Area Code 2 – Rarotonga

Geographic Overview of the +682 2 Prefix

The +682 2 prefix is the geographic National Destination Code (NDC) for the island of Rarotonga, the most populous and principal island of the Cook Islands. Administratively, Rarotonga serves as the seat of the national government and hosts the primary international airport (Rarotonga International Airport, IATA: RAR). This prefix is allocated to fixed-line PSTN services within the Rarotonga exchange area, covering the island's main districts including Avarua (the capital), Arorangi, Matavera, and Ngatangiia. As a geographic code, it is tied to the physical location of the subscriber's line, and calls are routed based on the destination exchange.

Dialing Formats and Call Routing

Within the Cook Islands, calls to Rarotonga fixed lines are placed using the seven-digit national number, which begins with the prefix 2 followed by a five-digit subscriber number (e.g., 2XXXXX). For example, a local call to a Rarotonga business would be dialed as 22 3456 (where 2 is the NDC and 23456 is the subscriber number). When calling from abroad, the international format is required: +682 2XXXXX (or +682 23456). The plus sign represents the international access prefix, which varies by country (e.g., 00 in most of Europe, 011 in North America). Callers should note that the Cook Islands uses a closed numbering plan; there is no trunk prefix (such as '0') used domestically. The country code +682 is mandatory for international calls, and the NDC is not separated by a space or dash in official E.164 notation.

Overlays and Numbering Considerations

Currently, there is no overlay code for Rarotonga; the +682 2 prefix is the sole geographic code for the island. However, due to the small population and limited number of fixed lines, number exhaustion is not an immediate concern. The Telecommunications Authority of the Cook Islands manages number allocation, ensuring that the prefix remains exclusively for geographic fixed-line services. Mobile services on Rarotonga use separate non-geographic prefixes (e.g., 5, 7, 8) and are not affected by this code.

Caller Instructions

For local callers within the Cook Islands: simply dial the seven-digit number starting with 2. For international callers: dial your country's exit code, then +682, followed by the seven-digit number (including the leading 2). For example, to call a Rarotonga landline from the United States, dial 011 682 2XXXXX. From the United Kingdom, dial 00 682 2XXXXX. Always verify the number length: it must be seven digits after the country code. If you receive a call from +682 2XXXXX, it originates from a fixed line in Rarotonga. Be aware that calls to Cook Islands numbers may incur international tariffs depending on your carrier and calling plan.