Cook Islands
I have never seen so many shades of blue until I came to the Cook Islands. The perfect destination for a wedding, honeymoon and couples wanting to get away from it all.
I travelled to the Islands as a part of an educational where I stayed in three resorts but visited all the other resorts on the Island and all are of excellent standard. The Cook Islands is made of a total of 15 Islands but only two are opened for tourists; Raratonga and Aitutaki.
Air New Zealand has direct flights to the islands from Sydney on a Saturday evening and arrives the same day in the morning so you are actually gaining a day because of the date line.
The Island of Raratonga is small and one can drive around it in 45 minutes. The bus was a cheap and easy way to get around the island with a round trip being NZ$8.00. Other popular modes of transport are bicycles, cars and scooters which can be hired from as little as NZ$20 per day.
Small locally run restaurants dot the coastline and all the resorts have an onsite eatery as well as the ubiquitous bar. Small shops dot the sidewalks and coral fringed beaches entice you at every turn. Local fishermen wade in the reef looking for the evening meal, while tourist snorkel and swim with abandon.
The Rarotongans are similar to many Polynesian cultures in their warmth. Those beautiful smiles and friendly nature entice you in and they are always ready for a chat.
I then went on a small plane from Raratong to Aitutaki, which takes around 40 minutes. The views from the plane were amazing as you are able to see most of the Islands. Once we landed we took a cruise around the Aitutaki Island Lagoon where there are a lot of smaller serene Islands around. The views were incredible, the water was crystal clear and the weather was spot-on perfect, we swam and ate lunch on One Foot Island where you can take your passport to be stamped with their special stamp.