Well update on that. BP prices fell and were hilariously cheaper than PE by $180. So I turned my previous PE flights into credit and bought BP straight out for my upcoming trip too. BP cabin is almost fully sold, the PE cabin was also almost fully sold. Premium travel customers are jumping to the Cook Islands at a much higher percentage rate than economy passangers.

Every time I refreshed I got a different price. One minute it was $700. Then it was $900. Then it was $1000. Then it was $700 again.

This whole credit thing is great. I have another BP flight in October school holidays to the Cook Islands and a BP flight to Melbourne and can just cancel whichever one I don't want to take closer to the time, while getting to take advantage of low cost airfares now. That's three trips booked to Rarotonga, let's see if I make it a fourth by the end of the year, haha!

Air NZ was allowing me to book straight through to Aitutaki. They then removed it because you have a ridiculous, impossible 1 hour connection to make the flight. Not only that though but Air Rarotonga told me that currently you need to be on Rarotonga for 24 hours anyway, before flying onto a smaller island, although they are seeing if they can lift that restriction.

​​​​​​So Air NZ removed it for all of their June flights, but you can book it from July onwards, still with that ridiculous one hour connection. I can only assume that they are hoping Air Rarotonga by then will add in a later flight and they can switch the flights to those instead.