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Published: April 16th 2010
Warning: The pictures might be a bit repetitive, but I simply just can't get enough of beautiful beaches. Although I tried to capture the beauty of the Cooks Islands with my photos, it is an impossible task, as in reality they are even much more stunning. Get a glimpse of paradise by clicking on the first picture to enlarge it and browse through them all Cooks Islands - Islands of Desire
As most ATW travelers have a stay-over at Fiji and we haven't heard many positive stories about this holiday destination, we decide to go to the Cook islands instead. We stay one week on the main island & capital
Rarotonga and one week on
Aitutaki, a very small island surrounded by one of the world's most beautiful lagoons. The stay on the islands marks the highlight of our trip: laid back island life, uncrowded picture postcard perfect white sandy beaches,crystal clear turquoise water and an unbelievable underwater life offering the best snorkeling I have ever experienced. Especially
Aitutaki is probably most people's quintessential of a dream island and indeed we felt like being inside a big screen-saver. The cook islands are much less commercial than Fiji and therefore
still offer plenty of opportunities of getting into contact with locals and learn about the culture of the Cook Islanders which is similar to the Maori one. To cut a long story short, we felt being in heaven for 2 weeks.
Basic information about the Cooks Islands The fifteen small islands in the South Pacific Ocean are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. They were first settled in the 6th century CE by Polynesian people, visited by Spanish ships in the sixteenth century, and 'discovered' by Captain James Cook in 1773, who first named them Hervey Islands, before they were named after him in his honor later on. The main tourist destinations are Rarotonga and Aitutaki, hardly any tourists make it to the other islands like Atiu and Mangaia which both lack a proper tourist infrastructure. The Northern island Suwarrow was made famous by the New Zealander Tom Neale. In the book 'An island to oneself', which I read before arrival, he describes his all alone one year stay on the island in the 1950s. The island now is only inhibited by a park ranger half year, the only way to get to there is
by private boat.
When to go It's best to avoid the cyclone season that can last till the beginning of April. Aitutaki in fact was hit by the strongest cyclone in decades in February and we still could see completely destroyed houses and broken palm trees. High season with the best weather and best underwater visibility (up to 60m) is in July/ August.
Where to stay There are not many budget accommodations on the Cooks, however Rarotonga backpackers (http://www.rarotongabackpackers.com) and Matriki beach huts in Aitutaki (http://www.matrikibeachhuts.com) offer basic but very nice and clean beach front units fully equipped with a kitchen. They are both very affordable and self catering brings costs further down.
Our itinerary
Rarotonga is the capital of the cook islands with a population of 8000 and an area of 67 sq km (32 km around). The island has green mountains in the inner part and is encircled by a turquoise lagoon. The best way to enjoy the beautiful scenery is from the air: on the 30min scenic flight in a 4 seater we get to see the lagoon and mountains from close by, an unforgettable experience which is worth the extra money. Cross
island walks bring you to a waterfall and viewpoints. The island best can be explored by scooter. To be able to do so, I had to get a cook islands driving license first. You usually have to pass a little driving test at the police station. In my case the ‘test’ was already my ride from the rental company to the police station without a license, as I found out. ‘Did you drive down here?’ -Yes. Ok, here is your license, 20 dollars please. You are allowed to drive 50 km/h with and 40km/h without a helmet.’ It’s that simple.
Without a doubt, the best snorkeling can be found in the lagoon in front of the Rarotongan resort, as fishing is prohibited there and apparently the fish are fed by the resort. In fact I have never seen so many exotic fish all at once, not even on all my dives at the great barrier reef, Thailand or the Philippines combined. Due to the lack of predators the fish are not scared of you, so you can basically swim in a huge school of fish. The snorkeling there also beats diving at the North of the island outside of the
reef with a visibility of 15-30m. However diving is supposed to be better in the South of the island, and in July/ August visibility can be as high as 60m(!)
Besides a Friday party night in town (Avarva), we go to an island night, a show with traditional music and dance with a buffet of local food, one of the ‘must-do’ activities on the Cooks. Although I am normally not into that kind of touristic activities, the food was delicious and I have to admit I liked the costumes, dancing and ukulele sound of the happy cook islanders performing.
We stay at the affordable & recommendable Rarotonga Backpackers (http://www.rarotongabackpackers.com) at a beachfront unit equipped with a kitchen and a big balcony only 10 meters away from the beach. For many hands full of dollars more, you can also get pure luxury in paradise: Rumors of Romance (www.rumors-rarotonga.com) offers a private swimming pool to each beachfront villa with a waterfall, a hot spa pool for stargazing at night and a private movie theater room with a 2.5m screen.
Aitutaki is a slice of paradise and represents the perfect picture postcard island: crystal clear turquoise waters, colourful corals just beneath the
surface and white sandy beaches. It is one big real life screen-saver. The island of only 18 sq.km is surrounded by one of the world's most beautiful lagoons in which another 15 tiny islets are situated. The vibe of the island with only a population of 1800 is even more relaxed and friendly than in Rarotonga with people greeting you when you pass by. Cruises on the beautiful lagoon are the major tourist draw. The main islets visited on a cruise are Maina (great snorkeling around), Honeymoon island, the film location for TV reality shows Survivor and Shipwrecked, and one foot island.
As a tourist gag, on the latter you can get a stamp in your passport in the smallest post office the in the world, a little hut on the beach. Besides lagoon cruises, despite of the small size of the island there are many other things to do: a short walk to the highest mountain Maungapu (124m) offers nice views on the lagoon. Best swimming can be found on O'otur beach at Samade bar, close to the upscale Aitutaki Lagoon Resort & Spa on the small islet close by. You can go to the hotel bar at the
beach to check it out. Going to church on Sunday (10am) is another great experience: we appreciate the island's spirited hymn singing and locals being dressed up in white and wearing beautiful heads.
The flight to Aitutaki is an unforgettable experience. When flying in the small plane, it's best to get a window seat on the left hand side in the very front of back of the plane to have the best view when approaching the island.
We stay at Matriki beach huts (http://www.matrikibeachhuts.com) which is the one and only budget place to stay on the island, despite of it not being mentioned by the Lonely Planet, as the author couldn't find it during his last visit. The owner Matthias, a German expat spending most of his life in Australia, New Zealand and the Cooks, is a great guy and will make you feel like home immediately. Matriki is situated on the west hand side of the main island and offers the best snorkeling right in front of your hut. Matriki consists of only 4 huts, therefore the number of guests is limited and the atmosphere is very personal. In fact all the guests there were really nice and we
felt like a big family for our entire stay. Within only one week, we had a wedding of our neighbours in front of our hut, had BBQs with them, stayed on a deserted mini island with all the guests (we+7 others), went fishing, learned how to free dive, went night snorkeling, guitar jammed with Matthias and simply enjoyed the simplicity of the beautiful island life. If you however prefer privacy, the place is great as well, as they huts are separated from each other with plenty of space in between. Most other luxury resorts we have seen looked rather impersonal and a certain relaxed island vibe seemed to be missing. So even with more money to spend on accommodation, we would still stay at Matriki beach huts.
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Stephanie and Andras
Stephanie
Enjoyed your blog!
I was reading through looking at photos of various potential honeymoon destinations when I stumbled on this incredibly informative entry, so I thought I'd drop a comment to say how much I appreciated reading your take on the place (and for pointing out the Matriki Beach Huts - I'm definitely going to have to look into that). Thanks! Sounds like an amazing time. Happy travels! - Stephanie