WHY THE COOK ISLANDS

This website has a very strong connection with Oceania.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve done this: quickly rotated the globe and then stopped it with a finger.
For some reason (maybe it’s just down to statistics, given that around 70% of the planet is covered in water), my finger often ends up in the middle of the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean.
Looking better, it can even happen that you “touch the ground” of a small island or atoll that you didn’t even know existed.

That’s how I decided to visit some countries in Oceania.

The hardest part of planning a trip to this area, especially for those with limited time and a lot of interest, is deciding where to go.
There are hundreds of islands that make up the 25 or so nations that can be visited in this area, which covers almost a third of the earth’s surface.

I started by writing a list of all the countries and then asked why I should go to each one.
I then ranked my preferences and started to narrow the list down to almost a third.
At this point, I started looking at all the possible airline combinations, which defined my trip to Fiji, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tonga, Cook Islands and New Zealand.

The Cook Islands are often only considered a honeymoon destination, which obviously isn’t why I came here, even though I was travelling alone
If you look at a map of the Pacific Ocean, you’ll see a line that divides the world into two parts.
That’s the International Date Line.
Reaching the Cook Islands by crossing it can feel like you’re travelling through time.

To understand tthis concep, it’s helpful to think about time zones.
If you think about the Greenwich Meridian, you’ll see that moving east means moving the hands of the clock forward, while moving west means bringing them back.
This is until you reach the International Date Line, where ideally you’d meet two people who’ve travelled in opposite directions but at the same latitude.
Going through the few miles that separate two nations straddling the date change line means you’re looking at a time difference of 24 hours.

So, you can basically travel through time, living twice on the same day or not living at all on a calendar day.
That’s the real motivation for my trip to the Cook Islands.

I felt like Marty McFly and Doc in the DeLorean from “Back to the Future”.

My trip to Oceania also took me to Fiji, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tonga and New Zealand.

HISTORY

The Cook Islands were first colonised around 1000 AD by Polynesians from Tahiti.
The first Europeans to arrive were the Spanish in 1595.
Captain James Cook landed on Manuae Island in 1773 and 1777, naming it Hervey Island and claiming all the islands under the British crown.
The name Hervey was then used for the entire group of southern islands.

The first time we see the words ‘Cook Islands’ written on a map was in a Russian navigation map from the early 1900s.
This was in honour of the British captain, and the name stuck for the whole archipelago.

Since 2019, there have been various discussions about changing the name to something in the local language, but they haven’t reached a final decision yet.

In 1821, British missionaries arrived and Christianity quickly bacame part of the island’s culture.

The Cooks became a British protectorate in 1888 and then passed to New Zealand in 1901, until they assumed their present form of self-government in 1965..
They’re mostly independent, but they’re still officially considered to be under the sovereignty of New Zealand.
They can declare independence from NZ at any time.
Cook Islanders are New Zealand citizens, but New Zealanders are not citizens of the Cook Islands.

The Cook Islands are known as a a “tax haven” because of their low tax rates and lack of financial controls.
This has led to them being blacklisted by banks.

HOW TO GET TO THE COOK ISLANDS

The Cook Islands are a parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand.
In the event of a local government request, New Zealand also manages the country’s defence.
They have their own foreign policy.

This means that the link between Cook Islands and New Zealand is so close that most international flights to the Cook Islands pass through Auckland (from Australia, Fiji, Tonga and other countries).
At least once a week, Air New Zealand connects Rarotonga directly with Sydney and Los Angeles.

Air Rarotonga shares daily domestic flights with the New Zealand airline.

Virgin Australia operates flights from 11 Australian cities to Rarotonga, with a stopover in Auckland.

Some tour operators also organise excursions of about 10 hours to the more remote islands with lagoon cruises, snorkelling in the reef and so on.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the reasons I came here was the chance to play on the International Date Line.
I’d already booked a lot of flights, but this was the one I checked several times before finalising the payment.
I left Auckland at 08:45 on 21 August and arrived in Rarotonga at 14:35 on 20 August, four hours later.
Yes, the day before that.
On the way back, I said goodbye to the Cook Islands at 9.30 pm on 22 August and arrived in New Zealand at 12.05 am on 24 August.
That’s right, I never lived on 23 August.

So, “Back to the Future” is not just a movie, it’s reality.
I have travelled in time!

WHAT TO DO IN THE COOK ISLANDS

The Cook Islands are a small, unspoilt Polynesian archipelago made up of 15 islands covering 240 km².
The islands have a total population of just under 18,000.
The maritime territory is around 2.2 million km².

The green volcanic islands in the south (Aitutaki, Atiu, Mangaia, Manuae, Mauke, Mitiaro, Takutea and Rarotonga, where the capital Avarua is located) occupy almost 90% of the total area of the archipelago.
They are very different from the less populated coral atolls in the north (Manihiki, Nassau, Palmerston, Penrhyn or Tongareva, Pukapuka, Rakahanga, Suwarrow or Suvorov).

Rarotonga

Rarotonga Airport is the main international gateway for the Cook Islands.
About half of the population lives here.
You can use the bus going clockwise or anticlockwise around the perimeter of the island.
You can buy tickets on the bus and tell the driver where you want to get off. He’ll drop you off at the nearest point.
All the resorts, bungalows and B&Bs offer their guests a paid transfer to and from the airport, but this public bus is the cheapest option.

The interior of the island is characterised by mountains, green valleys and a forest with clear streams and waterfalls.
The south-west coast has lovely white sandy beaches overlooking a shallow lagoon, while the north-east coast is more rocky.
Rarotonga is surrounded by an extensive coral reef, which protects it from the Pacific Ocean.

Rarotonga is an excellent choice in the Cook Islands thanks to its natural beauty combined with the various activities available, a wide and varied choice of accommodation (from bungalows to luxury resorts), and a basic nightlife.

Aiutaki

Just an hour’s flight north of Rarotonga is Aiutaki.
This coral island, known as Little Bora Bora, is surrounded by a distinctive triangular lagoon, with lots of tiny islands called “motu” dotted around it.
The heart of the island is characterised by forests, coconut palms, banana plantations and tropical fruit.

Getting a driving licence

I know it sounds a bit unusual and funny, but even tourists need to get a driving licence from the Avarua police station if they want to use a vehicle.
If you’re planning to rent a car or scooter to get around the island on your own, this is a must.
Otherwise, you can use a bike, a taxi service or buses.

Activities

If you’re looking for something more than just relaxing in a hammock, spending hours in buffets and thinking of the Cook Islands as a huge resort in the Pacific Ocean, you’ll find plenty of other activities to do in this corner of Polynesia.

The most common and easiest activities are of course snorkeling, kayaking and sup.

There are lots of dive sites: temperatures are between 23°C and 28°C and visibility up to 60 metres.
You can see canyons, caves, coral walls and plenty of marine life (hundreds of species of fish, turtles, sharks, rays, etc.).
All of this makes the Cook Islands an underwater paradise.
Just a heads-up: always respect the recommendations on timing before and after your flight.

If you want to relax, you can also try fishing.

As many of the islands were formed by volcanoes, they are not just small sandy atolls.
The mountains, with their lush vegetation and dense jungle, are the perfect place to experience the Polynesian way of life, whether you’re exploring by bike, scooter, quad bike, off-road vehicle or on easy trekks.

Cultural events

Especially on Friday nights, Cook Islands nightlife explodes, involving tourists in traditional dances.

I usually stay away from these shows that I consider fake and designed only to give foreigners a stereotyped version of reality.

You can also visit villages that show aspects of tribal life on the islands before Christianity arrived: cannibalism, traditional dances, clothes and handicrafts (which are mostly sold as souvenirs).

WHERE TO SLEEP

The Cook Islands are often seen as a great place for honeymoons.
That’s why most of the accommodation is organised for this reason: there are lots of luxury resorts with private beaches, many even for adults-only.

I’m not interested in such hotels, so I won’t make a list of the various resorts without having seen them.

I chose to sleep at the Aroko Bungalow (it’s now called Muri Lagoon View Bungalows).
The bungalows are equipped with every comfort: kitchen, fridge, microwave, boiler, coffee and tea, bed covers, seas towels and a fan.
But the view over the ocean and the three motus of the lagoon is the best bit.
You just need to take a few steps to get into the water of Muri Lagoon.
I’d suggest it to anyone who wants to enjoy the beauty of Rarotonga without spending a fortune on luxurious treatments.

Just outside the entrance, there is a stop for buses that go around the island, including stop at the airport.
There are markets, diving centres, restaurants and shops nearby.
You can also find shoes of all sizes for entering the water, kayaks, masks and snorkels and deckchairs for sunbathing.

CONCLUSIONS

As I said before, I chose the Cook Islands mainly because I wanted to “travel in time”.
I didn’t come here on an all-inclusive honeymoon.
I wasn’t interested in spending my time in an extra-luxury resort with a private beach, 24-hours all you can eat and drink, candlelight dinners, a personal photographer and dancing the night away in a formal dress.

Maybe I was just tired because it was the last stop of my long trip in Oceania,
maybe Rarotonga isn’t the best island in the archipelago,
maybe the weather wasn’t perfect,
maybe I didn’t stay long enough,
maybe I didn’t find the ideal place,
maybe…
but yes, I’ll say it, I left the Cook Islands disappointed.

I picked a bungalow just a few steps away from Muri Lagoon and Muri Beach, which is listed as one of the most beautiful place in the world thanks to its spectacular beach and clear water.
I’m used to the sea in Sardinia and I had already seen a beautiful coral reef in Fiji and Tuvalu, but for me this is not sea.

Have you ever seen the classic photo of atolls, taken from a plane?
The dark blue is the ocean, which you can o only reach by boat for diving or simple snorkelling.
The light blue, almost transparent, is the lagoon.
The ocean and the lagoon are separated by a coral reef, but the currents are so strong that it’s difficult to get close because of the risk of cutting yourself on the coral.
On top of that, the lagoon, Muri Lagoon, is a great place to take photos but no so practical for other activities.
The water is only 20 centimetres ‘deep’, so you can’t swim.
You can walk around, but only with the right shoes, because the seabed is not sandy but full of stones and sharp corals. Kayaks and surfboards are great for easily reaching the small motu, the sandy islets where you can relax in the shade of the coconut palms.
Just in case there isn’t a club with music blaring…

When I have negative experiences on a trip, I always wonder if I might have done something wrong.
I’ll only know for sure when I get the chance to go back and check it out.

That’s why the Cook Islands are still on my list….