Our Favourite Day Tours in the Cook Islands

Aitutaki Lagoon Cruise

Head to the uninhabited coral atolls of Aitutaki Lagoon. Try One Foot Island to marvel at the stunning beaches and lagoon, or visit Maina Island for solitude, nesting sea-birds and excellent snorkelling.

Stay at Aitutaki Beach Villas

Cross Island Hike, Rarotonga

Take a guided walk through the stunning tropical rain forest of Rarotonga passing The Needle and Popoara Waterfall along the way.

Takitumu Conservation Forest

Bird-lovers will enjoy this peaceful forest setting inland from Takitumu Village along the south coast of Rarotonga.

Atiu Cave Tour

The unusual caves of Atiu are one of the main reasons for visiting this eco destination and also the chance to spot the elusive topeka bird on the 1-hr hike from the road to the cave entrance.

Captain Tama's Lagoon Cruise, Rarotonga

Snorkelling cruise along the south coast of Rarotonga with splendid views of the island and the chance to see giant clams.

Stay at Tianas Beach Villas

Lagoon Cruises

kayaking tours around a lagoon

The best place for day cruises in the Cook Islands is around Aitutaki Lagoon. There are a handful of small boat operators offering daily cruises around the lagoon as well as water taxis and small boat charters for private groups. Popular islands to visit are the uninhabited motu of One Foot Island which has a small hut acting as a tourist post office; Maina Island, beautifully uninhabited and boasting a large colonies of nesting sea birds; and Akaiami Island where once the TEAL seaplanes of the 1950's made one of their many stopovers in the trans-Pacific flights. Day cruises for Maina Island depart from Arutanga Village and whilst cruises to all other islands depart from Ootu Point with cruise times to the islands being around 40-minutes.

On Rarotonga, you can take a daily snorkelling cruise along the southern coast of Rarotonga departing from Muri Beach. Sightseeing cruises and sunset cruises are available from Avarua Harbour where you can also charter game fishing boats.

Overnight Cruises in the Cook Islands

one foot island - aitiutaki lagoon cruise cook islands

There are no overnight cruises originating from the Cook Islands. Occasionally large ship cruises visit from overseas but these are infrequent due to the Cook islands central position in the South Pacific making it isolated from both North America and Australia.