"Tourism is such a big part of our economy,it's important to get it right for the benefit of the country,"Vaiimene says.
They're on the right track. Much of Rarotonga,particularly its wild interior,remains untouched by tourism development;almost all of the island's resorts and hotels are on the coast,built either side of the one main road around the island. There are designated conservation areas and six ra'ui - parts of the lagoon and reef that are protected with support from local chiefs,resorts,communities and the wildlife preservation group WWF. The earliest of these marine reserves were declared in 1998 but ra'ui have been used by generations of Cook Islanders to ensure the marine life they depend on is sustainably fished.
Most Cook Island tour operators are eco-friendly,with good environmental practices in place,even if they're not yet eco-accredited. Te Manava Luxury Villas and Spa and the Pacific Resort (on Rarotonga and Aitutaki,respectively) are two of a growing number of resorts promoting the Responsible Tourism Code for the Pacific to their guests. Pacific Resort is also Green Globe-benchmarked,as is tour operator Island Hopper Vacations.
Most of the islands'tourist activities are low-impact,such as snorkelling,diving,kayaking,kiteboarding,hiking,birdwatching,caving and whale-watching;the islands have been a whale sanctuary since 2001. Black pearls are now being farmed sustainably,too,since the Cook Islands Pearl Authority created the Avaiki brand last year,designed to maintain quality and sustainability. And there are moves to create"voluntourism"and conservation experiences for visitors and perhaps a Trees for Travellers carbon-offset program like the one in Kaikoura,New Zealand.
Beyond Rarotonga,Atiu,a young island in tourism terms,is shaping up to be the first dedicated eco-island and a test case for the rest of the Cook Islands. As well as its nature-based offerings,such as caving,birdwatching and hiking tours,there are plans for eco-lodges,bird sanctuaries (also on Aitutaki),renewable energy (solar and wind farms) and composting public toilets (to solve waste and water problems).
The island's moves to sustainability will be promoted to educate locals and visitors. Other southern-group islands are also developing ecotourism projects:Mauke,Mitiaro and Mangaia,for instance,are planning caving and other eco-tours,as well as reserves and ra'ui to protect forests,wetlands,waterways and endemic species.
"It's our nature as Polynesians to be in sync with the environment,"Vaiimene says."That's how we have survived for thousands of years on these tiny little islands."
Louise Southerden travelled courtesy of Cook Islands Tourism and Air New Zealand.
FAST FACTS
Getting there
Air New Zealand flies non-stop to Rarotonga from Sydney (6hr) once a week,on Saturdays,for about $730. This is a low-season return fare,including tax. There are also flights from Sydney and Melbourne via Auckland (3hr to Auckland,4hr to Rarotonga). No visa is required for stays of fewer than 31 days but there is a $NZ65 ($51) departure tax payable at the airport in cash,or by credit card at Westpac in the town of Avarua.
Staying there
Muri Beach Resort has 20 self-contained villas and apartments in lush gardens on Rarotonga's lagoon. Rooms cost from $NZ215 a night (garden villa for two people) to $NZ395 a night (two-bedroom apartment for four people,which includes a spa bath). There are free introductory scuba lessons in the 12-metre pool and the new Aqua Cafe&Bar is open for breakfast,lunch and dinner seven days a week. See muribeachresort.com
Eco-voyaging
In April,seven Polynesian canoes,crewed by people from Pacific island nations,including the Cooks,set off from Auckland across the Pacific to California. Their mission:to raise awareness of ocean threats such as overfishing,fossil-fuel spills and noise pollution. Each canoe,called a vaka monana,is traditional in design but incorporates modern materials such as fibreglass rather than timber hulls and solar-powered engines to reduce its impact on the environment. At the end of last month they took a winter break and will resume their journey down the west coast of the Americas in January,sailing to the Galapagos and back across the Pacific,finishing in the Solomon Islands in July. See pacificvoyagers.com.
More information
See cookislands.travel. For more details on the Responsible Tourism Code for the Pacific,see responsibletourism.org.nz.
A resort that treads lightly
MURI BEACH RESORT in south-east Rarotonga is leading the way by making accommodation options in the Cook Islands more sustainable,particularly since Australian owners Jane and Paul Pearson finished a major upgrade and refurbishment late last year.
A water-treatment plant was installed to supply filtered and UV-treated drinking water,so guests don't need to buy bottled water. The resort has a new septic system that goes beyond government building and environmental codes to treat wastewater on site and produce clean greywater for use on the resort's gardens. Phosphate-free detergents are used in the laundry.
Food scraps from the resort's restaurant are"processed"by the Pearsons'pig,Blossom. All light fittings have eco bulbs and solar panels will be installed by the end of the year,making the resort virtually self-sufficient and allowing it to put excess solar-generated electricity into the island's grid in exchange for energy credits,a new initiative on Rarotonga.
The Pearsons don't publicise these initiatives but they do try to spread the message."We try to quietly educate our guests about how delicately balanced our ecosystem is here and the challenges we face as a nation living on a small island with limited resources,"Jane says.
"We feel that we're taking some positive steps towards greatly reducing the impact of our business on this very fragile piece of God's earth."