u/purplereuben

I recently visited Rarotonga and loved it, no surprises.

There was a sign at my accommodation that described the dogs that can be seen all around not as strays but as 'wandering dogs', explaining that they have homes and owners but are allowed to roam around rather than being fenced up.

We only had good experiences of the dogs while we were there. We were approached on the beaches and while seated eating in outdoor areas by lovely friendly dogs who happily accepted our pats. Some looked very loved (well fed)! Particularly a couple of rotund ones at Tiare's! We laughed as we pondered what could be a better life than being a dog swimming in a beautiful lagoon as he pleases.

I won't claim to understand the nuances that may apply to living with dogs in this way, having only visited for a week, but I felt safer around dogs in Rarotonga than I would in many areas of NZ. It was one of the many good memories of our trip.

I have started booking tours and other tourist excursions for an upcoming holiday in the Pacific Islands. Each time I book online with different companies and I have found they all require our arrival flight number and day/time, and the name of the accommodation we are staying at. We are not being picked up or dropped off at our accommodation by these tour providers.

It doesn't bother me to supply this information, but I am just curious as to why this seems to be the case and thought this might be a good sub to ask.