The Cook Islands - Rarotonga recap with pictures!
There is so much to share! Like I said before, we had an absolutely amazing time in the Cook Islands. It was definitely a dream vacation - I would highly recommend it to anyone.
The Cook Islands are often compared to Tahiti, before Tahiti became crowded with tourists. The country is owned by New Zealand and is comprised of 15 islands. We spent our time on two of the islands, Rarotonga and Aitutaki. Rarotonga is the biggest (6 miles from end to end) and most populated (10,000 people) island in the Cooks and has the most to offer in terms of restaurants and stores. Aitutaki on the other hand is much smaller, with a population of only 2,000 people!
The majority of the tourists come from New Zealand and Australia. On several occasions Patrick and I were the only people from the US! We were able to meet so many people from all over the world - it was such a neat experience! We became friends with a great couple from Australia, a family from Finland, and believe it or not, a couple from Seattle!
The most dangerous "animals" on the Cook Islands are bees, wasps, and mosquitos:) The only animals that are on the island are obviously cats and dogs and farm animals. Isn't it crazy that no other "wild" animal has been introduced to the islands???
The locals were extremely friendly, open, and willing to share about their culture and their country (especially on Aitutaki). It was hard for Patrick and I to get used to "island time", which is soooooooooooooo slow! They definitely move at their own pace. Going to a restaurant was typically a several hour affair. Often it would take about 30 minutes to get our drink order. It was crazy, especially when we are so used to the fast-paced life. Island time was actually a blessing in disguise (as frustrating as it would be at times!) because it made us totally chill and relax the entire vacation:)
The easiest way to recap our trip is with pictures. With that said, here goes!:)
We left Seattle and had to fly to LA. There is only one flight a week that goes to the Cook Islands and it leaves from LA. If you live in Florida and want to go to the Cooks you would have to fly to LA first. Because of our flight timing we actually had two days to spare in LA. We spent most of the time visiting my family and laying out my pool. These two pictures are of Patrick and I at LAX, before our flight left for the Cooks. We already look so tan in these pictures! It probably helped that we spent most of the day by the pool before our flight left.
After about ten hours we arrived in the Cook Islands. It is actually winter right now so as our flight landed at 6am it was still very dark outside. Here is the airport on Rarotonga as we were getting off the plane "Welcome to the Cook Islands"
We spent six nights on Rarotonga, at the Rarotongan Beach Resort and Spa. The resort was okay, definitely overpriced given that the rooms were completely outdated. However, the beach in front of our resort was beautiful and had the best snorkelling on the entire island.
One of the highlights of the trip was renting a scooter. It was soooo much fun! In order to rent a scooter on the islands you have to get your Cook Island license. It costs $10.00, you have to take a quick scooter driving test, and you have a wonderful souvenior. I rode on the back of Patrick's scooter (I was too scared to drive my own) , however I still got a drivers license:) It was such a wonderful and fun way to see the entire island! It is worth mentioning here that they drive on the opposite side of the road than we are used to:)
It was really windy and a few storms passed through during our first few days on Rarotonga. With the exception of that the weather was fabulous (mid-80s). We did lots of exploring, laying out, kayaking, and snorkelling.
We went on a Safari tour, which was a fun way to see the island, especially way up in the "mountains." The view was incredible of the lagoon.
We went on a Nightlife Tour, which was basically a bus that took you to all the local bars and clubs. We had a blast! We had a small group of friends that we spent the entire night with. We also went to several Island Nights, which are drumming and dance shows put on by the locals. Patrick and I had to go on stage and dance at one of them - Patrick was mortified, but he was a great sport (considering that he doesn't like to dance)!!!!
Here are just some random shots from Rarotonga...
See the kite surfer??
We went to the Saturday market, which was a neat way to meet the local artisans and try some authentic Cook Island food.
Our last day on Rarotonga, outside our resort lobby.
Off to Aitutaki! I will post the Aitutaki recap in another post since this one is getting really long. Thank you so much for reading my recap:) Of course there is so much to share and this is just the condensed version.
Oh, and I have to give another shout out to Jessica (
teacher_jessica) who honeymooned in the Cook Islands - thank you Jessica and Brad for all your wonderful suggestions:)
The Cook Islands are often compared to Tahiti, before Tahiti became crowded with tourists. The country is owned by New Zealand and is comprised of 15 islands. We spent our time on two of the islands, Rarotonga and Aitutaki. Rarotonga is the biggest (6 miles from end to end) and most populated (10,000 people) island in the Cooks and has the most to offer in terms of restaurants and stores. Aitutaki on the other hand is much smaller, with a population of only 2,000 people!
The majority of the tourists come from New Zealand and Australia. On several occasions Patrick and I were the only people from the US! We were able to meet so many people from all over the world - it was such a neat experience! We became friends with a great couple from Australia, a family from Finland, and believe it or not, a couple from Seattle!
The most dangerous "animals" on the Cook Islands are bees, wasps, and mosquitos:) The only animals that are on the island are obviously cats and dogs and farm animals. Isn't it crazy that no other "wild" animal has been introduced to the islands???
The locals were extremely friendly, open, and willing to share about their culture and their country (especially on Aitutaki). It was hard for Patrick and I to get used to "island time", which is soooooooooooooo slow! They definitely move at their own pace. Going to a restaurant was typically a several hour affair. Often it would take about 30 minutes to get our drink order. It was crazy, especially when we are so used to the fast-paced life. Island time was actually a blessing in disguise (as frustrating as it would be at times!) because it made us totally chill and relax the entire vacation:)
The easiest way to recap our trip is with pictures. With that said, here goes!:)
We left Seattle and had to fly to LA. There is only one flight a week that goes to the Cook Islands and it leaves from LA. If you live in Florida and want to go to the Cooks you would have to fly to LA first. Because of our flight timing we actually had two days to spare in LA. We spent most of the time visiting my family and laying out my pool. These two pictures are of Patrick and I at LAX, before our flight left for the Cooks. We already look so tan in these pictures! It probably helped that we spent most of the day by the pool before our flight left.
After about ten hours we arrived in the Cook Islands. It is actually winter right now so as our flight landed at 6am it was still very dark outside. Here is the airport on Rarotonga as we were getting off the plane "Welcome to the Cook Islands"
We spent six nights on Rarotonga, at the Rarotongan Beach Resort and Spa. The resort was okay, definitely overpriced given that the rooms were completely outdated. However, the beach in front of our resort was beautiful and had the best snorkelling on the entire island.
One of the highlights of the trip was renting a scooter. It was soooo much fun! In order to rent a scooter on the islands you have to get your Cook Island license. It costs $10.00, you have to take a quick scooter driving test, and you have a wonderful souvenior. I rode on the back of Patrick's scooter (I was too scared to drive my own) , however I still got a drivers license:) It was such a wonderful and fun way to see the entire island! It is worth mentioning here that they drive on the opposite side of the road than we are used to:)
It was really windy and a few storms passed through during our first few days on Rarotonga. With the exception of that the weather was fabulous (mid-80s). We did lots of exploring, laying out, kayaking, and snorkelling.
We went on a Safari tour, which was a fun way to see the island, especially way up in the "mountains." The view was incredible of the lagoon.
We went on a Nightlife Tour, which was basically a bus that took you to all the local bars and clubs. We had a blast! We had a small group of friends that we spent the entire night with. We also went to several Island Nights, which are drumming and dance shows put on by the locals. Patrick and I had to go on stage and dance at one of them - Patrick was mortified, but he was a great sport (considering that he doesn't like to dance)!!!!
Here are just some random shots from Rarotonga...
See the kite surfer??
We went to the Saturday market, which was a neat way to meet the local artisans and try some authentic Cook Island food.
Our last day on Rarotonga, outside our resort lobby.
Off to Aitutaki! I will post the Aitutaki recap in another post since this one is getting really long. Thank you so much for reading my recap:) Of course there is so much to share and this is just the condensed version.
Oh, and I have to give another shout out to Jessica (
teacher_jessica) who honeymooned in the Cook Islands - thank you Jessica and Brad for all your wonderful suggestions:)