| Tuesday | 21st | Rarotonga | |
| Wednesday | 22nd | Rarotonga | |
| Thursday | 23rd | Rarotonga | Turtle Tour |
| Friday | 24th | Aitutaki | |
| Saturday | 25th | Aitutaki | Lagoon Tour |
| Sunday | 26th | Aitutaki | |
| Monday | 27th | Rarotonga | |
| Tuesday | 28th | ||
| Wednesday | 29th | Sydney | |
I can’t remember how or why I got the idea in my head to visit the Cook Islands.
A friend had been and it looked beautiful, and Jetstar had cheap flights to Rarotonga.
My parents said it was boring and there wasn’t much going on, but I guess we needed to make that judgement ourselves.
When I couldn’t get the leave to do a longer trip to Indonesia, I decided it was time to check out the Cook Islands.
Tuesday 21
When the day finally rolled around, I drove to my friend’s place, dumped the car, and we were off, headed to the airport.
We arrived nice and early so we’d have time for shopping and a cheeky dinner stop at McDonalds, before boarding JQ113 for Rarotonga.
The return flight to Rarotonga cost us about $790 each (with bags).
We boarded around 2100 and by 2130, we were off.
It definitely wasn’t as easy an overnight flight as we had to Kuala Lumpur when we were starting our trip to Borneo but it was fine.
We had plenty of snacks for the flight and charge on our devices to help us pass the time.
By about 0700 (the same day, we had our first glimpse of the Cook Islands.
At 0715, right on time, we landed in Rarotonga, and while there was a tiny bit of stuffing around with customs and immigration, it didn’t take us a long deal of time to get moving.
We were going to rent a car for a day to tour around the island, but ended up extending it for the three days we were on Rarotonga.
We ended up at Avis and paid $180 for the three days.
By about 0800 we were on the way.
We made a b-line to the hotel – a short ten minute drive away.
We ended up staying at Edgewater Resort and Spa.
It cost us $336 for one night – not cheap but we did have a big room with a view.
The hotel is right on the water but on closer inspection, it’s not really a great place to swim. It’s a reef and so rocky and shallow.
Anyway, we were chancing when we went to the hotel, knowing that check-in wasn’t until 1300.
The girl behind the desk said the room wasn’t ready yet but offered us breakfast.
She said we could come back around midday and try again.
We took her up on the breakfast offer, before taking a bit of a look around the hotel grounds.
After that, we got changed and hopped back in the car to start exploring the Island.
Five minutes down the road we stopped off at Beluga for a quick coffee break before continuing on our way to find somewhere for a swim.
About ten minutes south along the coastal road from the hotel we came to Aroa Beach.
We were pretty shocked at how beautiful it was, and by the fact that there was basically no one at the beach.
We spent a couple of hours at the beach sunning, swimming and droning, before hopping back in the car and continuing to Wigmore’s Waterfall.
Entry is about $5 each IF you’re in a car. You can walk up for free.
The ticket booth wasn’t very official, but we weren’t really up for a fight.
The waterfall was pretty small and VERY fresh.
It’s not super impressive but it was nice to see and jump in for a quick dip.
It was also cooler up there and nice to have a break from the searing heat.
After a short while, we were back on the road, heading to our next swim spot – Papa’aroa Beach.
Again we were shocked to see that such a beautiful beach had hardly anyone at it.
It was hot and beautiful and the water was amazing.
We spent about an hour and a half chilling before we started getting hungry.
Just a couple of minutes down the road, we stopped at Charlie’s Raro for lunch.
The kitchen was about to close so we got our orders in and then sat back and enjoyed the view.
I wouldn’t say Charlie’s is fancy, but it was a beautiful setting and the food was pretty good. The portions were huge.
Lunch and a couple of drinks only cost us about $50 so that was a win, too.
After lunch we had a bit of a play with the drone at the beach, before heading back to the hotel to check out our room.
It was already 1700 so we had a quick rest before getting ready for dinner and a sunset cocktail.
Apart from its location to the airport, and the fact we thought we MAY be able to check in early because it was a big hotel, we chose the hotel because on Tuesday nights it puts on a “cultural feast” and show.
It wasn’t cheap – about $70 per person – but if we hadn’t had such a late lunch I think we probably would have got more value for money at the buffet.
After dinner, the guys did their song and dance, but by that point our eyes were hanging out of our heads and we were very ready for bed.
Around 2200 we crawled back to the room VERY ready for a sleep.
Wednesday 22
We didn’t have anything much on our agenda for today so we had a long, lazy morning.
We had breakfast at the hotel, then packed up and checked out.
We were going to spend the next two days at Muri Beach – which Google told me was the most popular place to stay on the Cook Islands.
We had our night on the west coast (to catch the sunset and cultural show) and now we were ready to explore a different part of the island.
Before heading east, we decided to hike up to Te Rua Manga, or The Needle.
It’s about half way along the cross Island hike.
We were feeling lazy, and because we’d already had a look at the southern side of the hike (Wigmore’s waterfall is at the beginning), we decided to try to tackle it from the north.
Apparently it’s shorter but steeper. And Steeper it was!
It didn’t take long for us to be clambering up the muddy path towards The Needle.
The route isn’t SUPER well marked – especially the beginning, but we seemed to work it out easily enough.
We made it up in a little less than an hour – the last part – climbing up to the top of The Needle was definitely the scariest.
We were rewarded with amazing views so it was worth it.
We even managed to get the drone up to get a better view of the 413-metre-high volcanic pinnacle.
We were back down by 1245 and before long we were back in the car to continue exploring the island.
We made a quick stop at Black Rock – which wasn’t super impressive – before continuing south to Muri Beach.
Around 1330 we checked into our “hotel”.
We had booked two nights in Manea on Muri which was super basic but it was the cheapest we could find.
It cost us $530 for two nights for a little bungalow near the lagoon.
We had a view from our balcony and the room was pretty spacious but it was far from fancy.
We wandered up the street to Paradise Backshop for a pie and mango smoothie before heading back to test the water.
Our little room was about 10 metres from the lagoon. There was a little pool but we skipped that and hopped straight in the water and swam over to explore the islands.
We had a wander around Oneroa before continuing south to Koromiri.
Swimming against the current was no mean feat.
Thankfully, the return trip was easier to manage.
The water was warm and clear but the healthy local population of sea cucumbers was a bit unnerving.
About 1700 we were back at the hotel giving us just enough time for a quick turnaround before dinner.
We were heading up to the Muri Night Markets – a short ten-minute walk from the hotel.
The markets only run from 1700-2000 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday) and apparently are prone to run out of snacks, so we wanted to make sure we didn’t miss out.
We had some loaded fries and some sort of Asian extravaganza before grabbing a couple of crepes for dessert.
We were probably home around 2000 ready for a doomscroll and early night after another long, action-packed day.
Thursday 23
A friend had suggested we try to do a turtle snorkelling tour. She said it was the highlight of her trip to the Cook Islands.
We’d left it pretty late to organise and were struggling to secure an operator.
Everything runs on Island time, which is great for a chilled break, but not so much if you’re prone to trying to be organised.
We messaged a few places via email, text and instagram.
Eventually we found Green Turtle Tours. We saw them on a booking site and were able to secure instant confirmation, but we decided to send the guy a message regardless, he was the first to message us back and so he won our business. I have his contact details if anyone’s looking for them.
It was a private tour and cost us $123 each.
He sent us a location and told us to be there at 0700 (which wasn’t going to be hard given our early night and jetlag.
I don’t know why, but for some reason I was surprised at what was waiting for us when we arrived.
Just a man, a motorbike and two pairs of flippers.
For some reason I thought there’d be a boat involved.
Anyway, there wasn’t.
We left our gear in the car, walked across the road and into the water. In retrospect, a boat probably would have been a farce – we only had to swim about 100 metres before the adventure really began.
It didn’t take long for us to spot our first turtle.
We hugged the west side of the Avaavaroa Passage before heading back along the east side.
We saw dozens of turtles and a whole heap of stingrays too.
We also saw plenty of coral and all sorts of different fish.
Doing the trip at sunrise was also pretty special. It was warm and still and whenever you pulled your head out of the water you’d see the sun rising over the distant mountains.
Eric, the Frenchmen guiding us, was also a bit of a laugh, he was super enthusiastic and very happy to take heaps of pictures and videos of us and for us.
Paying for the private tour also meant we were able to go at our own pace and beat the crowds.
By 0930 we were done and dusted and around 1000 we were back on the road – very ready for breakfast.
We ended up at Tiare’s which was a cool little cafe in a homestead with live music.
After that, we did a loop around the Island to check everything out.
We stopped in the main town for a bit of a look around before continuing to the Avaavaroa Passage to get the drone up.
Finally we headed back to Muri Beach for a swim in the lagoon.
There were free kayaks at the hotel so we took one out for a bit of a paddle before heading home to relax and get ready for dinner.
We had booked to go to Nautilus for dinner – a fancy resort just down the road from where we were staying.
Dinner was nice but perhaps not as fancy as the price would have you think.
They did accidentally bring us cake to celebrate our (non-existent) anniversary, which was a nice added bonus.
Friday 24
I got up early to head down the beach in front of the hotel for sunrise. It wasn’t great but I’m glad I did.
After that we packed up our gear and hopped back in the car.
We had a quick stop to get petrol then continued on to the airport.
We dropped the car off and checked in for our flight to Aitutaki.
We had a snack at the one cafe at the airport before wandering across the tarmac to our plane.
Air Rarotonga was our only option and at 0830 we were on the plane ready for our short flight.
At 0900 GZ-1612 was taking off.
The Flight cost us NZD 1116 or around $920 but there’s no competition, so we had no choice.
There are a heap of flights a day so you can probably save a little bit of money if you’re flexible but I think you’d be lucky to get a cheap flight.
We arrived 50 minutes later and were met at the airport by a nice lady from the hotel.
We ended up staying at Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort – which cost about $3000 for three nights.
The setting and staff were amazing but the room was just fine.
For that much money I had expected fancier.
The hotel was only five minutes from the hotel, so we were there in no time.
Decked out in our flower leis, we were given fresh coconuts as welcome drinks.
It was only 1030 and our room wasn’t ready just yet so we had a wander around the resort.
We decided to head back to the “mainland” for a snack and decided on Cafe Koru about a five minute walk from the hotel.
As the name suggests, the hotel sits on a little island, so you need to take a barge across the strait every time you want to return to the main island.
We had a nice brunch, and by the time we got back to the hotel, our room was ready.
We decided to take a couple of Stand Up Paddleboards out in the afternoon to explore the lagoon.
We had a swim and explored a couple of the neighbouring beaches before heading back to the resort to get ready for dinner.
We paddled past Blue Lagoon Beach Bar and Resort while we were out exploring and decided to try that for dinner.
It’s only open for a couple of hours (1700-2000) a night and we’d read a lot about the importance of making a reservation.
We arrived a little earlier than our reservation and had a cocktail while we watched the sun dip down over the lagoon.
Dinner was decent and by 2100 we were back at the hotel ready for bed.
Saturday 25
We got up and headed to the hotel restaurant for an early breakfast before our boat trip out on Aitutaki Lagoon.
We did a lot of research and after being knocked back a few times due to availability, we settled with Silent One for our private tour.
We wanted to go private to avoid the crowds and have the flexibility to keep our own schedule.
It cost us $760 for a half day tour but it was worth it.
We didn’t see another person all day until lunch time, where there was another couple.
After cruising through the lagoon for a while we came to our first stop – a snorkel spot to see some giant clams.
Next up a quick stop on a random pontoon, for some more snorkelling.
After that we stopped off at a long sandbank joined to Honeymoon Island.
I managed to get the drone up for a better view before continuing on our way.
It was a bit cloudy and so the colours weren’t as vibrant as they may have been, but it was still pretty epic.
We had a couple more snorkelling stops before checking out Moturakau, or “Survivor Island” where they apparently filmed a season of the reality TV show Survivor.
We had a wander around and put the drone up again before continuing on our way.
Before tearing off into the distance our guides introduced us to one of their friends – a giant fish that was more like a dog than something you’d find under the sea.
It was swimming around playing and coming over for pats. Very strange but cool.
Our next stop was another pontoon in the middle of nowhere. We hopped in and were pretty shocked to find we were surrounded by huge fish – Giant Trevally.
That was a pretty cool, if not unnerving experience.
They dropped us off on a big white sandbank and we walked the rest of the way to One Foot Island.
We explored the island and had a swim while they prepared lunch for us – and what a spread! So much food, which was just what we needed after a morning of swimming (and being terrified of the massive fish).
After a bit of droning and a couple of photoshoots we were back on the boat, headed home.
We had a quick stop at Motu Akaimi along the way for a swim before continuing back to our resort.
It wasn’t a cheap day out but it was worth it for the flexibility and speed at which we were able to zip around and see everything.
Our hosts were great, too.
In the afternoon we took the hotel kayaks out for a run before heading back to the room to get freshened up for dinner.
We decided to try the restaurant at the hotel. It wasn’t bad but probably expensive for what it was. But then, that’s the story for everywhere on the Cook Islands we found.
Sunday 26
We had a lazy start today without anything much on the agenda.
We had tried to rent a car to explore a bit but because it was Sunday (and we were disorganised) everyone was at church.
In the end, we didn’t get the car until about lunchtime.
It was about $120 for the day and we couldn’t quite work out whether we were supposed to fill up the car or not before returning it..
We had a bit of a drive around the island – checking out some lookouts along the way.
We stopped off at Aretuki Lookout before continuing on to the town.
Given it was a Sunday, not a lot was open or happening, but it was nice to have a look around all the same.
Next up, we drove up to Piraki Lookout.
It wasn’t great but something to see.
We then decided to do an entire loop around the Island.
Part of the road was pretty rough, overgrown and unused.
We got the drone up at Tautu Wharf but it was a bit cloudy and I don’t think we were able to catch the beauty of the lagoon.
Finally we decided to hike up Maunga Pu Summit.
It’s also very overgrown and a bit scary (thank god there are no snakes on the Cook Islands.
We waded through the thigh high grass until we popped out at the top of the hill at a Vodafone tower.
The views weren’t great but it was worth hiking up to have a look.
Apparently Pacific Resort was the fanciest hotel on the island, so we stopped in there in the afternoon for a cocktail.
Randomly, because it’s sunday you need to order food with your drinks, so we had some token chips before heading out on our way.
For dinner we headed to The Boat House. It was more relaxed than the other places.
It was busy and the service wasn’t great but they were nice and it was quick and easy.
Monday 27
Our flight wasn’t until lunchtime so we had a long lazy morning chilling at the hotel.
We checked out at 1000 and left our bags and decided to go for one last drive around the island.
We stopped off at Avatea Cafe for a quick coffee before continuing our loop drive.
Around 1130 the hotel dropped us at the airport ready for our flight back to Rarotonga.
At 1240 GZ-1615 took off and we were on our way.
We landed at 1330.
We had tried pretty hard to secure a car for the afternoon but it had been Sunday and impossible to get anyone to reply to us. When they did, early Monday, all the answers were the same: “no”.
The taxi from the airport, ten minutes down the road to our hotel was $40. Again, nothing is cheap, but we were happy just to get there.
The hotel was $254 and while it was far from fancy (and our room smelt like a (clean) toilet), it did the trick.
The room was ready when we arrived, so we dropped our things off and headed straight for the pool,
The “resort”, like most of the Cook Islands, was full of drunk, middle-aged Kiwis. So that was interesting to watch.
Without wheels, we decided to have a very lazy afternoon at the pool, before getting done up for our last Cook Islands dinner.
We ended up at Tamarind House which is housed on a big property in a heritage colonial house with sweeping views down to the lagoon.
The setting was super nice, but typically, the prices were high and the service was appalling.
My friend also got sick from her meal (but ordered something suspicious so…).
We were home in bed by 2100 ahead of our early start the next day.
Tuesday 28
We’d organised a taxi to pick us up around 0630 to take us to the airport.
We stopped off at the post office on the way and by 0700 we were there.
There was a bit of a line up for check in but it was all pretty painless.
Given Jetstar is without snacks or entertainment we had some toasted sandwiches before heading through security.
The airport is tiny without much to do so we wandered aimlessly for an hour or so before it was time to board.
At 0900 JQ112 took off en route for Sydney.
We lost a day because of the international dateline, and at 1235 on Wednesday 29th, we were touching down.