Interesting places in Rarotonga:

Avarua		Muri Beach
Oneroa		The Rarotongan Hotel
Moana Sands Beachfront Hotel & Villas		Hotel Little Polynesian Resort
Hotel Pacific Resort Rarotonga		Hotel The Edgewater Resort & Spa
Hotel Sanctuary Rarotonga on the Beach		Manuia Beach Boutique Hotel
Ikurangi (485 m)		Hilton Rarotonga Resort & Spa (was the Abandoned Sheraton)
Avatiu Harbour		Rarotonga Golf Club
Highland Paradise (historic settlement)		Titikaveka CICC (Cook Islands Christian Church)
Rarotonga International Airport		Motutapu
Trader s Jack Restaurant		Te Kou (598 m)
Taakoka		Club Raro
Cook s Corner bus terminal		Punangi Nui Market
Rarotonga s Prison

Rarotonga is the most populous island in a group of islands known as the Cook Islands, with about 9,500 residents. Cook Islands' Parliament buildings, as well as the international airport, are located there. Because it is the most populous island, Cook Islanders may be referred to as Rarotongan, but they may in fact come from one of the other 15 islands in the group, such as Aitutaki or Mangaia. Rarotonga is also a very popular tourist destination with many resorts, hotels and motels.

Location is derived from the great work of WikiMapia
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Top photos chosen by u all:

Rarotonga Sheraton
Made by Sir Fish
View larger here The Rarotonga Sheraton hotel was pretty darn close to completion in the early nineties, however dodgy behind the scenes dealings including the embezzlement of large amounts of money, mafia connections and someone's silly idea to build on 'cursed' land in the first place meant that this hotel has been standing abandoned ever since. The rumours and tales about this place are various and no one seems to be 100% sure exactly what the true story behind the spectacular failue of the venture is. But it sure was a fantastic place to visit. Currently an investment company is trying to refurbish what is left and has plans to make it the flash touristy resort that was initially planned. Personally I like it how it is. A great place to explore, its well worth ignoring the danger keep out signs to have a good look around the buildings. I just wouldn't trust the structural integrity of that bridge.


Black Rock
Made by katepedley
Rarotonga, Cook Islands We actually found this by accident (happily!). Didn't realise that the Black Rock location on the map actually WAS a black rock. We were just looking for a place to swim and escape from the heat...Incidently this wasn't the nicest place for a swim, but one of the better snorkeling locations on the island (other good places are near Ta'akoka Motu, Titikaveka and Kavera - Titikaveka is probably the best). This day we biked round the entire island (32 km) which was great fun but very very hot! For those of you who are interested in the geology - as far as my thoughts are concerned, this looks to me like reasonably well formed columnar cooling joints in very fine grained volcanic basalt lava (is pretty much aphyric - so fine you can't see any crystals).


Te Manga
Made by petervanallen
Day 12, Tuesday 14th July 2009 - Rarotonga, Cook Islands: Made a visit to Avarua, the capital of Rarotonga, to do a bit of shopping, etc.Looking south from Avarua one can see all the volcanic peaks, Te Manga is one of the largest. Avarua is on the north of the Island, we used the hourly bus service which circumnavigates the entire Island on the main ring road which is about 32km in total. There are two buses per hour, one travels clockwise, the other anti-clockwise. From a selection of photos of our trip around the world, posted chronologically (camera clocks were not altered so exposure data and stated dates will conflict).


palm
Made by petervanallen
Day 21, Thursday 23rd July 2009 - Rarotonga, Cook Islands: We were told a story about these palm trees that when the Tongans or Samoans visited here for the Pacific Rugby Sevens Tournament, they cut down many of these trees that line the main road of Rarotonga to make a drink I think they call 'Kava' or 'Toddy'. Story goes that they cut down the palms, loaded them into the back of a van, took them back to their accommodation and then made the quickly fermented drink. From a selection of photos of our trip around the world, posted chronologically (camera clocks were not altered so exposure data and stated dates will conflict).


Fashion / Portrait / Woman
Made by ►CubaGallery
Fashion / Portrait / Woman: I thought a few of you might be interested in seeing a few images from my current location! I would love to do a Fashion shoot here! These are being broadcast to you now directly from a beach (yes Im sitting in the sand) on a small island in the pacific ocean It takes exactly 25mins to drove around the whole island! Check out my Lightroom blog for before & after shots. The link is on my profile page. ► Follow me on Tumblr


KIA ORANA
Made by petervanallen
Day 11, Monday 13th July 2009 - Rarotonga, Cook Islands: Arrived in Rarotonga very early this morning. We are in a villa not 50 feet from the narrow beach and the waters edge. This was the first picture I took on arrival, it needed a welcome so the text was added today. 'Kia orana' means hello, very similar to Kia Ora in the Maori language. From a selection of photos of our trip around the world, posted chronologically (camera clocks were not altered so exposure data and stated dates will conflict).


Black & White / Fashion / Portrait / Photography
Made by ►CubaGallery
Black & White / Fashion / Portrait / Photography: There is a cool black and white fashion shoot feel about this image, and something very special about the textures . I used the brush tool in Lightroom to intensify the marble floor. While in brush mode I only used the clarity slider to bring out the texture - unlike photoshop no layers were needed. I love the final result. ► Follow me on Tumblr


Ocean / Wave / Sea
Made by ►CubaGallery
Ocean / Wave / Sea: This was the ocean view from the villa we stayed at in the cook islands. Rarotonga is the coolest pacific Island lagoon in this part of the world. The turquoise blue water is absolutely stunning and is utopia if you want to relax in paradise. Check out my Lightroom blog for before & after shots. The link is on my profile page. ► Follow me on Tumblr


Motu
Made by katepedley
Rarotonga, Cook Islands Motu is the Maori word for Island - this island is called Ta'akoka The Cook Islanders are related to the NZ Maori and the language is largely the same, but there are some word differences that make it a little confusing! Some words are also completely different. e.g. Kia Orana is hello in CK Maori Kia Ora is hello in NZ Maori Aere Mai is welcome in CK Maori Haere Mai is welcome in NZ Maori


The view from our bungalow :)
Made by katepedley
Rarotonga, Cook Islands A good value-for-money accomodation option in the Cook islands is renting a house or self-contained bungalow. Resorts are not so common but there are heaps of these holiday homes etc - adds to the relaxed atmosphere and less touristy feel of the place. This bungalow is at Aroko Bungalows in Muri/Ngatangi'ia area www.arokobungalows.com/


blue lagoon
Made by petervanallen
Day 18, Monday 20th July 2009 - Rarotonga, Cook Islands: We found a lovely little spot about two miles from the villa where the water was crystal clear. At low tide the locals hunted for octopus in deep holes near the reef. From a selection of photos of our trip around the world, posted chronologically (camera clocks were not altered so exposure data and stated dates will conflict).


Muri Lagoon, Rarotonga
Made by knkppr
Here is a spot that I'd never been to previously. It's between the motu Oneroa and Motutapu. I still find it hard to capture the intimacy of the dramatic landscape of Rarotonga. The mountains are really not that high, but the fact that they are so confined and layered, they seem towering in person. This area in the lagoon gives you the most dramatic look back at the island. 0610


Car / Building / Texture
Made by ►CubaGallery
Car / Building / Texture: This is quite a dramatic transformation for this little abandoned blue race car. I really liked the textured block wall and open window - this was a great scene. Check out my Lightroom blog for before & after shots. The link is on my profile page. ► Follow me on Tumblr


bottom feeders
Made by petervanallen
Day 18, Monday 20th July 2009 - Rarotonga, Cook Islands: Butterfly fish feeding on the sea bottom, taken with my Panasonic DMC-TZ5 in its Dicapac waterproof case - I could have watched these darlings for hours From a selection of photos of our trip around the world, posted chronologically (camera clocks were not altered so exposure data and stated dates will conflict).


'waterproofed'
Made by petervanallen
Day 14, Thursday 16th July 2009 - Rarotonga, Cook Islands: Bought a 'Dicapac' waterproof case for my point-and-shoot Panasonic DMC-TZ5, I sure hope it works... Sophie and Sarah snorkelling in the lagoon From a selection of photos of our trip around the world, posted chronologically (camera clocks were not altered so exposure data and stated dates will conflict).


Cokinut
Made by petervanallen
Day 12, Tuesday 14th July 2009 - Rarotonga, Cook Islands: so early this morning I went for a short walk south along the beach, took a few shots then remembered that I had brought some Cokin filters... From a selection of photos of our trip around the world, posted chronologically (camera clocks were not altered so exposure data and stated dates will conflict).


Summer / Wave / Sea
Made by ►CubaGallery
Summer / Wave / Sea: The clarity of each wave in this image makes a really interesting texture. It almost look like a painted background, this is what summer is all about. Check out my Lightroom blog for before & after shots. The link is on my profile page. ► Follow me on Tumblr


Ngatangi'ia
Made by katepedley
Rarotonga, Cook Islands This photo was taken out at the heads at Avana Passage looking back at Ngatangi'ia Village and the start of Muri Lagoon to the left. This passage is historically significant and In the middle of the photo is a memorial to the brave sailers who set out in 7 canoes (waka) from here during the 1300s for New Zealand (Aotearoa).


sunbed
Made by petervanallen
Day 11, Monday 13th July 2009 - Rarotonga, Cook Islands: one of the sunbeds on our veranda, we were pretty tired after the overnight flight from Los Angeles so we napped most of the day From a selection of photos of our trip around the world, posted chronologically (camera clocks were not altered so exposure data and stated dates will conflict).


fish sculptures
Made by petervanallen
Day 16, Saturday 18th July 2009 - Rarotonga, Cook Islands: These metallic fish sculptures were a table decoration in our villa - the backgrond is another shot from Monterey Aquarium. From a selection of photos of our trip around the world, posted chronologically (camera clocks were not altered so exposure data and stated dates will conflict).