Honestly, I’m still processing how good it was. (We (myself and my partner Sam) went in April 2026 a week after the main school holidays – so overall it was quiet).
Rarotonga is the main island of the Cook Islands, three and a half-ish hours from Auckland. We’d loosely planned on a bit of everything, relaxing, hiking, snorkelling, eating… but what it actually turned into was an exploration and foodie trip, with enough beach time to remember we were on holiday. No regrets. Some trips plan themselves once you get there, it goes against my instincts but buys right into the way Sam likes to tackle life – it worked well!
Getting there
We flew Air New Zealand both ways and they were faultless. The flight home was on one of the bigger aircraft and we’d booked Premium Economy, which ended up being a genuine highlight of the trip for me. Room to stretch out, awesome food, epic service – after six nights of island time it was the nicest possible way to come back down to earth. Highly recommend!
The feel
Touristy but untouched is the best way I can describe it. You can look out at a postcard lagoon, turn around, and see dense misty jungle. Next to the resort is a shack and a fruit stand with some local dogs, nearby a family happily cooking dinner outside a original looking island home. It didn’t feel commercialised. It felt like people lived there and we were just respectfully passing through.
The pace they call “island time” is real. Everything moves slightly slower than you expect. Nobody’s in a hurry. Even the airport runs on it. Again, I was worried this would clash with my somewhat perfectionist personality, to always be on time, to have everything planned, and to always feel in control – being able to let go of all of this was an unexpected and welcome respite from the faster pace life back in Auckland.
The people
This is the thing everyone told us about and they weren’t exaggerating. Everyone waves. Everyone smiles. We didn’t meet a single person on the island who wasn’t warm.
One night our rental car battery died. I asked a guy nearby if he had jumper leads – he didn’t, but he helped anyway. Pulled the battery out of his own car, put it in ours to start it, then swapped them back. Half an hour of his time. He was a mechanic on his way home, still covered in oil from work. He wouldn’t let us buy him a drink to say thanks. While this was happening, another local on a scooter pulled up to ask if we also needed help.
It’s how they do it there – it felt really unique and special to us – but for them I suspect it’s just a part of existing in their warm culture.
The weather
Hot, humid, and occasionally dramatic. It rained a few times and when it did it came down hard – then stopped just as fast. It never once made us change plans or even really feel the need to reach for a jacket. If anything the rain broke the humidity and made the next hour feel a little less sweaty.
Where we stayed: Te Manava Villas
Te Manava is a 13-villa boutique property at the quiet end of Muri Beach, and it’s as private as it sounds. Our villa had a plunge pool, full kitchen, BBQ, and a covered outdoor lounging area. Super clean, well looked after, everything worked. It’s marketed as 5-star and it is, but it doesn’t feel overdone – you’re basically in your own little house with the beach out front.
When I booked I actually considered it in the mid-upper range, there was certainly far more expensive places to stay.
Te Manava shares ownership with Pacific Resort Rarotonga just down the road, and there’s a free shuttle between the two. That meant we had the self-catered privacy when we wanted it and the resort beach, bar and restaurants when we didn’t. Best of both worlds. We spent a lot of time at the Pacific… the food, the staff, the location and having Muri Lagoon right out front made it a spot that became a bit of a home base for us during the day.
A HUGE shout out to Ana at Te Manava – she basically ran the place from what we could see and was one of the warmest people we dealt with the whole trip. We joked a few times about bringing her home with us!
Muri Beach and Aroa Lagoon Marine Reserve (outside The Rarotongan)
Muri is where we spent most of our beach time, sitting out the front of Pacific Resort. Shallow, calm, beautiful. Not heaps of fish life in our time there, so we treated it as the lounging and swimming beach rather than the snorkelling one. Paddleboards, kayaks and gear were all available.
The best snorkelling for us was the Aroa Lagoon Marine Reserve outside The Rarotongan on the southwest side of the island. It’s a protected Rau’i – a traditional no-fishing zone, sheltered by the coral reef, I believe there are no boats or jet skis allowed, and generally under two metres deep. Calm, safe, and full of life. Plenty of coral, plenty of fish, and we found four turtles without needing a tour.
The thing we didn’t do but would next time is snorkel the passages. These are the gaps in the reef where the ocean feeds in and out of the lagoon. They’re deeper, there’s current, and they need more care… but that’s also where you get the bigger stuff, rays included. If you’re going to do it, either go with a tour or know what you’re doing and check the tide. Every local will tell you the same thing.
Punanga Nui Market
The Saturday market in Avarua, Punanga Nui, was another highlight. Over 200 vendors, fresh produce, island food, coffee, smoothies, black pearls, pāreu, hand-carved everything, handmade ukuleles. Enough going on to make an epic breakfast or brunch out of it without even meaning to, plus a free live cultural show on the main stage from around 10am.
It runs 8am to midday on Saturdays and the good stalls sell out well before then, so get there early. Give yourself two to three hours minimum. And take cash, NZD. Most of the vendors are cash only. There are ATMs there if you forget.
The food
Better than we expected is an understatement, and workable even on a restricted diet. Sam’s vegan, I avoid gluten and dairy. A tip, the menus online didn’t always match what’s actually served. Phone, or turn up and ask. A few spots even had separate vegan menus we’d never have known about otherwise.
One thing worth saying up front: we barely scratched the surface. Between our dietary stuff and only having six nights, we ate at a tiny fraction of what’s on offer. The island is full of food. Small local vendors. Food trucks. Market stalls at the Muri Night Markets and the Saturday morning markets in town. Burger joints, pizza places, a proper spaghetti house, dedicated takeaway spots, family-friendly feeds at great prices, and every resort has its own restaurant on top of that. Half the places we walked past had me quietly grieving gluten and dairy. If you eat everything, you’ll have a very good time and you won’t run out of options in a hurry.
The places below are just what worked for us, I’m still thinking about the food a week on from arriving home!
Antipodes was our favourite. A Mediterranean villa perched up on the clifftop at Black Rock with 180-degree ocean/sunset views, three dining levels, and easily one of the best steaks I’ve ever had. The menu flags gluten and lactose options properly, and the drinks and food offerings are serious. Book ahead – it’s popular and the good tables get taken quickly.
Saigon Shack at Ma’ii Hub in Muri was the surprise of the trip (over the road from our Villa). Vietnamese street food… pho, banh mi, dumplings, house-made chilli sauces that Sam put on almost everything (they kindly gave her takeaway jars). Huge portions, friendly team, mostly gluten-free menu, outdoor seating. Go hungry.
Tamarind House is a restored colonial homestead on 2.5 acres of lawn running down to the lagoon, just out of Avarua. Pacific-leaning menu, live ukulele, the setting does half the work. Exactly the kind of place where a three-hour dinner happens without you noticing.
Pacific Resort Barefoot Bar was our local. 9/10 chicken breast and coconut rice, a frozen piña colada that cooled down any afternoon, a separate vegan menu Sam was thrilled about. Great staff and every meal we had there was just amazing. FYI the burgers are HUGE! and the curries were next-level.
Charlie’s is on Te Akapuao Beach in Titikaveka, right on the edge of a marine reserve. The sashimi is proper good and proper fresh, and the whole thing is built around you being barefoot and in no rush. This was more of a lunch spot for us, a cold beer, fries, raw fish, salad – so good!
Beluga Café in Arorangi did us a good breakfast and coffee on the last day. Tucked between the mountain and the ocean, popular with locals, quick service.
The Juice Bar just along from Muri Night Markets – tropical smoothie, just get one, or three.
Tiare’s does traditional island donuts. Try one. One is the magic number. Two and you’re done for the afternoon.
Nautilus Restaurant gets a half-recommend – the chilli pineapple margarita and the Muri Lagoon view are worth it, the food was fine but not memorable (perhaps given our dietary choices). Cocktails and sunset, yes. Full dinner, not for us.
Zest didn’t land for us but the tables around us were raving about the Mexican side of the menu, so take that as you will – it was constantly busy.
Getting around
We hired a small car from Avis. Around $400 NZD for the week, this gave us total freedom, and after the battery drama they upgraded us without us asking. There’s a bus that loops the island and a handful of taxis if you’d rather not drive. The roads seemed mostly quiet, the pace was often slow and at times erratic, and the whole loop took under an hour minus stopping to explore, which we did a lot of.
Stuff worth knowing
Don’t drink the tap water. The official line varies but the reality is that Rarotonga’s mains supply isn’t chemically treated and has had bacterial contamination issues over the years – it’s not worth the gamble on holiday but it’s also not something to stress about. Every decent place to stay will have a UV filter station for refilling bottles, and there’s also a network of free UV-treated refill stations around the island. Ice in restaurants is fine (commercially made), and brushing your teeth with tap water/shower water never caused any issues.
Mosquitoes – this was mentioned relentlessly in our research before we went. We saw three the whole trip and got bitten zero times. But dengue fever is a thing on the island (there was an outbreak declared in 2025 – they spray the island weekly for it) so don’t be casual about repellent, especially in the evenings. We mostly just applied it to our legs/feet.
Reef shoes – we didn’t use them, we were fine, just watch for coral and stonefish when you’re walking in the lagoon. That said, i’d say 50% of the people at the beaches had them on – your call.
Sunset at Black Rock
Go to Black Rock for at least one sunset. It’s on the northwestern side of the island, a short drive past the airport, and it’s easily the best sunset spot on Rarotonga. Volcanic rocks along the shore, the sun dropping straight into the ocean, and not much else in the way aside from some sizeable crabs patrolling the shoreline.
It’s also a sacred site. In Cook Islands culture Black Rock is known as the place where souls depart for the next world. I didn’t know this until doing some research for this writing but it makes sense – it felt like a simple yet special spot!
Food trucks are often in the car park if you want to turn it into dinner, and there’s a big sheltered bit of beach to swim at before the sun goes down. Give yourself time here!
What we’d do differently
More hiking/inland exploring, less shop browsing. Book the food spots you actually want before you go instead of researching from a sun lounger. (I’m working on an app that might help with this – stay tuned) One more day properly relaxing instead of driving the loop twice.
Would we go back?
Tomorrow!
The people made it for us. That’s the thing that stayed with us most. The whole place felt calm, safe, warm, inviting… and it genuinely felt like the locals wanted us there and enjoyed us being around. Not tolerated, not transactional. Welcomed.
The two sides of the coin – properly relaxing or properly adventuring, your call, any day you like – is a huge part of the appeal. And the food was just so good. Next time we’d aim for later in the year when more of the tropical fruit is in season, and I reckon that’d take it to another level again if you’re a foodie.
Six nights wasn’t enough. We’ll be back for sure.
