Rarotonga is surrounded by a camera-friendly lagoon and takes about an hour to drive around.Credit:D. Kirkland
WHY?
Chilled,low rise,low key and staggeringly beautiful,Rarotonga makes a strong play for being the perfect Pacific paradise. The largest of the Cook Islands,but with a population of around 11,000,it is surrounded by a camera-friendly lagoon and takes roughly an hour to drive around. But infrastructure is good – there's no slumming it here – local character bursts through and the swaying coconut palms feel an integral part of the package rather than a tacky add-on.
VISIT
Relatively new,and providing a cultural alternative to the beachy goodness elsewhere,Te Ara in Muri doubles as place for local artists to sell their works and a museum about the Islands'history. The latter delves into traditional hierarchies and beliefs,the changes brought by European missionaries and – most fascinating of all – the spread of the Polynesian people by canoe across the Pacific.
EAT
The Nautilus Resort's restaurant is open to outsiders,and makes a commendable effort to use Polynesian ingredients. This might mean parrotfish as a main,sea grapes as part of a starter,taro puree or coconut twists to sauces. The cocktail list also makes admirable,inventive deviations from the old standards thrown together elsewhere. Seenautilusresortrarotonga.com.
LOOK
Storytellers Eco Tours hands guests a bike and helmet,then takes them away from the coast to explore snatches of genuine Rarotongan life. In practice,this means dodging strutting chickens,plucking ultra-fresh fruit from gardens,hearing legends deeply ingrained in the local culture and stopping off for a swim under a waterfall. Seestorytellers.co.ck.
MUST