Cook Islands

• Hire a motor scooter or a car to explore Rarotonga at your own pace.  It takes just 45 minutes to travel round the island. Or, for a more laidback island tour, jump on a local bus clockwise or anti-clockwise, and get a light-hearted commentary of the sites whizzing past from the driver
• Explore Rarotonga’s mountainous interior on a guided walk or on a 4-Wheel Drive safari
• Visit the vibrant Sunday morning markets in Rarotonga. Taste locally produced food and seafood, check out the fresh fruits and vegetables, and local handicrafts 
• Attend a church service at one of the many beautiful Cook Islands Christian Churches to hear awe-inspiring hymns and harmonies
• If a stay on Aitutaki is not possible, day trips operate including flights, island tour and lagoon cruise
• Relax on a lagoon cruise in Rarotonga or Aitutaki
• Book your spot at an ‘Island Night’ cultural show for an unforgettable cultural experience
• Try deep-sea fishing just outside Rarotonga’s main reef

Some of the experiences available in the Cook Islands are outlined below, but there are many, many more, so please ask for details of any other activity you would like to include during your stay.

Storytellers Eco Cycle Tour, Rarotonga

Storytellers is a great family-friendly tour offering an unforgettable bike-riding experience through lanes and tracks showing the history and heritage of this beautiful island nation.  Visit the many historical sites and drive past plantations hearing stories about the Cook Islands’ history and culture, including how the connection with the heritage underpins a deeper love and respect of the land’s natural environment, inherent within the DNA of the Cook Islands people. At the end of the tour, you are rewarded with a delicious local lunch and an option to cool down with a swim at a beautiful, secluded beach.   

There are three different tours to choose from that will best suit your comfort zone. The Discover tour is perfect for families and includes a nice lunch, and both the Explore and Excite tours include one-hour sunset cocktails.

Duration: 4.5 to 7 Hours

Highland Paradise – Ka’ara Island Night, Rarotonga

Set on a hilltop ridge in the village of Arorangi, sits part of a 600-year-old village site, that once was home to the tribe of the High Chief, Tinomana Ariki, but was abandoned in the early 1800s after the arrival, and acceptance of Christianity. To date, around 25 acres of the ancient village has been discovered and developed to share with visitors. Highland Paradise, also known by the locals as ‘the lost village’, is locally owned and operated by the descendants of those who once lived there. They look forward to welcoming you and taking you on a journey back in time to experience what the life of their ancestors was like.

The multi award-winning ‘Ka’ara Island Night’ offers an opportunity to experience and learn about the traditional, and spiritual past and present, through village cultural immersion, marae (sacred site) visits, a tapu lifting, and a warrior welcoming into the dining-hall. Then, as the sun begins to set, and you take your seat at the dinner table, you’ll be welcomed by your host and master of ceremonies for the evening, who will bless the food with a short prayer, before you enjoy the many local delicacies prepared for you in a traditional underground oven (umu). During your meal, you will be entertained by the E Matike dance group in their traditional costumes, who will perform many song and dance routines composed around the unique culture, history and legends of the village. All the dancers, musicians, chefs, barmen and guides are descendants of the village High Chief Tinomana Ariki and are proud to be a part of the extended family which brings this mountain village back to life.

Duration: 4.5 Hours

4WD Safari Tour, Rarotonga

This is a must-do tour recommended at the beginning of your stay on Rarotonga, a great way to really get a feel for the island. An experienced guide will take you on an exciting half-day adventure where you will discover the lush tropical interior of the island. You’ll visit some of the islands more remote places, including the green valleys of Avatiu close to the centre of the island. Along the way, you will see taro plantations – the taro plant is an important food crop throughout the Pacific. You’ll learn of its history and how it came to the Cook Islands. You’ll also learn about traditional land laws that govern the use of land, and how it is passed on from generation to generation.

The tour also takes you to some of the heights of Rarotonga’s more accessible mountains offering spectacular views of the coastline and lagoon. Throughout the tour, your tour guide will offer commentary on the history and traditions of the island, as well as notes on the many uses of the local flora and fauna in traditional medicine-making. You’ll visit an ancient marae, where the ancestors performed human sacrifices, investitures of chiefs and important meetings.

Duration: 3 to 3.5 Hours

Lagoon Cruise, Aitutaki

A lagoon cruise is one of the best ways to experience the beautiful lagoon of Aitutaki that measures about 19km wide and 18km long. It is fringed by tiny islets known locally as Motus with the main island of Aitutaki bordering its northern reef.

Your cruise includes a visit to Motu Akaiami— where back in the 1950s, it was a depot for the Coral Route, one of the most famous routes flown by TEALs flying boats. Then visit the volcanic island of Moturakau, joining the captain as he hand-feeds schools of Banded Damsels and Butterfly fish. See Giant Clams and plenty of Giant Trevallys. Your last stop for the day is the beautiful One Foot Island, where you will be served a picnic lunch consisting of fresh barbecued fish, and salads made from locally-grown fruit and vegetables. All this is complemented with the great entertainment by the crew on board.  From One Foot Island you can send a postcard from the world’s only registered post office located on an uninhabited island or, have your passport stamped with a One Foot Island stamp as a souvenir of your unforgettable Aitutaki experience.

Duration: 3 to 6 Hours

Punarea Cultural Tour, Atiu

You haven’t visited Atiu until you’ve visited Punarea!  You will embark on a truly unique Atiuan experience, exploring the local island culture passed down through generations. Enjoy the myths and legends of Atiu shared with you by your tour guide, and engage in different activities such as natural candle collecting, traditional food and tapa cloth making. Some of these activities are conducted on the Punarea cultural site.

Duration: 3 Hours

Eco-Adventure Anatakitaki Cave Tour, Atiu

The Anatakitaki Caves are home to the Kopeka birds which are unique to Atiu. These swift-like birds navigate in the dark by using an echolocating series of clicks, and nest deep within the magnificent, towering limestone caverns, with their huge stalactites reaching the cavern floor, and massive stalagmites that sparkle in the light and attract film-crews from around the world. 

On the tour, you’ll enjoy a challenging walk through the untouched tropical rainforest with your experienced guide, who will provide a brief description of indigenous plants, their traditional medicinal uses, the culture and history, and talk to you about the flora and fauna found in the makatea (raised coral) surroundings.

Duration: 2 to 3 Hours