Marino Tours business owner Marokii Maoate says a BLP grant gave their business a real kickstart … and later a BLP business advisory subsidy helped expand their sales.
In the Cook Islands, Marino Tours offer private boat tours and transfers to explore the stunningly beautiful Aitutaki lagoon and uninhabited islands in the area. Owner Marokii Maoate is supported by his wife Vaea in the business.
“There is a lot of competition in the lagoon area,” says Marokii. “When we were evaluating business ideas, we saw the opportunity to offer an authentic cruise experience offering private tours for basically two people. Most other tours take 12-20+ people out on a boat. We wanted to give people a more personalised and warm Cook Island experience at a more affordable price. With our tour, customers can experience the uninhabited islands, snorkel with marine life, or simply soak in the beauty all by themselves.”
The business opened after COVID with just a small fishing boat and nothing else, which they converted to allow tours. “It’s a very simple boat but gives people an authentic experience.”
“We used the BLP Grant to help us build a small building to house and maintain the boat. The grant was also used to build a covered seated area on the Motu* for tourists to have their lunch.” Marokii says it is expensive to build in the remote islands. To save on the cost of labour, he built both structures himself. “We were very grateful for the financial support at this time.”
To grow their customer base, in 2024 they decided a website was needed to promote their business and allow people to book online. From school years, Vaea knew Digital Advisor Esther Tetava, of Haus of Skai, so they went direct to her to help them build their website.
The bonus they discovered was that as Esther is part of the BLP Advisory Network, they were able to apply for a BLP subsidy to help pay for Esther’s services, making the project more affordable.
BLP approved advisors are required to pass a comprehensive competency assessment. The BLP Advisory Network is designed to give Pacific SMEs the assurance that they are working with experienced advisors.
Vae says working with Esther to create their website was easy. “Even though it could have been complicated, it wasn’t. She is very professional. Esther’s support made it so easy. The BLP subsidy process was also nice and simple.”
They launched the website marinotoursaitutaki.com early 2025 and the results have been brilliant. “Tourists bookings for our water taxi have ballooned 600-800% and our full day tours have increased around 25%. So, the website has made a huge difference.” She says they know it is the website making the difference to the volume of contacts because they receive all the booking requests through the website.
They also say that the website is propelling word of mouth about their Tour. To help promote the website they’ve installed a sign with a QR code at the harbour where the boat is moored to enable people to book tours and transfers easily.
Apart from their Tour business, Marokii and Vaea are also partners in a small two bungalow business, located on the beach. “A lot of full day tour people tend to stay in the bungalows. It’s about offering the same authentic warm Cook Island experience and vibe that we offer in our tour business.
Looking to the future, they are hoping to apply for another grant to assist with further development of their business and spreading the word on BLP. “We’ve mentioned the BLP Grant to several other small entrepreneurs in the area and they’ve seen the difference it’s made to their businesses as well.”
BLP facilitates access to business advisory services and financial support. To start your journey with BLP, you can self-assess your needs by using the free online tools available to help small- and medium-sized businesses diagnose areas in their businesses that an advisor could improve.
The first step can be the online Business Health Check. You can also check your business’s resilience to respond to crises or climate change challenges on the Business Continuity Planner and the Climate Action Sensor. If you prefer to meet a local BLP representative in person to discuss your business, get in touch with our local partners to arrange a face-to-face Diagnostic.
* Motu means small island in the Cook Islands