The Cook Islands are a self-governing overseas territory of New Zealand located in the south Pacific Ocean. Made up of 15 islands stretching across 236 square kilometres, the Cook Islands are home to 18,000 people. More than 70% of them live on the main island of Rarotonga.
On my mission to visit and share every country and territory in the world (a total standing at 269), I sometimes end up booking trips to visit some of the world's most remote places and undertaking serious bucket-list worthy adventures.
We are basing ourselves in Australia for a year, traveling around the country in a campervan. Given it's the biggest country in Oceania, it's also the perfect opportunity to visit some of the many islands surrounding it across the Indian and South Pacific Oceans.
I spent six weeks backpacking around Australia back in 2019, one of my first solo adventures and my first on a one-way ticket. During my two years I would end up living down under, mostly based out of New Zealand, I also visited Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Samoa, scratching the surface of these fascinating island nations dotting great expanses of open ocean.
Māori inhabited the Cook Islands from around 800 AD, first landing here in vakas (giant double-hulled canoes) from Tupua'i (present-day French Polynesia). From Rarotonga, the Māori made their way onward to New Zealand. Captain Cook sighted some of the islands in 1773 which would eventually become named after him in 1823.
The Cook Islands were annexed by New Zealand in 1901, even though most of the traditional Māori chiefs opposed this. The first Prime Minister of the Cook Islands was elected in 1965, Sir Albert Henry, at which time the Cook Islands became a self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand. It now looks after itself except for in international relations and defence, which is still under New Zealand responsibility.
Of the 15 islands in the territory, we visited two: Aitutaki and Rarotonga. These are the most-visited; Aitutaki being famous for its lagoon and Rarotonga being the main island. I also wrote a complete guide to visiting Aitutaki to complement this blog post.
→ Check out my complete guide to visiting Aitutaki!
As Rarotonga is the largest and most populated island in the Cook Islands, it also serves as the main capital for administration, politics and industry, as well as being home to the Cook Islands' international airport.
Rarotonga comes from raro (down/below) and tonga (south), demonstrating the geographic location in Polynesia and likely referring to how Rarotonga was seen in relation to other islands for navigation purposes. The island has been home to Polynesians for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.
We spent three days on Rarotonga; here is my complete guide:
Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to Rarotonga. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: Rarotonga has two official languages, English and Cook Islands Māori in the Rarotongan dialect. English is the administrative language while Cook Islands Māori is used as the every day local language.
Currency: The currency used in the Cook Islands is the New Zealand dollar, denoted as NZD $, alongside Cook Island coins shaped like triangles. These coins cannot be used outside the Cook Islands, such as for money exchanges.
→ Check out the reel I made about the pretty currency in the Cook Islands!
I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in NZD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between NZD $ and your local currency.
The Cook Islands rely heavily on cash so while card is accepted at most hotels and large restaurants, you'll need cash for entry fees, shopping and markets.
Data/WiFi: I usually travel with an eSim, but these are currently not available in the Cook Islands. You can pick up a Vodafone Sim with a travel data plan at the Rarotonga International Airport, the only cell phone provider in the territory.
There is WiFi available at some restaurants and hotels on Rarotonga. Rarotonga offers Vodafone WiFi hotspots which require prepay access.
Visa: There are no visa requirements to visit the Cook Islands. All arrivals receive a 31-day permit on arrival (New Zealand passport holders get 90 days) so long as they meet entry requirements. Cook Islanders are citizens of New Zealand and carry a New Zealand passport with the possibility of receiving a special stamp in their passport that signifies they are of Cook Islander decent.
Time of year to visit: The Cook Islands have a wet and dry season. It can get really rainy and muggy, so I'd really recommend visiting during the dry season from May to October. We visited in December, as it worked best with our schedule, and had about 50/50 rain and sun.
Length of stay: We spent a week in the Cook Islands, half on Aitutaki and half on Rarotonga. In hindsight, we would have booked five days on Rarotonga with a day trip to Aitutaki to see the lagoon; four days there was too much for us as it's a small island with not much to do.
By flight: The main way to reach Rarotonga is by flight. Rarotonga is the main island in the Cook Islands and therefore has the international airport from which smaller planes connect on to the other 14 islands.
You can reach Rarotonga by direct flight from Auckland, New Zealand; Sydney and Brisbane, Australia; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; and Tahiti, French Polynesia. For the best views the island, the best side of the airplane to sit on when flying into Rarotonga is on the right side.
If you want to visit any of the other islands, such as Aitutaki, you would then transfer onto an Air Rarotonga flight (booked separately) to connect to the other islands.
By boat: It is possible to visit Rarotonga by cruise line. There is no ferry between the islands of the Cook Islands as they are all so far apart.
Flying into Rarotonga
Rarotonga International Airport
Rarotonga is the largest island in the Cook Islands, measuring just over 67km² and home to more than 70% of the population. While most of the other 14 islands are atolls, Rarotonga is a volcanic island in the shape of a kidney bean with just one main road circling the perimeter (and a few small inland roads). You basically get around Rarotonga in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction, with the entire loop taking less than an hour either way.
By scooter: A popular way to explore Rarotonga is with scooter, as the locals do. However, in order to be able to rent and drive a scooter, you need to get a Cook Islands visitor's license first, available at the police station. You will need to sit both a theory and a practical test to get this license, plus pay a small fee.
By car: The next best way to explore the island is with a car, making it easy to get around at your own pace, stopping whenever and wherever you like. The speed limit is 50km/h around the island (and 30km/h in Avarua, Muri Beach and school zones) so it's super chill driving here. You don't need a local license for renting a car, just an international one.
Be aware that rental cars are limited on Rarotonga, so it is strongly advised to book this in advance. It's easiest to rent one from the airport.
By bus: There are two yellow public buses that run in each direction around the island. However, we didn't find it to be very reliable; we had tried to catch it from the airport to our accommodation and we waited over an hour after it was scheduled to arrive and it never came. (Instead, we got a lift from a friendly local in the back of his truck!)
→ Check out the Rarotonga public bus schedule.
By guided tour: On our last day, we booked a really cool jeep tour to explore a bit more inland, which are usually no more than rough gravel roads. We were hoping to reach Te Manga, the island's tallest peak, but the rain was too strong and our guides felt it was unsafe to head that far up. I've written more about this under "Best Things to do on Rarotonga".
The bus station outside Rarotonga Airport
Catching a ride because the bus never came!
For our stay on Rarotonga, we wanted to be near Muri Beach as it's central to lots of the things we wanted to see and do. Having said that, it takes less than an hour to circumnavigate the island in either direction, so you're never really too far from anything.
We checked into Kura's Kabanas for three nights, located on the beach next to Muri Beach. Stand-alone beach huts served as our comfortable rooms with our own bathroom and kitchen. We didn't meet any of the staff as it was all self-check-in. There was free WiFi available and parking right outside our room.
→ Book your stay at Kura's Kabanas.
→ Check out other places to stay to suit your budget and accommodation type.
Even though it's an island, and islands can always be hit or miss with what they have available for food, we were so impressed with the options on Rarotonga. We had so many delicious meals and didn't even have time to try every restaurant on our list!
Breakfast
Before we snorkeled the Avaavaroa Passage, we had breakfast at Tiare's, a cute, airy spot in Muri Beach. They're also open for dinner on Mondays and Fridays.
Cafés
We loved the coffee and crêpes at the aptly-named Coffee Crepe Station. They're attached to and owned by the same people who run Saigon Shack.
Smoothies
What's more island-vibe than a refreshing smoothie? We loved the smoothies at Body Fuel Cafe in the north, which we had after a snorkeling session. We had the self-proclaimed biggest smoothies on the island at Sea Monster Cafe before an early morning flight. On the Juice Bar in Muri Beach whipped us up yummy juices for our drive around the island.
Body Fuel Cafe
Sea Monster Cafe
On the Juice Bar
Dinner
We had some amazing dinners while on Rarotonga. On our first night, we visited the Muri Night Markets which has loads of stalls with food from around the world (open Tue-Thu and Sun). It's a local favourite and always busy!
We LOVED the food at Saigon Shack, a Vietnamese street food restaurant with amazing pho and rice paper rolls. The owners also run the Coffee Crepe Station next door so you can get coffee and dessert after.
The Tamarind House Restaurant is a lovely, beachfront spot with cute decor and a real island vibe. They served a seriously good vegetarian lasagna and the service was excellent. Worth dressing up for!
On our last night, we dined at the restaurant attached to the Nautilus hotel. It's a bit more fancy than other restaurants on the island, overlooking the grounds of the hotel.
Saigon Shack
Tamarind House Restaurant
Nautilus Restaurant
We spent three days on Rarotonga and tried to squeeze in as many of the island's attractions as we could. As we visited during the rainy season (Nov-Mar), we had about half sunshine and half rain, so we did activities that accommodated the weather. I'd recommend visiting during the dry season as most things to do on Rarotonga are best experienced in the sunshine!
Laze in the water at Muri Beach
Probably the most famous beach on the island, join in with the way the locals do and simply laze about in the shallows of the beach. Muri Beach overlooks the Muri Lagoon and has really calm, clear, protected waters.
Swim at Black Rock Beach
This was one of our favourite beaches to visit on Rarotonga. Located on the northwest side of the island, just around the corner from the airport, the beach is named for the stark black volcanic rocks that litter the beach, surrounded by some of the clearest water you'll ever see.
Snorkel the Avaavaroa Passage
This was probably our favourite thing we did on Rarotonga. The Avaavaroa Passage is a strong underwater current that is usually teeming with marine life, thanks to the abundance of food the waves bring in. We spotted turtles, eagle rays (my first ever!) and so many beautiful fish. It was truly outstanding.
→ Check out the reel I made about snorkeling the Avaavaroa Passage!
You can only snorkel Avaavaroa Passage with a guide for safety reasons. We did a tour with Sea Pace Rarotonga and loved it (even though it went by way too quickly!).
Visit the Maire Nui Gardens
The Maire Nui Gardens are near Muri Beach with seven acres of tropical gardens. The owneer, Hinano Macquarie, brought inherited land back to life in 1996 with an array of organic and traditional plants. There is also a cafe on site.
Go on an inland tour of Rarotonga
I mentioned this in the "How to Get Around Rarotonga" section. On the last day of our trip, we booked a half-day jeep tour with Raro Safari. While we were easily able to explore the ring road which traverses the perimeter of Rarotonga, we also wanted to explore a bit more inland on the unsealed roads. We weren't able to get up to Te Manga due to heavy rain making it unsafe, but we still really enjoyed learning about the history and culture of Rarotonga from our local guides and getting shown around the island.
Key spots we visited included Arai-Te-Tonga, an important marae (meeting point) and koutu (royal court) dating back to 1350 AD, the waterless Wigmore's Waterfall, and the Garden of Seven Stones, which tradition says represents the seven founding canoes of the Māori people.
A jeep of Raro Safari
Drove past Cook Islands SPCA where you can volunteer to walk dogs
Wigmore's Waterfall
You can just about see Te Manga through the clouds
Arai-Te-Tonga
Garden of Seven Stones
Get a massage
We went for a late afternoon massage because it was pouring with rain and it just seemed the perfect, cozy thing to do. Of course, you can go whatever the weather!
I can highly recommend the Waterfall Spa, attached to Reflections Villas, which offers massages, facials and other beauty and wellness treatments.
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
