The 13 essential things to do in the Cook Islands

Have you ever dreamed of discovering Polynesia? Leave the beaten paths and go to the Cook Islands, South Pacific Ocean Jewelry!

If travelling to the other end of the world tempts you, know that while staying in the Cook Islands, you are almost there! Located northwest of the South Pacific Ocean, the Cook Islands is an independent State, in free association with New Zealand. The archipelago consists of two distinct groups. The southern group has nine volcanic and atoll islands, including the capital island, Rarotonga. The northern area has six coral atolls. Mangaia Island, located the southernmost and Penrhyn atoll, the northernmost, are separated by more than 1,500 km. The capital of this paradise archipelago responds to the sweet name of Avarua.

The Cook Islands are not just postcard landscapes, mixing fine sand, coconut trees, turquoise water and lush forests. On this archipelago the Maori culture meets the New Zealand relax. Singing, dance, polynesian traditions and rugby fields of an acidulated green, it is also that visiting the Cook Islands! You will also appreciate the profound respect that people have for their environment, which they have been able to protect from mass tourism and its ravages.

Welcome to heaven, the real!

1. A singing and dancing show in Rarotonga

Visiting the Cook Islands is being able to combine natural and cultural treasures. Maori culture is seen in many ways, but singing and dancing are the most common modes of expression. If you hear, in the evening, spelling melodies, it is normal! Often organized or improvised shows take place on the beaches or in some hotels and restaurants. You will be intoxicated by the subtle blend of Maori dance and Polynesian music.

Each island has developed its own style of dance, so free to you to make a cultural tour of the archipelago to compare performance!

2. Water sports in Muri Beach

Located west of Rarotonga Island, Muri Beach is known for its water sports that can be practiced in a quiet water protected by the reef.

What to do in the Cook Islands? Between snorkeling, canoeing, canoeing, kayaking or paddle, you will only have the embarrassment of choice to pierce the mysteries of the lagoon waters! You can even try at it yoga-paddle !

3. The southern islands in sailboat

To visit the Cook Islands in the softest way, choose the sailboat. The southern islands of the Cook Islands form a bouquet of beads that it is quite easy to connect during a boat trip.

4. Aitutaki’s lagoon

What to do in the Cook Islands? Get into heaven! If there is a edging on earth, it is Aitutaki! Then, in this case, the only activity is to admire the place where one is and to take the measure of the beauty of the landscapes that the Earth carries within it. The arrival by plane already gives an incredible sensation!

5. Punanga Nui artisanal market in Avarua

Polynesian culture is also craftsmanship. Want color and good mood? Come and visit the Cook Islands by taking a tour of one of the local artisanal markets, such as Punanga Nui, which is held every Saturday morning in Avarua. Apart from hats and beetles, you will also find all local food products.

The market is also an opportunity to meet the inhabitants of the island and the many Kiwis.

6. The Mass

What to do in the Cook Islands? Go to Mass! Whether you are a believer or not, the weekly event not to be missed is undoubtedly the Sunday Office. Whatever the chosen church, you can appreciate the conviviality of this moment, filled with respect, openness, spirituality and kindness.

7. Traditional cuisine

Visiting the Cook Islands is also discovering local culinary traditions. Register for a course in the form of a progressive dinner . This is an itinerant cooking class, in which you will go to meet local culture. You’re designing an entry at your first host, taking part in the development of a buffet at the second, and finishing with a delicious dessert at your third teacher. In this way, you mix discovering the local population and its traditional cuisine in a fun and friendly setting.

Whether you’re discovering local cuisine on the occasion of a progressive dinner or on the night market of Muri Beach, in terms of ingredients, you’re sure that the choice is limited. Therefore, if you don’t like fish and exotic fruits, your stomach may find long time! For others, taste it ika mata , which is a dish based on raw fish marinated in lemon and coconut milk. In dessert, it is quite common to consume poke , kind of pudding composed of exotic fruits and decorated with coconut milk.

8. The deserted beaches of Atiu

If the beaches of Atiu are deserving, they have the advantage of being deserted and similar to a postcard landscape. If contemplation does not seduce you very much, you will also be able to enjoy your fierce day of a small sport cut by going to hike in the forests of Atiu.

9. Rarotonga Island by stop, bus, scooter or tuk!

Rarotonga Island has a perfectly circular shape. To move around, you must follow the road that forms a ring around the island, on a length of 35 km. You can organize a small tour of the beaches and villages of Rarotonga following one of the bus routes ( clockwise or anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti clockwise ) or tuk tuk, or renting a scooter. The stop is also one of the national sports!

Whether you’re alone or four, you shouldn’t be too hard to find a charitable soul that takes you from one point to another. Everyone follows the same road, so it's all about his neighbor!

10. Cruise to explore the lagoon

To take advantage of the least square centimetre of the lagoon, embarking for a short cruise in the transparent waters of the Pacific can be an interesting solution. Go to Muri Beach, Rarotonga, where it will be easy to find a boat full of glass or another type of boat.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to try at snorkeling since your arrival, you will have all the leisure to give you this activity in the lagoon of Titikaveka, south of the island.

11. A plane ride

What's better for visiting the Cook Islands and enjoying its beauty? To measure the splendour of this archipelago, the color of the water, the contrast between volcanoes and lagoons, the aircraft is the best of the means. Unforgettable memories!

12. Hiking

What to do in the Cook Islands to get your legs down? Keep the hike going through the island, the needle , Mount Te Rua Manga that exceeds 400 m. It is best to do this hike in dry weather, otherwise you may be in the mud! Apart from the beautiful view you will admire halfway, you will cross the river, cross a waterfall and wind through the forest.

Count between three and four hours of walking. Amateurs and mountain bike enthusiasts can also enjoy themselves in the heart of the island.

13. Don't do anything!

You are at the other end of the world, in a heavenly setting! And if you take advantage of it to do nothing! To visit the Cook Islands is also to relax, meditate, breathe, contemplate...

If there is a place where you have to break up with your daily life, it’s good here!

How to go to the Cook Islands?

By plane from France

To get to this heavenly destination, you doubt it, you will have to fly! When you want to go to the end of the world to visit the Cook Islands, you have to be patient. You will not crowd the South Pacific archipelago in just a few hours. Count two stops and 34 hours of travel to Rarotonga. You will make a stopover in Asia (Shanghai, Singapore) and/or the United States (Los Angeles), then obligatoryly in Auckland New Zealand.

You will have understood it, the ideal is to combine a trip to New Zealand with a passage to the Cook Islands. This will allow you to take a break. Quitte à avoir fait tout ce route, tant prendre des divers attractions de cette région du globe ! If you want to stay in another island of the archipelago that Rarotonga, you will have to add a flight again. For example, count an hour to go from Avarua to Aitutaki.

To take advantage of the best rates, turn to flight comparisons, like Ulysses . In addition to matching the offers according to several dates or starting points, you will benefit from the best rates offered by the companies.

Getting around on Rarotonga Island

Once you are on the capital island, you have at your disposal two bus circuits , one that makes the tour of the island in the direction of the needles of a watch ( clockwise ), the other in the opposite direction ( anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti-anti clockwise ). Count an hour to tour the island. You can also rent a car , a scooter or a stop.

Where to stay in the Cook Islands?

Although the islands of the Cook Islands are not of a large size and despite the small influence of tourism in the region, you will not be able to find accommodation. Between rooms at the living room, house rentals and hotel rooms, you will stay in a pleasant setting, no matter what. To help you make your choice, you can search for the best value for money on a Compare hotels . If you want to start your stay by Rarotonga, the nicest corner is Muri Beach.