Rarotonga and its main city of Avarua are the most populated of the Cook Islands and their capital, located in the southern group of islands.
Get in
By Plane
Rarotonga International Airport (IATA: RAR) is the main gateway to the Cook Islands. There are daily services to Auckland, New Zealand and weekly services to Fiji. The only international airlines at present are Air New Zealand and twice-weekly Pacific Blue. Air New Zealand has code share arrangements with all other Star Alliance members including United Airlines and Rarotonga is a popular stopover on Round The World flights.
Get around
By car
The best way of getting around is to rent a open top car, which is reasonably affordable. There are a couple of car rental places close to the airport. Another good means of rental transport is a 100 cc motor scooter; one tank of gas will probably do you a week.
By bus
The best travel tip is to take "Cooks Island Bus" which circles the island clockwise and anticlockwise throughout the day and into the late evening. If you're going to use it regularly, you can buy a day pass or a book of 10 tickets. But be warned...there's no evening service on Sundays. The bus will pick up and drop off almost anywhere on the round island route. Oh, and one final tip: make sure you read the small print on your bus ticket: it says "please smile"!
Sleep
Buget
Mid-range
Splurge
Get out
The uninhabited islands of Takutea and Suwarrow and also Palmerston can be visited with a research vessel stationed at Rarotonga
Rarotonga is the most populous island in a group of islands known as the Cook Islands, with about 9,500 residents.
Cook Islands' Parliament buildings, as well as the international airport, are located on Rarotonga. Because it is the most populous island, Cook Islanders may be referred to as Rarotongan, but they may in fact come from one of the other 15 islands in the group, such as Aitutaki or Mangaia. Rarotonga is also a very popular tourist destination with many resorts, hotels and motels.
The chief town, Avarua, on the north coast, is also the capital of the Cook Islands. Rarotonga is divided into 12 districts, the first six of which constitute the capital, Avarua, and the others villages:
#Pue - Matavera
#Tupapa - Maraerenga
#Takuvaine - Parekura
#Tutakimoa - Teotue
#Avatiu - Ruatonga
#Nikao - Panama
#Ruaau - Arorangi
#Akaoa - Arorangi
#Murienua - Arorangi
#Titikaveka
#Ngatangiia - Muri
#Matavera
Rarotonga Island stands 14750 feet (4500 meters) above the ocean floor. The island is 20 miles (32 km) in circumference and has an area of 26 square miles (67 km²). At a depth of 13000 feet (4000 meters), the volcano is nearly 31 miles (50 km) in diameter. The highest peak on the island above sea level is 2140 feet (658 meters).
The island is surrounded by a lagoon, which extends several hundred yards (meters) to the reef, which...
