Exploring South Pacific was on my radar for a very long time. Pristine lagoons, white beaches, colorful underwater world, tropical flowers, lush jungles… I mean, who wouldn’t want to experience all of this? So when we found discounted flights to Rarotonga on Cook Islands, we didn’t hesitate a second and booked them right away. hat to do in cook islands
Cook Islands, even though a popular destination, are still not so crowded yet. We traveled in August, which is peak season and it felt very calm and quiet, as people usually choose Fiji, or French Polynesia for their South Pacific holidays. Why is that, I’m not sure, but I know that we had the best time on ‘Raro’. Here’s our day by day itinerary to give you an inspiration what to do on this magical island.
Day 1 - Exploring Muri Lagoon
We flew to Rarotonga from Sydney with Jetstar through Auckland. There are direct flights, but this one was obviously cheaper. We left Sydney at 11 am on Tuesday and arrived to Raro on the same day at 2 am (my first time travel!).
As soon as we went through the customs, our driver was waiting for us with necklaces made of fresh flowers to get those island vibes going from the start. The van was organized by our accommodation in Ariki Bungalows. Ariki was such a great place to stay, I would recommend these bungalows to anyone who is travelling to the Cook Islands on budget. The are close to Muri beach and the hosts Jules and Kave are such a lovely people.
For the first day we didn’t have any special plan, we just wanted to catch up on some sleep. Well, it didn’t happen because of wild chickens that run around the whole island and they like to crow even before the sunrise. We spent our first day on the beach, just exploring the Muri Lagoon. Muri is kind of a hub of Raro, with many hotels, resorts and hostels around. It’s the perfect place for snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding and other activities. Four times a week, there are night food markets organized at Muri with all the local food you can think of! Writing these lines I’m dreaming about those fresh pawpaws (papayas), coconuts, garlic prawns and taro fries.
Day 2 - Cycling around Rarotonga
For our second day we chose a little bit less “boring” activity and decided to bike around the whole island. This idea came from my head, to hire actual bikes and not a motorcycle. I thought that 32 km in circumference is nothing and I can bike it easily. Oh what a mistake! It wasn’t as easy and 32 km is quite a lot. But we did it! We biked around whole Rarotonga and it was amazing.
Hiring a bike or motorbike gives you great freedom to explore. We found many amazing beaches and beach bars, drank some cocktails (you can drink when on bike), explored local galleries, stopped for more food… Rarotonga has got one main road Ara Tapu that lines the coast, but there’s another one, an ancient inner ring road, which is still in use – Ara Metua. We split our journey in between these two roads. Ara Metua was less busy and offered us amazing scenic views of the mountains lined with coconut, banana and pawpaw groves.
When we came back to our home in Ariki, Jules and Kave prepared a little feast for all their guests and employees. We had a great bbq dinner party with grilled chicken, pork, different kinds of fish, veggies, fresh pawpaws, salads and local beer. Such a great night! They have two puppies plus one older dog who were just playing around while we were chatting together until late.
Interesting thing we learned was the way of life on Cook Islands. Cook Islanders own all the land on islands – hotels, resorts and restaurants (if not local) just lease it. If you are a Cook Islander, even if you were born elsewhere, and you wish to come “home”, you have the right to get some land to build a house. Many houses we’ve seen had graves on their backyards, simply because the land stays in the family and will never be sold. Also the standard of life is quite high – the minimum hourly wage is $7 NZD (which I think is pretty good when you consider you don’t have to pay rent). Still if you decide you don’t feel like working at all, you won’t die from hunger – pawpaws, bananas, coconuts and wild chickens belong to everyone and you can have as much as you want. 🙂 Paradise!
At the end of the day I was dead, but still we didn’t plan to chill the day after…
Day 3 - Hiking Te Rua Managa - The Needle
What a brilliant idea to go hiking the most challenging hike of my life with sore legs from all day biking! But I did it and it was worth it and I would do it again (this time with better shoes). Definitely a must do when on Rarotonga island.
The Needle Hike on Rarotonga - Cook Islands
Check out my article dedicated solely to this amazing hike to the center of Rarotonga.
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Day 4 - Aitutaki
On the 4th day in paradise we woke up early before sunrise, because we went to a day trip to Aitutaki. Aitutaki is one the most beautiful of all South Pacific destinations and it’s only about 45 minute flight from Raro. Originally I wanted to spend there more time, about 2 or 3 nights, but only Air Rarotonga flies there and their prices were bit out of our budget at the time of booking. Generally you have to book a lot in advance to get a good deal.
Anyway, the day trip is a good option too. Still a bit pricey for a one day trip but SO worth it! Aitutaki is absolute heaven. Really the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. The lagoon is so blue and so clear I was thinking all day that I want all my family and friends to be here and see it. We were sailing all day, drinking fresh coconuts and beers, having amazing lunch freshly prepared on board, there was also a live Polynesian band who played for us all day. My favorite day on Cook Islands, that’s for sure.
The tour includes the lights in a small plane, all the transport, tour guide, cruise and meals. The only thing you have to pay for is alcohol. First, we did a tour around Aitutaki, to see how locals live. There’s a college on Aitutaki, but otherwise Cook Islands miss a university. If locals wish to take further studies, they have to go to New Zealand, Fiji or Vanuatu.
Interesting fact – on Aitutaki, there are no dogs! You can see many dogs on Raro that don’t have an owner. On Aitutaki they decided that there will be no dogs whatsoever, so none of them will become “wild” (there are still cats though, and our tour guide told us when kids from Aitutaki visit other islands, they freak out when they see a dog and are scared because they don’t know what it is). Can you imagine a world without dogs?
After the island tour, we finally got on the boat and went to explore other smaller “motu” (little islands) in the Aitutaki Lagoon. One of them is called One Foot Island, because it’s very small and it is in a shape of a foot. On One Foot Island you can find the smallest post office, where you can get your passport stamped and send home postcards.
I said it before, but will repeat myself – Aitutaki is incredibly beautiful! I still can’t get enough of the insanely blue clear water, white sand, palm trees everywhere, rich underwater life… It’s simply the true paradise! The only negative I would mention is that I felt like we didn’t get much time in the lagoon. I wanted to stay a little bit longer. The tour starts at 9am, when you get on Aitutaki and the flight back is already at 4:30pm. The price is quite high – $490 NZD per person (it can differ from day to day, but count with approximately $500) so I think having a bit more time there would be nice.
Anyway, it’s still worth it! Aitutaki was the best day and if I’m lucky enough to come back to Cook Islands some time in the future, I am heading straight here, whatever price it costs!
Day 5 - Swimming with turtles
Unfortunately there are rainy days in paradise and on our 5th day we woke up into a cloudy morning. Jules and Kave, apart from offering accommodation, they also run a small business Ariki Holidays with activities like kite-surfing, paddle-boarding, kayaking, yoga on paddle boards, underwater safari etc. Simply anything you can think of that requires water! And because you are wet already, who cares that it rains on the surface right?
We opted for underwater safari and swimming with turtles! I never really swam with turtles, I saw only one when we were in Cairns and that’s it so I was pretty excited to see them. The tour starts on one of the beach on the south of Rarotonga, because there’s a cliff with turtles’ natural habitat. The cliff is the place where lagoon ends and the ocean starts, so the water is a bit colder. But don’t worry, you’ll get a neoprene not to be cold. Apart from neoprene, we also got the scooters to help us swim against the currents. It was so much fun, we could just float and enjoy the view and all the “hard work” (a.k.a. swimming) was done by the scooters!
As I said before, that day was cloudy, so the visibility under water wasn’t entirely perfect, but I still enjoyed it a lot. We saw so many turtles! One of them got very close to me and we were swimming along for couple of metres. I love the ocean, and I have great respect and even greater fear of it simply because of all the dangerous creatures that can live there (there are many dangerous animals in Australia and that is where my respect grew). On Cook Islands, however, you don’t have to worry about anything, because as I said before, nothing harmful lives here! So if you’re bit like me, this is the place to enjoy all the water activities to the fullest! You can see some reef sharks, but they are small and not dangerous to humans.
In the afternoon we just chilled on the terrace and spent our evening drinking cocktails in one of the beach bars.
Day 6 - Sunday mass and Paddle boarding
Sunday is a big day on Cook Islands, because it’s the church day. Everyone puts on the best clothes, women wear amazing hats decorated with tropical flowers and seashells, men wear their best shirts or even suits. Visitors and tourists are highly encouraged to visit the service, because it’s quite different than in other countries. It’s a perfect mix of Polynesian culture with Christianity in a beautiful and unique way. Even though the most of the service is in Polynesian language, so you wouldn’t understand much, they sing and dance a lot! The mass lasts longer than usual, but if you stay till the end, you will be invited for an after-service tea and cake.
We put our best (and least wrinkly) clothes on and went to see the service as well. It lasted about two hours and it was really beautiful. After it finished, however, we didn’t go to get the cake and tea because I was so hungry and needed some proper food. Close to the church on Muri beach, there is a beach bar/restaurant called The Mooring Fish Café, where they make the best (and biggest) fish sandwiches with a complimentary views over the lagoon. The atmosphere is always amazing with live band and lots of people. It’s a very popular spot among tourists as well as locals.
In the afternoon I wanted to go paddle boarding on Muri Beach, but the wind was so strong that day, that I had real troubles to keep standing on that SUP! I couldn’t even get to smaller motu and explore it, because the wind was taking me anywhere, but not where I wanted to go. Ah well, I still did it and it counts, doesn’t it? In the evening we went for the last time to the Night Food Markets to eat all the prawns and coconuts! They are nowhere as fresh as here.
Day 7 - Relax
Our last day! Even though it’s been months since we left Rarotonga, it makes me sad to write about us leaving, because everything about this trip was amazing!
We were leaving at around midnight, which gave us the whole day to finally do what most people come to do here – relax! Jules was so nice and let us stay in the room all day, so we could take a shower in the evening after spending the day on the beach and leave our things there as well. Muri Beach is located on the east, so on our last day finally woke up to see the sunrise. Then in the evening we took a bus to the west side of the island to watch the sunset (for a change).
On the west of Rarotonga, we headed to the famous Black Rock Beach with magnificent basalt rock formations rising from the ocean. It’s historically and culturally significant site for the locals. Legend says that human spirits depart from this part of the coastline. It’s also a paradise for snorkeling or just relaxing on the soft sand. We briefly stopped by this beach during our biking quest around the island, but on our last day we spent here couple of hours because it’s so beautiful!
The west side of the island is a little bit different than area around Muri. The lagoon here is not as wide and long, so the edge of the ocean is much closer to the shore. As we were walking on the beach we noticed people stopping and pointing at something in the ocean. Suddenly we saw them too – humpback whales right at the edge of the lagoon splashing, jumping and having fun. Such a great moment on our last day! We got also great drone footage of whale mum and her calf. They were hanging out for some time and I don’t have to tell you that with the setting sun the look at the jumping whales was simply epic.
We had dinner in one of the beach clubs and then hailed a bus home, where we packed everything and had our last (but hopefully not least) beer on the terrace with Jules and Kave and their dogs. The van picked us up at midnight and our flight was at 2 am. Again we had to fly through Auckland and back to Sydney, but luckily the layover wasn’t too long.
So this was our Cook Island holiday, day by day. Sometimes I catch myself fantasizing about this place, because it was so great. If you get a chance to come here, go! For more tips and information, check out my article I wrote for We Are Travel Girls here.
Cook Island Travel tips
Transport
You have several options how to get around Rarotonga. You can hire a bike, motorbike or even a car for your stay, or use the public transport. There are buses going around Raro every hour clockwise and anti-clockwise. For one ride you pay 5 NZD and you pay cash directly to the driver. Buses come according to the “island time”, which means you are never sure when they arrive! Other good option is hitchhiking, which pays out well (sometimes you don’t even have to put your finger out and the lovely people of Cook Islands will offer you a ride).
Currency
Cook Islands use New Zealand dollar as their official currency, however, when paying cash at markets or in local bistros you can be given change in Cook Islands dollars. The coins are quite unusual and I dare to call them cute. I mean, triangle shape? They make a great souvenir to take home!
Many restaurants, resorts and local shops have EFTPOS terminals and there are few ATMs around the island, but still it’s a good idea to have some dollars ready beforehand.
Where to stay
Most accommodation in Rarotonga and Aitutaki is at the water’s edge and you can’t really go wrong with that. We stayed at Muri Lagoon on the east and I loved this lovely area especially the Night food markets. The capital of Raro is located on the north, where you will find the best markets, beach bars, some galleries and nice churches. The west enjoys the most epic sunsets and because the lagoon is not as wide, there’s a bigger chance of whale spotting. And on the south, there are some palm groves and also stunning corals for snorkeling. You really can’t go wrong staying anywhere!
Internet
Internet connection is not the best on Cook Island, as there are literally in the middle of the ocean. There’s only one provider Blue Sky and all the internet goes through a satellite (so it’s quite slow). There are wifi hotspots around Rarotonga, where you get online after buying a wifi voucher (which can be purchased online). We opted for travelers sim cards that we bought right at the airport (we always do it s it’s usually the most convenient). It cost 50 NZD for 3GB of data (which is quite a lot). For one week it was enough, but once you run out, you cannot re-charge. Simply put, Cook Islands is the place to stay offline.
Best time to go
The Cook Islands are located halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii, with the climate and environment similar to the French Polynesia. This island nation promises an amazing holiday although the prices are lower than what you would expect for example on Tahiti. As with any other tropical destination, the Cook Islands have 2 main seasons – wet and dry. The dry season lasts from April to November with the average temperature at about 25 degrees Celsius. We visited in August which is the peak season, yet it didn’t feel crowded. The temperature was nice and warm even in the evening and we got only half a day of rain during our one week stay.
Culture and Food
The Cook Islanders regard themselves as the true and first Polynesians – voyagers of the immense Pacific who, thanks to their perfect navigation skills searched for new lands. They arrived on their Vakas (big double canoes) to Rarotonga around 800 AD and you can see and feel their Polynesian roots anywhere you go. Their cuisine is all about the fresh produce of coconuts, papayas, taro and of course seafood, but there are also many varieties of eateries in Raro, ranging from gourmet cuisine to friendly take away bars and island-style cafes. You can also fnd here international restaurants, for example Chinese, Italian or Mexican.
Cook Islands are a true paradise, still quite untouched by masses. The environment wildly resembles tropical paradise of Tahiti, yet you are still able to travel on budget. If you get a chance, I highly recommend visiting this island nation. I am sure it’ll surprise and you will be coming back home full of ever-lasting memories.
Have you visited Cook Islands before? Or would you like to go based on this article?
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