Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Rarotonga International Airport, near the capital city of Avarua on the island of Rarotonga, is the international air gateway for the Cook Islands. International destinations served include Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand, Los Angeles, Melbourne and Papeete, Tahiti. Inter-island flights within the Cook Islands are also available.
As the Cook Islands are spread out across hundreds of miles of the South Pacific, travel between islands is by inter-island flights. Ground transportation on the most populous islands and in tourist centers is by auto and bus. Intermittent ferries and day cruises occasionally operate between adjacent islands.
Rarotonga island, in the southern group of islands, is the primary population center of all the Cook Islands. Most travel and tourist facilities are found on Rarotonga. Other prominent islands with travel facilities include Aitutaki and Atiu.
The islands of Rarotonga, Aitutaki, and Atiu contain the most activities catering to tourists and travelers. Rarotonga offers activities for a wide range of interests such as cultural and historical sites, beaches, hiking in the jungles and mountainous interior, golf, biking, horseback riding, fishing, sailing, scuba diving and snorkeling.
The islands of Mau'ke, Mangaia, Mitiaro, Penrhyn and Manihiki, are seldom visited by tourists and maintain a culture of traditional village life and an industry of harvesting black pearls.