Fifteen islands in the South Pacific Ocean make up the Cook Islands: a self-governing country closely tied to New Zealand. The Polynesian lifestyle on these islands – a calm and carefree way of living, with a backdrop of blue skies, white sand and warm seas – keeps travellers booking flights to the Cook Islands every year.
Indeed, the country thrives on tourism. It is the leading economic industry, followed by offshore banking, pearls, marine and fruit exports. The country welcomes on average 90,000 visitors a year to the capital island of Rarotonga. It’s here that tourists stop and relax before heading off on snorkelling adventures, hiking the mountains or simply sunbathing on the white sand beaches.
The weather in the Cook Islands is pleasant year-round, but it’s likely to rain often. However, this shouldn’t deter travelers from booking Cook Islands flights. The weather is warm and sunny and the rain, although imminent, is not terribly harsh.
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You’ll be hard pressed to find a bad time to visit the Cook Islands. The weather is nice all year long and the temperature averages 28 degrees.
Peak Season:
April through November is the peak season, when temperatures are cooler and there is less rainfall
Off Season:
Less popular is December through March, however, this is really far from an “off season” as the rainfall is usually only in the afternoon.
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The quickest way to get between the 15 islands is flying. Air Raratonga has flights between eight of them. If you’re planning on visiting more than one island, buy a pass for discounted fares.
Raratonga is only 32km (20 mile) circumference so there is no real need to hire a car. There is a bus services that loops the island. If you want to travel under your own steam, hiring a scooter is cheaper than a car.