The Cook Islands chapter from Moon Handbooks South Pacific is now online at http://cookislands.southpacific.org/
I updated the information during a visit to Rarotonga after the 2004 edition was published, so whatÂ’s on the web is more up to date than whatÂ’s in the printed book. The 125 pages of my Cook Islands Travel Guide contain 15 detailed island maps and town plans, plus dozens of photos and line drawings. Many of the pictures are from my most recent trip while others appeared in previous editions of my guidebook.
The material has been specially adapted for the internet and I removed guidebook-style details such as telephone and fax numbers which can be easily checked online. The accommodations listings are grouped according to price with six pages devoted to Rarotonga and four for Aitutaki, organized geographically.
There are clear maps of Aitutaki Atoll, Aitutaki Island, Arutanga, Atiu, Avarua, Mangaia, Manihiki, Manuae, Mauke, Mitiaro, Penrhyn, Pukapuka, Rarotonga, Suwarrrow, and the Cook Islands.
Navigation is easy with top and side menus, plus a full site map. Many of the maps are clickable to more detailed maps and the highlight pages are linked directly to specific references. A search box is also provided.
These features make the site as easy or easier to use than a printed book. This is the seventh of the 15 chapters from Moon Handbooks South Pacific to go online, after the Samoas, Niue, Pitcairn, Tokelau, and Wallis and Futuna.
Regular contributor Mac ruminates on the world of travel & some of his adventures along the way
Luke Freeman – A Drovers view of Madagascar Luke’s talk was based on the time he spent with the cattle drovers, who take the long horned cattle from the highlands to markets on the coast. Cattle are currency in Madagascar, they can even be seen on the bank notes. These young men hope to earn enough from this hard existence to set themselves up in life. The Drovers carry only the basic’s, a blanket, polythene sheet which they use when it rains and as a shelter at night, cooking pot and some clothes. They buy food from markets along the way, though often end up having to pay for what their cattle steal from the same markets as well. As well as the obvious hardships, the Drovers also have to deal with local bandits, who raid villages. The Police also have check points where they check the cattle’s “Passports” and paperwork, each cow has its own document and woe betide the drovers if it doesn’t all match up. Luke is an Anthropologist and has come to the conclusion that in many ways the drovers of Madagascar are responsible for helping maintain the country’s cohesion and common language, despite the diverse ethnic make up of the country. One surprising fact about Madagascar is that its population eats more rice per person than any other country on the planet. 
Our second speaker was Ed Gillespie whose talk was called “Around the World without the aluminium sausage!”. Ed set out to travel around the round with his girlfriend emitting as little carbon as possible. His original idea was to parody Phileas Fogg and go “RTW in 80 ways”, but he soon realised this would involve lots of animals! But in 381 days Ed managed to travel 45,000 miles via 31 countries emitting just 1.8 Tonnes of carbon. He left the UK by ship for Spain, then travelled across Europe by train to Moscow, across Russia to Irkutsk where his Scottish girlfriend was delighted to find Irn Bru being in a supermarket! Through China and then by cargo ship to Japan and Hong Kong, before resorting to buses on the backpacker routes through south east Asia. After a stop in New Zealand to visit his cousins, he travelled by rust bucket across the Pacific to Mexico and buses through Central America, before finding a container ship heading for Dover and home.