Rarotonga | Kia Orana

Our arrival in Rarotonga was like a big warm hug. We were welcomed with open arms and the most beautiful smelling jasmine garlands. The locals have a way of making you feel at home instantly. The warmth of the island and the crystal clear water immediately make you feel at ease making it the perfect place to unwind, relax, and rejuvenate.

This is our first travel itinerary/ blog. We wanted to make it diary style so you can walk through the holiday with us. For extra pointers and recommendations look below. We hope you enjoy reading and experiencing it all. Do flick us a message if you have any questions or are looking to travel to Rarotonga.

DAY ONE

We spent the first day exploring and admiring our resort (The Pacific Resort). It was like paradise. The location was perfect as it overlooked the Muri beach lagoon. There were daybeds, beach views everywhere, tropical plants and everything you could dream of. Every little detail was thought of- from freely available kayaks, snorkels, reef shoes and flippers to stand up paddle boards and little bowls to clean your feet before entering your room. After taking in the views at our resort, we went for a walk around Muri. The community was lovely with a night market a few blocks down and many delicious eateries. We visited the night market which normally has the best cheap eats however due to COVID, there weren’t as many stalls when we went. We finished the day with a swim over sunset, drinks at the barefoot bar at the resort, and a lovely candlelight dinner.

We always find spending the first day exploring the accommodation and community around the place we stay at wholesome. We enjoy meeting the locals and scoping the amazing places we could visit.

DAY TWO

We were told our resort had the perfect view of a Rarotonga sunrise so naturally we set our alarm and decided to wake up just before 6am to watch. The roosters joined us in the morning as we woke up to the sun. After catching up on some sleep and having some breakfast (good spread - but nothing spectacular) at our resort, we picked up a car from Island Car Rentals across the street. In Rarotonga, many people choose to go for bikes and scooters which is also a good option. You just need to go to the police station and get yourself a license for them.

As we drove around the island, we very quickly realised that there was one main road which goes around the whole island with very few off-roads in between. We knew we couldn’t get lost. So (very confidently) we continued driving around. We stopped over at a few places to soak in all the views. We visited a few shops before spotting a cute little cafe called Soul. We loved the vibe and aesthetics along with the delicious food there. The cafe is classy and fun. We highly recommend their steak tortilla wrap- it was delicious.

After we got back, we got straight into our swimwear and headed for the beach. As I mentioned before, we were lucky enough to have kayaks, snorkels, and reef shoes at our accommodation. We carried the snorkels in our kayaks and kayaked across the lagoon to the island on the other side of the lagoon. The water was clear, turquoise, and serene. As we kayaked, we spotted the coral reefs and the colourful fish swimming amongst the rocks and coral. After we finished kayaking, we grabbed our snorkels and went for a swim. The feeling of being underwater with colourful fish all around us is something that cannot be described in words. We were lucky enough to capture some of the underwater scenes through our waterproof phone pouch which was bought from Farmers NZ.

After a few hours of kayaking and snorkelling, we headed to happy hour at our resorts’ bar: Barefoot Bar.

We went for another drive before stopping for dinner at the Tamarind House. The Tamarind house is one of the longest standing buildings in Rarotonga. It has a homely feel to it and it has beautiful views. The food and drinks were a treat. We enjoyed every bite. We especially enjoyed their special cocktail and fish of the day. They made a great Thai fish green curry with jasmine rice. The cocktail of the day was a Mango-rita.

DAY THREE

We love markets - for handicrafts, souvenirs, and amazing food. On Saturday morning, we headed down to the Punanga Nui Markets. Once again unfortunately due to COVID-19 restrictions, quite a few of the stalls were closed. We still had a nice time as we wandered the stalls and shops while having fresh Nu (coconut water). The weather does get very hot and muggy during the day and having Nu really helped! We bought some beautiful little treasures for our home along with some necklaces, earrings, and bracelets for the family. Within the market complex there are some permanent stores which are open even when the market is not on.

For lunch we heard that Beluga is a must-do. We could not agree more. We loved how simple and quirky the little joint was. The food and drinks were flavourful and we left with our hearts full.

After lunch, we went for our daily dose of kayaking and swimming at our resort. While we did drive around other beaches and sights, we found ourselves going back to the lagoon by our resort everyday. There is something magical about Muri lagoon. The water is clear, shallow, and full of colourful fish. We did not do the Muri lagoon boat cruise, however we heard from many people that it was a lovely experience (the glass bottom boat ride includes optional snorkelling option and cultural music).

After our swim, we went for another drive around the island and stopped over at Vaiana on the Beach. We loved it there- it was the perfect bar for a sunset drink. There was music, good vibes, lots of people, and a range of cheap drinks. We bought a huge (think it was around 2L) Cook Island Lager jug for only $25!

After Vaiana on the Beach we went for a cultural show at the Edgewater resort. The food for the cultural evening was delicious. It was the most authentic island food we had eaten on our trip. There was a big buffet with a variety of dishes. The cultural show itself was nice, however, we would recommend booking one of the outdoor experiences instead if you do choose to go for a cultural show. Once again due to COVID, there were only a few performers that were part of the overall dance - but either way we felt that the Edgewater stage wasn’t a great setting for an authentic island experience.

DAY FOUR

Day four for us was our lazy day. We always need one of those days on a holiday to just unwind and take the day as it comes. The weather was a little topsy turvy - with blistering winds to rain and then to a sunny and humid afternoon.

We decided to go around and explore the shops. There is a strip near the main city with souvenir shops. We picked up a few things from there as gifts for the family. We spotted a gallery and a few other places on the way. We stopped over at those before going back to the resort for a swim.

For happy hour at 4pm we headed down to the Nautilus resort. The views from the restaurant were wonderful. We got to see the Muri lagoon from a different angle. The happy hour drinks and snacks are perfect for an early evening drink and feed. This could be a one off - but our experience with the restaurant staff (only one in particular) wasn’t the best. We were made to feel like outsiders (although fair enough, we were) but small gestures about us having to remind the staff that it was happy hour still with around 25 mins left and them replying with “there’s only 20 odd mins left, do you really want to?”; then noticing some of the hotel guests who arrived almost five mins out from happy hour finishing straightaway been handed the special menu - and encouraged to order multiple drinks too! Although it wasn’t a major, this still stood out to us as every other hospitality experience was incredible. And the cocktails we had were actually one of the best on the island! After happy hour we went for a drive and watched sunset at the beach.

For dinner we booked the Little Polynesia resort restaurant. It was the perfect romantic spot for a date night. The food was delicious and the people there went above and beyond to make sure it was an overall perfect experience. The staff addressed us both with our actual names throughout the night - no idea how they managed to remember both Svetlana and Shovik after just telling him once!

DAY FIVE

In the weeks leading up to our getaway, we came across a few videos on instagram of people trying out what looked like a mini quad bike. We knew we had to give it a go. After some research we found out more about it- it was part of a buggy tour.

On day 5 we got up nice and early while it was still slightly cooler. We had our tropical breakfast at the resort before going to the buggy meeting spot which is just outside the Wigmore Supermarket. We had an enthusiastic group with us along with a very quirky tour guide. We filled out some forms before we headed to the buggy spot. If you do this tour make sure you carry your drivers license.

The buggy tour is made up of two parts. There is a muddier track with the lower wired cars and a more hilly track with slightly larger cars. They called the tracks the “South Auckland track” and the “Ponsonby track”!

We were lucky enough to go on the muddy track first. It was an experience like no other- mud everywhere, splashes, nature, and adrenaline.

After the muddy buggy we got onto the “cleaner” buggy. We were taken to a waterfall with refreshing water where we swam and washed off all the mud. The feeling of cold water after being smothered in mud was just what we needed.

After the tour we headed straight for a swim and kayak at our resort before heading off to Soul for another round of the Steak Tortilla (yes, we really loved it).

After that we continued driving around before heading back to our resort.

It was our last night in Rarotonga so we had to make it special. We started off with pre drinks at Charlie’s- one of the most happening places we had seen there. Again, the huge Cook Islands Lager jug was available - even cheaper than Vaiana’s at $20! After that, we went back to Little Polynesia for dinner- we loved the ambience, views, food and hospitality.

DAY SIX

Just before heading back home to reality we knew we had to get a relaxing massage. We booked our massage through our resort at Te Manava Luxury Villas and Spa.

The massage was the perfect way to end our trip.

For our last meal in Rarotonga we headed back to Beluga where we had fresh pineapple and watermelon juice with a delicious meal.

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WATER

Upon our arrival we were given a metal water bottle. This could be refilled with fresh filtered water which could be found in different stations throughout the resorts and other parts of the island. Most resorts will give you the metal bottle.

FOOD

Brunch/ Breakfast:

• Soul

• Beluga

• Antipodes (we couldn’t go there because of COVID closures however we saw the pictures and website and we fell in love with the aesthetics of the place)

Dinner:

• The Tamarind House

• Little Polynesia Restaurant

Bars:

• Vaiana’s at the Beach

• Charlie’s

• Barefoot Bar (at our resort- Pacific Resort)

STAY

• Pacific Resort - we stayed here

• Little Polynesia

• Nautilus

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Travelling during COVID

While our borders are finally opening, it is important to keep the new rules and regulations in mind. When we made the trip to Rarotonga from Auckland, a supervised negative RAT test was a prerequisite to boarding. This had to be done within 24 hours of the flight. Apart from the RAT test, we had to fill the documentation for Rarotonga related to COVID-19 for quarantine free return to Auckland.

The last thing we needed to do was download our International vaccine pass which was different from our domestic vaccine pass. This could be downloaded from the my vaccine pass website.

Getting around Rarotonga

Rarotonga has one main road that goes around the island with very few off-roads. Cycling around the island is an excellent option and often resorts have their own bikes. It is very easy to hire a car- we used Island car rental however there is an Avis too near Pacific Resort. You can pre-book the cars from Avis online. Motorbikes/ scooters are very popular and they are a fun option. To hire a scooter you need to go the police station and sit a little test to get the scooter license. If you already have a motorbike license then showing your license would be enough.