|
Cook Islands
Photos South Pacific Islands  Large Picture Deserted beaches, tropical mountains, traditional dance and black pearls ... Click an icon in the Map of Cook Islands for more pictures |
 South Pacific Travel Specialist Talk to a Beautiful Pacific Travel Consultant Now: Live Chat London: 0208 123 8622 USA: 619 618 0229 Australia: 02 8005 1232 Fiji: 672 2600 Rarotonga is a high volcanic island covered in rich tropical rain forest. There are plenty of valley roads and mountain trails to explore as well as an excellent cross island hike taking 5 hours. Rarotonga is the main island with 90% of accommodation, most of which is small privately owned beach bungalows. The island takes about 40-mintes to drive around and is surrounded by lovely beaches. Muri Beach is one of several popular beaches around the island with a concentration of resorts, beach bungalows and holiday homes. Several lagoon islands make this a good spot for kayaking and swimming. Avatiu Harbour on the outskirts of Avarua Town, the main town in the Cook Islands. The island has great restaurants, shopping. lots of tours and is ideal for exploring. Aitutaki is the second most visited island after Rarotonga but is neither large nor mountainous, taking about 30-minutes to drive around. There are pleasant beaches and snorkelling and about a dozen places to stay, mostly is small beach bungalows. Arutanga Town is the main centre for Aitutaki with a small market, handcraft shops, two restaurants, post office, petrol station and supermarket. Tiny offshore islands and gorgeous beaches make the Lagoon a spectacular setting and the main attraction of Aitutaki. Several tour companies offer cruises or you can charter a small boat for a day excursion. Atiu Island has beautiful secluded cove beaches but neither swimming nor snorkelling in the lagoon is good. Atiu's main attraction is experiencing traditional life and exploring. All villages on Atiu are inland on a central plateau that is raised from the coast by a rocky limestone cliff. Atiu has many caves to explore as well as its famous Bush Beer. One of several large caves around Mangaia offering impressive stalagmites as well as human burial graves. There are a few basic guesthouses but few beaches and no restaurants. Mauke is the most easterly of the Cook Islands. This is a traditional island without beaches or resorts and the main highlights are its divided church and caves. The remote Northern Atolls are renowned for the cultivation of black pearls in the protected lagoons, particularly on Manihiki Atoll. Pearl farming is the only source of income other than copra farming. With vast lagoons but tiny land masses and infertile soil, Northern Atoll islanders rely on fishing for much of their dietry needs. Penrhyn Atoll is the largest atoll in the Cook Islands and is renowned for its fine handcrafts and pearls. There are only a few basic guesthouses in these remote groups where traditional lifestyle is maintained. Manihiki Atoll, renowned for its black pearl farming in the shallow lagoon. There are weekly flights to these remote atolls taking from 3 to 5 hours from Rarotonga. |
|
South Pacific Pictures HomePage Fiji Islands Pictures - Samoa Islands Pictures - Tonga Islands Pictures Cook Islands Pictures - French Polynesia Pictures - Hawaii Islands Pictures cook islands accommodation pictures ; fiji islands hotel pictures ; samoa islands hotel pictures ; tahiti islands hotel pictures ; tonga islands hotel pictures ; hawaii accommodation pictures ; Thank you for visiting our website and we hope you have found it inspiring and useful. Here are some of our other picture sources that might interest you: south pacific pictures cook islands pictures ; fiji pictures ; samoa pictures ; tahiti pictures ; tonga pictures ; hawaii pictures Here are some of our other picture sources that might interest you: south pacific maps cook islands maps ; fiji maps ; samoa maps ; tahiti maps ; tonga maps ; hawaii maps For a comprehensive hotel guide with information and pictures: south pacific hotels cook islands hotels ; fiji hotels ; samoa hotels ; tahiti hotels ; tonga hotels ; hawaii hotels This Accommodation Guide is brought to you by South Pacific Pictures, the photographic division of Pacific Travel Guides. This leading independent travel publisher is based in Fiji and aims to provide unbiased travel information to help potential holiday-makers plan their trip to the South Pacific. We do not sell individual hotels, tours or packages - we simply provide an overview to help you make the decision and provide links for you to make further enquiries and bookings. All the pictures in this website have been taken by us and try to show a true representation of our destinations. No picture has been staged - all were taken as presented. Our small team of researchers travel around the south pacific on a regular basis to update our guides and to ensure their accuracy. Please feel free to contribute your own travel experiences to pass on to fellow travellers.  South Pacific Travel Guides: Fiji Travel ; Cook Islands Travel ; Samoa Travel ; Tonga Travel ; Tahiti Travel Hawaii Travel ; Oahu Travel ; Kauai Travel ; Maui Travel ; Big Island Hawaii Travel If you haven't been able to find what you're looking for in our website, you might want to try the following specialist websites: South Pacific Resorts Search - listings of all resorts in the South Pacific Beautiful Pacific Holidays - travel agent based in the islands offering bookings Other Travel Resources Last Updated by  Pacific Travel Guides PO Box 10146, Nadi Airport, Fiji Contact Us |