Cook Islands Holidays

Craving distance and discovery? The Cooks, 15 tiny islands scattered in the South Pacific, are where summer never ends. We go to Rarotonga and Atutaki, slipping off the radar to the pulse of Polynesian music, dance and church choirs. Aitutaki’s lagoon? Ranked among the most beautiful in the world. Looks unreal until you see it yourself. If you want coconut fresh from the husk and snorkelling at sunset, this is the place to holiday. The best part? The Cooks are easy to reach when paired with New Zealand, Australia or Hawaii and you're only one direct flight away from paradise.   

HOW TO GET TO THE COOK ISLANDS

From the UK, the journey would take some 30 hours in the air - too far to do in a single stretch. So you divide the trip up. Iconic destination on top of iconic destination. 

New Zealand and the Cooks is a classic combo. Maori culture paired with palm trees and paddleboards. Direct flights from Auckland whisk you there in under four hours.

Australia and the Cook Islands is another headturner. Sydney Opera House one day, then barefoot in blue lagoons the next. Sydney to Rarotonga takes six hours.

Hawaii and the Cooks The ultimate Polynesian pair. First, surf and sleek resorts in America’s only state within the tropics, then castaway in the Cooks. A six hour flight.

WHO ARE THE COOK ISLANDS FOR?

Anyone who wants to do a non-obvious bucket list trip.

Honeymooners who want culture, colour and castaway magic.

Big trip adventurers who want a R&R finale that feels and is supremely tropical.

HOW TO HOLIDAY IN THE COOK ISLANDS

If turquoise was an address, it would be here. Swimwear on and sun lotion packed because most of your time is going to be spent in, on and under the water. Aitutaki’s lagoon takes up three quarters of its island and, year-round, the water is as warm as a cat curled up by the fire. The Cooks are a pure Pacific experience. Elemental and authentic. Bring your tastebuds and ditch your earpods. Tradition here is tasted and heritage is heard. Saturday’s flower-filled markets, Sunday’s church choirs giving you goosebumps, earth-cooked feasts under glittering stars and sunset pātē drum circles.

After a New Zealand road trip or an Australian tour, the Cooks are the ticket for winding down. 

After Hawaii’s sky-high resorts or Bora Bora’s pizazz, the Cooks are sand with spirit. 

And when you get here? Island-hopping is easy. Rarotonga and Aitutaki are so small they don’t even bother with traffic lights - yet each is gloriously different. Rarotonga is the explorer’s playground - wallet-friendly and laced with liveliness. Aitutaki is the romance hero - big on sandbar Champagne picnics and siestas.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN THE COOK ISLANDS 

So much of what you find has pure Pacific soul. Hiking rainforest, cycling the coastal curve and sailing over blue on blue. Coffee, coconut water and fresh smoothies keep you fuelled and sunsets keep you spellbound. On Aitutaki you’ll be wading into a luminous lagoon. If you prefer dry feet, jungle marae and live music have you at hello. You can also go deeper. Listening for Atiu swiflets clicking in the dark of subterranean caves. Swimming in hidden pools under overhanging stalactites. Navigating the Pacific in a double-hulled canoe.

RAROTONGA - the reef and rainforest island

Everywhere you go, the ocean flashes through the palm trees. Simplicity is luxury here. Hibiscus on the breeze, woodsmoke from village kitchens and sea spray scenting your way. Roosters crowing at dawn and cicadas singing you to sleep. Rarotonga is just 20 miles long and has a single road circling it - great for cycling, island-style scootering and sightseeing from buses that circle both ways. The best-loved stretches? Muri’s shallow and clear lagoon, Titikaveka’s snow white sands and Aorangi’s fiery red skies (the west is the sunset coast). Daily island life? Head northwest to Avarua Town for fishing boats, stone churches, banana pancakes and nights spilling over with drums and dancing.  

AITUTAKI - the lagoon island

Even smaller than Rarotonga, Aitutaki lives and breathes the lagoon. Paddles, sandbars and tropical fish are daily life. This is the island made for romance, honeymoons and proposals. For quiet calm and losing track of time. On the must-see list? The lagoon, One Foot Island and Maina. Getting around is easy: barefoot bike rides to tiny villages and to viewpoints that’ll stop you on your pedals. Nothing takes long to reach. You holiday here for paradise in its purest form. Peace, paw paw fruits and plumeria flowers. Paddleboarding, palm trees and parrot fish.  

The Cook Islands are perfect for:

Learning on the lagoon
Stay on Aitutaki. The almost infinite lagoon rarely is no deeper than four metres in most places. The perfect spot to master kayaking and paddleboarding. Already a pro? The scenery alone is reason enough to get right in.

Love on the lagoon
Honeymoons and romance are written in the sand on Aitutaki. Milky Way watching and sandbar picnics are top of the list. 

Warmth and welcome
Feel Polynesian hospitality as its finest. See it in the markets and hear it in the beat of centuries old drums. Enjoy flower leis, fresh flower crowns and fervent hymns at Sunday church. Everyone is invited and everyone belongs.

Bucket-list moments
Get your passport inked at One Foot Island, a tiny islet with one of the world’s most remote passport stamps. Swim with technicolour fish right off the sand and go night time snorkelling with just torches and the moon lighting your way. See, super close, the gentle giants of the ocean. Humpback whale season happens between JULY and OCTOBER. In the Cooks they love breaching close to the salty shores, all lapping waves, giant blowhole exhaling and tails and fins hitting the surface.

Beach with jungle in reach
Tear yourself away from flour-white beaches and inland gives you a new story. Rainforest, waterfalls and birdsong. Cross-Island Track is a great place to start. 

BEST HOTELS IN THE COOK ISLANDS

Forget gated resorts, the Cook Islands keep it boutique and barefoot, with bungalows in the sand, bed and breakfast stays and pools for cooling off in. The real resort? The islands themselves - beachy playgrounds of soft white sands and blue lagoons. Luxury on the Cook Islands isn’t chandeliers and silver spoons - it’s scenery, sunsets, dining and dancing.

WHAT’S THE WEATHER LIKE?

Sunshine comes as standard all year round. It really is a tropical banquet of breezy, beautiful trade winds and toasty waters. MAY to OCTOBER is the dry season when it’s slightly cooler and less likely to shower. NOVEMBER to APRIL is the wet season when everything is greener and more dramatic: waterfalls springing to life, showers sweeping in but clearing fast and jungle turning emerald.