Rarotonga Travel Guide

 Jim_Eliason Says:  Highland paradise is a cultural village based not on reproduction but actual archeological finds of a tridtional village of Cook island Maori. Prior to the arrival of Europeans the CI maori lived in the mountains for protection against enemies only coming down to the coast... 

 pure1942 Says:  Given our location just one minutes walk from Aro'a beach, we took full advantage of some local advice and went to explore the beach at night. There is an amazing variety of wildlife to be seen with the help of a strong torch all along the beach and you won't have to go very... 

 pure1942 Says:  You won't have to go far to sample the delightful Rarotongan sunsets. Stunning sunsets can be enjoyed from the northern, southern and of course the western shores of the lagoon. While the hills in the centre of the island would undoubtedly offer the best views of the sunset,... 

 BurgerQueen Says:  We visited the Tamarind House Restaurant for dinner, it was suggested by some italian people living in Rarotonga. The atmosphere is quite sophisticated, I see on their website that the restaurant also organises weddings and special events. If you are travelling on a budget,... 

 NatashaKamikaze Says:  I have discovered Les Palmiers in Muri beach quite by chance. It is new and not very well advertised but really worth visiting. has a little outdoor garden with pleasant music and a rock waterfall as a backdrop, inside is cool, spacious the whole one side is open to a... 

 Honek Says:  Occupying the main floor of the Rarotonga Sailing Club, this airy, nautically decorated restaurant offers a variety of salads, sandwiches, and "island fries" -- sweet potato, taro, and banana. At dinner the chef turns his attention to fresh fish and vegetables, plus mussels... 

 salisbury3933 Says:  Not many airlines fly to Rarotonga, but Air New Zealand does. From NZ it feels much like a domestic flight really.Since I wrote this tip over 5 years ago, Air NZ has also introduced a Sydney-Rarotonga service. 

 DONBURGESS Says:  One of the first things to do on the island is to go and hire your self a scooter or motor bike, they are the best wya to get around the place, they cost from around $12 nz a day, very cheap. Having a scooter means that you can just get up and go any time you like, want to... 

 pure1942 Says:  With the vast expanses of ocean which separates the individual Cook Islands, air travel is the only viable option to travel between the islands. Air Rarotonga offers a fairly comprehensive schedule servicing the islands. The most important routes for visitors will be the... 

 pure1942 Says:  The Cook Islands have officially used the New Zealand Dollar since 1995 and all New Zealand notes and coins can be used in the Cook Islands. However, the Cook Islands do have some coins and even notes that are still in circulation and can still be used as legal tender in the... 

 pure1942 Says:  There are 5 languages spoken throughout the Cook Islands but Cook Islands Maori and English are the two official languages. Cook Islands Maori is the language most often heard on Rarotonga along with English which is widely spoken. The language is closely related to New... 

 Tusitala Says:  Vaka Eiva (literally Canoe Festival) is held in Raro each November. It is an international week-long event, drawing teams from Oz, NZ, Hawaii, Fiji, Tahiti, Guam, etc, as well as local CI teams.Polynesians have a seafaring tradition on great canoes going back over 5000 years... 

 Paullee Says:  1. We got asked by staff at Aroko Bungalows (Muri Beach) to pay for our accomodation in cash because they "want to avoid the taxman". The owner lives across the road in a plush house overlooking the water. No wonder their countries infrastructure is absent. We talked to...