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“Kia Orana” – the Cook Islanders way of saying Hello, but translated it means “live long.”

The Cooks and their residents are in the South Pacific with New Zealand as their nearest neighbour over 2,000 km away. The best connecting flights are via Los Angeles which means 24 hours flying time to get there, so it’s a long way to get to paradise!

We flew Air New Zealand on modern well equipped planes and arrived at 6am to warm air and a gentle breeze. The international airport is on the biggest island, Rarotonga, that has 9,000 residents. The centre is an extinct volcano and the island is ringed by a coral reef meaning the direct waters offshore are calm and shark free. In fact the island doesn’t have any dangerous or poisonous wildlife, including no snakes!

With just the one circular road there are 2 buses an hour that go round the island, one says “Clockwise” and the other is – yes you guessed it, “anti-clockwise” and is an inexpensive way of touring the island. There are also lots of car, cycle, motorbike, scooter, quad bike and moto hire locations, although you must get a licence from the Police department first, they do not recognise International Driving Licenses. It’s an hour at the police dept, a small charge and you drive round the block and do a mini test.

After 2 nights and 3 days we flew the 50 minutes to another Cook Island, Aitutaki, the most beautiful place. Take a look at my picture of the view on the way in, it’s an enormous lagoon with islands dotted in it. The show ‘Survivor’ and ‘Shipwrecked’ were filmed here. We had a days lagoon cruise and snorkeling – which is fab! It’s like snorkeling in a big aquarium. We also went to land of the giant clams and they’re about 3-4 foot long and 2 foot plus high – enormous! We stopped for barbecue lunch on One Foot Island – take your passport and they’ll stamp it for you.

During my visit, I stayed at and viewed a range of accommodation on the island from self catering studios to high spec villas to beach bungalows so ask me for recommendations on where best to stay!

Things to do in the Cook Islands

We had an evening of “Progressive Dining”! We had starter with one family, main course with another and dessert with another, a good way of experiencing the local culture.

We did a 4WD jeep safari into the mountainous interior, this was great fun but not for the faint hearted! It was truly off road. The scenery was stunning though and made a change from the single road that rings the island.

A night in Aitutaki is a must! Or a day trip, they were easy enough to book locally with a lagoon tour and bbq all thrown in.

Punanga Nui Market. Saturday in downtown Avarua is a must. Local produce and tourist stuff mingle well and there was singing and dancing on a stage. I bought some cute local art, and if you love shells and pearls you’ll be in your element.

Friday night in Avarua. There are a half dozen bars on the local quay and they were all lively and some offered live bands.

Highland Paradise. This was an evening of local music, dance and singing. Plus a banquet, including lots of island foods. We had a talk about the sacred Marea and the history of the Cooks, including an introduction by a descendent of the chief. Unlike many tacky tourist dance evenings I have been to around the world this was really well done and professional.

Snorkelling and Diving. I only did the snorkelling and it is some of the best I have ever done, I think the Lagoon really adds to the whole experience and there are parts that are wildlife sancturies and they teem with life.

All in all I loved it!