Flying a Drone in Rarotonga & the Cook Islands: What You Need to Know

You do not need a permit to fly a drone in the Cook Islands for recreational use. However, drone manufacturers like DJI will block your drone from flying in the majority of Rarotonga and Aitutaki unless you have an unlock code, which incidentally, needs a drone permit... In short, you can only really fly your DJI drone at Muri Beach and Titikaveka without a permit.

You do, however, need to apply for a drone permit if you are flying a drone for commercial use, such as professional photography or filming. Permits are obtained from the Cook Islands Ministry of Transport.

Note that most of Rarotonga, Aitutaki and all of the outer islands are within airport control zones and therefore permission must be obtained from the Air Traffic Services before all drone flights within these zones, whether you are flying recreationally or commercially.

Although it is legal to fly a drone in the Cook Islands and Rarotonga, there are some drone rules that you must adhere to:

• Do not fly within 4 km (2.5 mi) of airports or aerodromes (otherwise, get permission from Air Traffic Services).
• Do not fly your drone at a height above 122 m (133.4 yards) above the ground/water.
• Do not fly your drone over people or property unless consent has been obtained.
• Respect people's privacy when flying your drone.
• You must fly your drone during daylight hours and only when the weather is suitable.
• Do not fly your drone in sensitive areas, such as government or military facilities.

Now, onto the question: Should you take your drone to Rarotonga and the Cook Islands? We believe the answer is no, and here's why...

The islands of the Cook Islands, including Rarotonga, are extremely small. With drone laws in the Cook Islands stating that drones are "Not to be operated within 4 km (4.5 mi) of an uncontrolled aerodrome", this doesn't leave much space to fly a drone on many of the islands.

In fact, you can only really fly a drone without getting Air Services' permission at Muri Beach and Titikaveka.

Even if you were to attempt to "break the rules", drone manufacturers like DJI have No Fly Zones (NFZ) around the Cook Islands' airports. These display in red on your DJI app and lock your drone from flying unless you have an unlock code. This code can only be obtained if you have a written permit obtained from the Cook Islands Ministry of Transport...

Therefore, taking a drone for the recreational purpose of getting some fun holiday snaps in the Cook Islands is not worth it, as the No-Fly Zone (NFZ) around Rarotonga and the Cook Islands will render your expensive drone useless.