Cook Islands Sun Magazine

8 ISLAND LIFE CoOK ISLANDS SuN
What services do
Bluesky offer to visitors
to the Cook Islands?
Bluesky keeps our visitors
connected while on
holiday. We have over
300 Bluezone WiFi hotspots
in the Cook Islands, giving
you easy Internet access to
your family, friends and social
media. Visitors can also enable
roaming on their devices.
We have over 270 roaming
partners. Check if your
network roams in the Cook
Islands on www.bluesky.co.ck.
Get talking with international
capped calling. Our one-hour
capped calling rates are some
of the best under the Pacific
sun. For up to an hour pay
only $5 to call New Zealand
and $10 to call Australia, Fiji,
UK, USA and Canada. Grab
yourself a Visitor SimCard
today. For only $49 it is preloaded
with 3GB Data, 30min
calling time and 300 texts.
Where are the Bluesky
retail offices, and what
are the opening hours.
Bluesky services the whole of
the Cook Islands. We have
outlets on all islands except
Takutea, Manuae, Suwarrow
and Nassau. We have three
Bluesky outlets on Rarotonga
open everyday. Main office in
Parekura opens from 8am -
6pm; CITC Avarua complex
office opens from 8am - 4pm;
Muri outlet opens from 10am
- 6pm. We also have an outlet
located outside international
arrivals area, which only opens
during international flights.
Where and how can
visitors find Bluesky
hotspots?
Bluezone WiFi Hotspots are
located throughout Rarotonga,
Aitutaki, the rest of the outer
islands at a variety of places
with bluesky
such as our airport, restaurants
& cafes, resorts, bars, shops,
markets and most public
meeting areas. A full list is
available on www.bluesky.co.ck
What tips do Bluesky
offer visitors to
maximise their SIM
cards/WiFi?
Assuming the visitor is
purchasing a Bluesky Visitor
SIM card:
• First tip would be to make
good use of the free SMS
txts and calling minutes to
contact friends and family
back home instead of relying
on data operated apps (e.g.
Messenger/WhatsApp/
Viber). Better yet, book
WiFi Tips
• If you have access to a
Bluezone hotspot at your
accommodation then save
on mobile data and upload
your photos/videos using
WiFi instead.
• Can't find your nearest
Bluezone hotspot? Visit
www.bluesky.co.ck and
find our map with over 100
hotspots located around
Rarotonga and Aitutaki.
There's sure to be one next
all your tours and make
reservations using your
minutes while on holiday.
• Save Data by switching off
all auto-updates, restrict
background data downloads
on your device.
• Use Data for live updates
or ‘in the moment’ posts via
your social media channels.
Upload your pics later using
WiFi.
• Switch off your data if
you're not using it - also
saves your battery life.
• Data add-on bundles are
not available on Visitor SIM
Card, so if you're needing
more data BUY another
Visitor SIM card just in
case.
• Download the MyBluesky
app on arrival to monitor
your data/mins/txts usage.
• Need to upload your photos
from your computer? Tether
data from your phone to
your computer and get
those important captures up
online in no time!
• Avoid using data when
visiting sites that may have
low data range/signal. Take
your photos and upload
them later once you're in
good range.
door or around the corner
from you.
• Make sure to log off your
WiFi after each browsing
session to conserve MBs
• Out of range? Visit any
of Rarotonga's cafes/
restaurant with our
Bluezone hotspots instead
and enjoy the comfort
there, along with good
food and atmosphere, and
a refreshing beverage!
Shipwrecked on a tropical island
ENGLISH BORN NEW
ZEALANDER’S STEVE
AND GERALDINE
MARSON ARE LIVING
A DREAM OF OWNING
‘THE PERFECT BEACH
BAR ON A TROPICAL
ISLAND’; AND IT’S APTLY
NAMED THE SHIPWRECK
HUT BEACH BAR.
Located at the Aro’a
Beachside Inn on
Rarotonga’s sunset
coast, you couldn’t pick a
better location with guaranteed
mind-blowing sunset views
every evening (weather
permitting).
Meeting and marrying in
Cheshire, both Steve and
Geraldine are from sales
backgrounds: Steve in
engineering, electronics,
computer and IT, and
Geraldine in pharmaceuticals.
“We met at night school
because we were working for
German or Swiss German
companies, so we both went to
night school to learn
German!” said Steve.
“We just clicked and
started going out in
January '86. We got
engaged about March
and got married in
July.”
They now have
two boys Will and
Dan, who are in
their mid-twenties:
Will is completing
his Masters; he's a
geomorphologist, and
Dan is a musician
in a band. “He’s a very good
guitarist and sings well too!”
“The boys were born in
Cheshire. We moved to Kent
when Dan was about six weeks
old, as I got a job there with
a company as European Sales
Manager for FACIT.”
Geraldine gave up work to look
after the children then later
studied to become a science
teacher.
“She is actually a scientist.
Her speciality was biology,
microbiology. And she's got a
degree in microbiology. So she
now got a secondary degree,
which is a teaching degree.”
The next big thing for Steve
was when they made him
managing director in the UK
for FACIT.
“I was now seriously into the
Geraldine and Steve Marson in their Shipwreck Hut Beach Bar, with staff
Anna, Stephanie and Priest in the background
IT and barcoding with this
company. They took me on
to introduce barcoding to the
whole group. It was really
pioneering stuff at the time!
“The business was sold, so
then I set up my own business
in Kent called Lynk Data
Systems. I did that for ten years
then I sold it, which made me
enough to retire on at the age
of 47!
Steve performing with Anania Brown
“We moved to New Zealand in
2008! Geraldine got a teaching
job. I was there three months
before I got so bored I joined
a company as general manager
doing very similar things I was
doing in the UK. That business
eventually got sold, so I took
time off and then found this
place.”
We are lucky to have
such a wonderful,
fun team!
Steve said he and Geraldine
had stayed at Aro’a Beachside
Inn in 2012, then came back in
2014 to find out it was for sale
and bought it.
Stephanie Vaiimene, the
general manager, has been
at Aro’a Beachside Inn since
Steve and Geraldine bought it.
Every Tuesday Stephanie does
a popular guest appearance
singing with the band at the
Bar. “We are lucky to have
such a wonderful, fun team!”
We asked Steve if the
Shipwreck Hut Beach Bar had
anything to do with them
buying the place.
“Every man wants
to have his own bar,
sure!” said Steve.
“I remember, at the
age of 17, we were
sitting on a beach
in Italy next to this
beach bar and I
thought, that would
be cool, to have a
little beach bar.”
Since arriving on
the island Steve has
developed his own
singing and guitar
skills to the point
where he performs
at the Shipwreck BBQ on
Saturdays. He also sings in
a guest spot on Tuesday and
Thursday nights when live
music is featured from 6.30pm
to 8.30pm. Famously, the
popular Rockin’ Jandals play
on Tuesdays with Rarotonga
guitar great Anania Brown,
and local DJ legend Ian
Wheeldon.
“What got me into singing
was when Geraldine and I
were on a skiing holiday in
France. They had this dressup
karaoke night. I went as
Batman, Geraldine went as Cat
Woman. I thought: I'll give
this a go and sang an Elton
John song. Then surprisingly
I had a request: Can Batman
please sing Daydream Believer?
Which I did, and I still sing
it today at the Shipwreck Hut
Beach Bar!”
DON’T MISS MOMENTS LIKE
THIS - GRAB YOUR VISITOR
SIM TODAY
From any of our Bluesky
Outlets in our litte paradise.
Preloaded with:
3GB
DATA
30
MIN
300
TXT
only
$49
+682 29680 www.bluesky.co.ck BlueskyCookIslands Bluesky_CK bluesky_ck bluesky_ck