to the club, but otherwise there’s plenty of room and space to get your groove on to the DJ’s sweet beats, and even a few tables for you to plop down on if all that dancing is getting to your knees. With plenty of sheltered and open-roofed spaces, even a little rain won’t deter you from having a good night. 

 

There we go, all sorted for a primo night out in a little paradise! Don’t forget these aren’t the only places on the island where you can go to grab a drink. Certain resorts, restaurants and bars also have their own respective happy hours on offer for you, and this something we’ll definitely cover in a future post along with On The Rocks’ highly anticipated grand opening! But more on that later. Thanks for reading, I hope this has been insightful and helped you in some way. Remember if you want us to cover any topics in particular to just send us a message and we’ll get to it! Be sure to check back in next week for Emma’s post :)

 

Ka Kite for now,

Tayla