It rained on my Cook Islands holiday, I loved it

The Cook Islands is a great family holiday destination, even when the weather is unkind.

With its aquamarine waters and laid-back atmosphere, I’ve long believed that little can be done to improve a Cook Islands holiday. Of course, then Jetstar goes and launches direct 5.5-hour flights between Sydney and Rarotonga, eliminating all of my previous “drag children via Auckland” issues.

If our “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” flight is perfect, it seems the local weather did not get the memo, greeting us with strong winds and – gulp – rain. With reports suggesting our usual activities of swimming Muri Lagoon and snorkelling Aroa Lagoon Marine Reserve and Tikioki Marine Reserve is fanciful thinking, the question must be asked: “What exactly is there to do in Rarotonga as a family when the weather turns?”

Fortunately, Rarotonga is enjoying a period of growth. Since the pandemic, new eateries have opened, as well as new experiences such as Umu Experience and Ocean Drift Sea Scooter Snorkelling Safari. We check into a four-bedroom, self-contained poolside villa at Tuoro Holiday Villas near Black Rock, one of the best beaches on the island, and we draft a new plan to see an alternate version of our favourite family holiday destination.

Every Saturday morning, the Punanga Nui Market with its lively food and craft stalls is considered the place to be, but today, tents and tarps are being carried away with the gusts. Seeking shelter, we stumble across Aladdin’s Cave, a large antiques warehouse which opened in 2021. It sells Art Deco jewellery, mid-century furniture and collectable books, making the unexpected experience not unlike shopping in Bowral or Blackheath – but with lower prices.

Rarotonga might be a nirvana for canines (and chickens), but one woman intent on changing all of that is Shannon Paul, owner and manager of the new Paws n Claws Cat Sanctuary. Out on her Matavera property, we cuddle some of the 46 cats she has road-testing the facilities as she tells us about her uphill battle, not only funding the cost of desexing and caring for the felines until they’re rehomed, but about educating the locals on the value of keeping cats as pets. Happily, visitors are only too happy to donate cash, pet food and toys when they visit.

The Punanga Nui Market with its lively food and craft stalls is considered the place to be. Picture: iStock.

After we treat the kitties, we then treat ourselves by catching a Marvel movie at Empire Cinema Rarotonga. The price for a family of four, plus popcorn? Thirty-five dollars total.

Mountainous Rarotonga is famous for its hikes, but the ominous clouds put us off attempting some of the more challenging options such as the Cross Island Trek and Raemaru Trek. In between eating our body weight in poke and ika mata (Charlie’s is a favourite, as is the home-cooked selection at Wigmore’s Superstore) we opt for a 90-minute, family-friendly Walkabout Tour with Ice-Cream with Corinna Tucker, managing director of Storytellers Eco Cycle and Walking Tours.

Shepherding us inland where bushes and trees are heavy with tropical fruits, Corinna enthrals us with tales of the island’s at-times dark history and its culture as we learn to husk coconuts and identify which fruits we can forage and eat. The post-tour ice-cream could be the cherry on top, except we each have pocketfuls of tamarind pods and surinam cherries in our hoodies when we go to play a round of mini golf at Aumata Mini Golf.

We board our Koka Lagoon Cruise for our four-hour tour. Picture: Cook Island Tourism.

Moving into a self-contained villa at Muri Beach Resort, on the Muri waterfront, we realise that for many locals, it’s business as usual despite the frosty temperatures. The Muri Night Markets are as vibrant as ever, and the island’s famous lagoon cruises continue to operate.

“I bet you all arrived this morning thinking to yourself, ‘nah!’” laughs our captain as we board our Koka Lagoon Cruise for our four-hour tour.

He’s not kidding; despite the spectacular waters (the glass-bottom boat tour includes a snorkel stop), only one third of passengers brave a dip, but we all make the most of the island barbecue feast and cultural lessons.

The mud course at Raro Buggy Tours is obscenely deep and gooey. Picture: Cook Island Tourism.

The rain, as it turns out, has its benefits. The tropical greenery at Maire Nui Gardens and Cafe – home to the best cheesecake you’ll ever taste – is lusher than ever, while the mud course at Raro Buggy Tours is obscenely deep and gooey. The vehicle isn’t exactly a roadster with all the safety bells and whistles (let’s just call it an island relic) so there’s a little apprehension on my part about having my 10-year-old seated beside me. Much to everyone’s disappointment, I first drive the dry course and then the wet-course like I’m ferrying a thousand priceless Fabergé eggs, mud drenching us at every turn as our guide occasionally hoses my goggles down as I drive past so I can see.

Later that evening at Te Vara Nui Village, where we take our seats for their much-loved overwater show and buffet dinner – highly recommend – we can’t help but reflect on how the unusual weather has shown us a side to the island we might otherwise never have experienced.

“So, do you want to come back?” I ask my girls. In unison, the response rings cloud and clear: “When?”

The writer and her family travelled courtesy of Cook Islands Tourism and Jetstar.

Originally published as It rained on my Cook Islands holiday, I loved it