Rarotonga is the largest and by far the most populated of the Cook Islands, and is known as 'Raro'. It is the easiest to get to, with direct international flights from several countries, and has the most attractions and accommodation of the islands.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Rarotonga is in the southern group of islands. It is made up of districts containing several villages located mainly around the coastal fringe of the mountainous island. Avarua on the northern side of the island is the main village. It has most of the population and services, and the seat of government, making it the capital. People tend to refer to it as 'town'. Muri on the eastern side is probably the main tourist centre, with apartments and the Pacific Resort spread around the lagoon. Aroa on the south-western side is a protected lagoon and beach, and location of the Rarotongan Beach Resort. The airport is in Nikao, about 2 km anti-clockwise from Avarua.
Rarotonga is encircled by Ara Tapu, a 32-km, two-lane (one each way) bitumen road. There is also Ara Metua, an inner road that is paved, but narrow, and doesn't quite go around the entire island due to property owners. Side roads link the inner and outer roads. If you go off on any of the unsealed roads that head inland, expect them to quickly peter out to narrow unsealed roads, with stream crossings often more suited to quad bikes. Addresses with just the village name in the address can be assumed to be on the main road, or not far from it.
1 Cook Islands Library & Museum, Makea Tinirau Rd, Avarua. M–Sa 9AM–1PM, Tu 4–7PM. A smallish museum. Includes an audiovisual that you can sit and watch. Museum $5. (updated Sep 2025) 2 Cook Islands National Museum, Constitution Ave, Avarua. M–F 8AM–4PM. $5. (updated Sep 2025) Maire Nui Gardens, is the botanical gardens of the island, around 3 km clockwise from Muri, about 600 m past the Fruits of Rarotonga. The gardens are nicely laid out, and contain many samples of much of the fruit and flora of the islands. Admission is $5. There is a cafe in the gardens, selling coffee ($4) and light homemade quiche and focaccia ($15-20).
The diving in and around the reef is breathtaking. With warm tropical waters of around 27 °C in summer time, only a short 3-mm wetsuit is required. If you are a certified diver, you can book a dive with one of many dive operators on the island. A two-tank boat dive costs about $140 with all equipment provided. There are wrecks (well broken up) to explore, small cave systems and plenty of fish.
Local produce tends to be seasonal. Mangoes grow wild, and are plentiful and cheap during summer. Avocados are also plentiful in summer and autumn. Outside of season, however, these fruits can be hard to come by. Passionfruit, guava and paw-paw and oranges are other seasonal fruits freshly available in season. Starfruit, pawpaw and coconuts tend to be plentiful year round, and these can be just as cheap at the village convenience stores as they can be in Avarua. Fresh reef fish is available daily near the harbour in Avarua, but not in the supermarket. Taro, kumura (sweet potato), and breadfruit are also grown locally, and make delicious island fries.
The island has major problems with waste management, so consider using the available refilling facilities for water and beer. Drinking coconuts also produces no waste. Vaima drinking water is locally produced. It is available in many supermarkets and can be refilled on the backroad in Avarua. There are two microbreweries on the island, so before you buy imported beer and produce even more waste on the island it's a good idea to try the local beer which you both can refill: Matutu Brewery, Tikioki, Titikaveka (100 m anti-clockwise from Fruits of Rarotonga, 10 minutes walk from Muri), ☏ +682 26288. 09:00 - 16:00. Matutu Brewery is a locally owned micro-brewery.
Tap water is generally not safe to drink without boiling it first. Higher-end accommodation such as resorts often have their own filtration systems producing safe water. There are also free public UV-filtered water stations with safe water at intervals all around the island – take your water bottle, big or small, and fill up there. Te Ipukarea Society provides a map showing the locations of the stations. Otherwise, boil water for 10 minutes.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Aug, Rarotonga typically sees ~24°C daytime highs and 8 rainy days.
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