Are the Cook Islands the South Pacific’s best-kept secret?
There are no traffic lights, no fast-food outlets and no chain hotels. No wonder this South Pacific nation is popular with those seeking peace and sunshine.
Simmering in a tropical heat, the Cook Islands gently sizzles the senses. It starts before touchdown when that aerial view appears through the clouds, where the sunlit greenery seems to melt into the turquoise ocean. What a sight for sleepy eyes on an overnight flight on Jetstar.
Next comes the cheery tunes of a ukulele, playing as soon as you enter Rarotonga Airport, to entertain new arrivals in the slow-moving queue. Resort reps greet each guest with an “ei” (better known as a lei) made from gardenias and jasmine. Inhaling this intoxicating scent, holiday mode is activated with one deep breath.
Wearing a flower crown, local icon Aunty Nono is among the welcoming committee brightly dressed in floral outfits. A few chickens are running around the terminal, adding to this delightful experience of crossing over to the Cooks way of life.
More signature sounds of these shores – roosters, rustling palms, waves lightly lapping – tickle my ears as I reach my beachfront hotel. Before too long, tastebuds will be tingled by pawpaw, curried banana, ika mata (raw tuna marinated in lime and coconut milk), and probably a cold beer or nu (young green coconut) sipped straight from the shell.
The allure of this Polynesian paradise is its simplicity. There are no traffic lights or stop signs, no big brands, fast-food outlets or chain hotels. Guaranteed by a government mandate, buildings are no higher than the tallest coconut tree. Modern touches are on the rise, though; the nation’s first elevator was installed in 2023.
The only slightly confusing part is trying to understand how we arrived in the morning of the day we departed Australia in the evening, less than six hours ago. Due to its location east of the international dateline, the Cooks’ time zone is closer to Los Angeles than Sydney.
This South Pacific archipelago comprises 15 islands, which is tiny compared with Hawaii’s 137, Fiji’s 330 or Indonesia’s 17,500. Driving is the best way to get around, even for a nervous rental car driver. With the speed limit ranging from 20-50km/h, and nobody honking their horn, the biggest danger would be falling asleep at the wheel.
It takes 50 minutes to drive around Rarotonga, the largest island, on its single-lane coastal road. For public transport, there are two buses – running clockwise and anticlockwise – departing hourly, except on Sundays, and one of the routes stops in the afternoon, so you might have to go the long way around.
A minibus does hotel pick-ups for the progressive dinner tour, which visits three houses for entree, main and dessert. Run by Cook Islands Tours, this laid-back event offers home-cooked meals with local families, accompanied by musicians along the way.
At our first stop, Aunty Nono is waiting on her veranda with a table of colourful dishes, from sliced mango to purple kumara. Younger relatives pour plastic glasses of moscato (served at room temperature, because they don’t drink) before showing us around the huge garden, including the family burial plots. The second site is Aunty Ana’s carport adorned with fairy lights for a feast of chicken, pasta, salad and vegetables. To end the night on a sweet note, Aunty Susan’s gazebo is full of cakes, pavlova, pineapple pie and pumpkin pudding.
Our hosts say grace before each course and tell stories about their culture. They lament the number of young people moving overseas seeking “greener pastures”. Some do end up returning home to work in tourism and the industry’s contribution to the GDP is 70 per cent, with visitors staying an average nine nights.
Sitting with a group of New Zealanders, who have been coming to Cooks for 20 years, I can’t help laughing when they say it’s become “too busy”. As a Sydneysider, it feels the opposite to me. “Raro” is more like a seaside country town than another Kuta or Honolulu.
All the five-star accommodation is waterfront on spotlessly clean beaches. Little Polynesian Resort has a panoramic view that makes me gasp. The perfect lineup of the ocean, the lagoon and the infinity pool paints a three-tone masterpiece of blue. Fringed by windblown trees and gardens, this sublime vista spans from the poolside restaurant to the row of adults-only beach huts.
Reef shoes, snorkelling gear, kayaks and paddleboards are provided to explore the calm and shallow waters, almost from your doorstep. After a swim, most guests don’t stray far from their private decks on the edge of the white sand. I’m secretly happy when it rains one morning so I have an excuse to skip my sunrise hike and spend the whole day at Little Poly.
Cooks’ second-most visited island is Aitutaki, but it comes first in global lists of the world’s most beautiful lagoons. It’s right in front of my face when I check into the best bungalow, Villa 100, at Tamanu Beach Resort. The covered balcony’s rectangular dark wood frame makes it look like a huge television with a glowing screensaver of an AI-generated tropical idyll.
I head straight for the sea and float blissfully on my back until I have zero cares left in the world. Any remnants are rubbed away with a mango oil massage at the hotel’s spa. Aitutaki has got me so relaxed that when the housekeeping staff walk in on me in the shower, I barely react. I just smile and keep on lathering the pina colada shampoo. My fault for forgetting to hang the Do Not Disturb thong on the door. Nothing can disturb me now.
I don’t even care when I sit on my sunglasses, snapping them in half, on the way to the Vaka Cruise. I congratulate myself for packing a spare pair, ready to board the 25m catamaran. The vessel is so “state-of-the-art, brand-new”, says the crew, that it hosted a retreat for government leaders attending the Pacific Islands Forum. Also doable as a day trip from Rarotonga, on a tour operated by Air Rarotonga, this six-hour cruise visits three unspoilt motus. The most spectacular is Tapuaetai (One Foot Island), where you can walk along a sandbank at low tide or snorkel among turtles and giant clams. Gazing at the iridescent, ultra-clear water is another main activity. Some people get their passport stamped at the world’s most remote post office, located on this secluded islet. Vaka crew offer the service on board, too. But be warned, this type of novelty stamp can invalidate your passport, so consider getting your hat or book stamped instead.
Tamanu Beach is sparsely lined with other hotels, and their bars and restaurants are open to the public. Strolling in from the sand, I enjoy the catch of the day at Resort Tava’e, ideally positioned for sunset. Further down the road, Pacific Resort Aitutaki has a treehouse-inspired, thatched-roof restaurant and the outdoor Barefoot Bar. The family-owned Avatea Cafe is worth the 20-minute drive inland. This is where I find the friendliest staff, a cosy vibe with live music, and the best ika mata and fish curry.
Returning to Rarotonga for my flight home, I take a jetski tour with TVK Watersports. Hitting speeds up to 90km/h, it’s twice as fast as driving on the island. The guide takes videos and points out landmarks, teaches me how to do doughnuts, and yells “whale ahead” when a humpback surfaces about 100m away.
With a flick of its tail, the whale waves goodbye before vanishing deep underwater. It’s not the final farewell. When I drop off my car at the airport, Aunty Nono is there again, wishing me a safe flight home to less green pastures.
In the know
Jetstar has 5½-hour direct flights from Sydney to Rarotonga, departing 9.30pm. Crossing the International Date Line, it arrives in the morning (about 7am) of the same day of departure.
Air Rarotonga operates 50-minute flights to Aitutaki up to five times daily. The airline’s Aitutaki Day Tour runs Monday to Saturday, departing Rarotonga at 8am and returning
at 5.30pm.
Little Polynesian Resort is on Titikaveka Beach, Rarotonga. Rooms from $NZ750 ($697) a night.
Tamanu Beach Resort is on the west coast of Aitutaki. Rooms from $NZ650.
Cook Islands is sunny year round. For less chance of rain, the dry season runs from
April to November.
Louise Goldsbury was a guest of Cook Islands Tourism.
If you love to travel, sign up to our free weekly Travel + Luxury newsletter here.
To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register
Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout