Cook Islands holiday planning – Jetstar Australia family holidays
One Foot Island in Aitutaki Lagoon, Cook Islands
A new Australian family holiday destination
Closer to Australia than Bali, the Cook Islands offer an untouched island paradise of incredible beauty.
We were invited to visit the Cook Islands with Jetstar Australia!
We were so excited to be invited to join the inaugural Jetstar Australia flight to the Cook Islands!
We were so lucky to be invited along on the very first Jetstar Australia flight out of Sydney to the Cook Islands – a brand new Australian holiday destination exclusive to Jetstar airlines!
We got to spend a week on Rarotonga and Aitutaki islands and found that this amazing destination has something for everyone. Both locations offered both incredible natural beauty and tourist activities. It was a wonderful experience that at the end had us vowing to go back again as soon as possible to relive our fun holiday times there!
Jetstar Australia fly to the Cook Islands from Australia
Jetstar Australia plane at Rarotonga International Airport in the Cook Islands
Jetstar Australia recently commenced flying their very exciting new and exclusive route to the Cook Islands. You can now book a direct Jetstar flight from Sydney to Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands.
Where are the Cook Islands? Do I need a visa? Can I use my Australian drivers license?
These are not silly questions! Until now this island paradise has very-much flown under the radar with Aussie travellers.
The Cook Islands are located in the South Pacific, half-way between New Zealand and Hawaii – and you don’t need a Visa to visit – but you do need to provide some other documents. For the answer to these and other quick but essential Cook Island holiday essentials questions, check out our Australian’s essential holiday guide to the Cook Islands!
What is there to do in the Cook Islands?
The beaches in the Cook Islands are pristine
There’s so much holiday fun to be had in the Cook Islands – your island vacation can be as laid back or crazy-energetic as you like! The Cook Islands are perfectly geared for both relaxation – and for fun! Not just that, they also happen to be super family-friendly, so you can bring the kids along too.
Rarotonga is like one big resort!
Rarotonga is an island paradise
Rarotonga is the largest of the Cook Islands, and this is where you will arrive on your Jetstar Australia flight.
A lush, mountainous centre ringed with one main road hugging its stunning coastline, Rarotonga takes less than 45 minutes to circumnavigate by car. With its gorgeous beaches and reef-protected blue lagoon teeming with sea life, Rarotonga is a true island paradise!
Ariki Adventures Sea Scooter Turtle Safari
Ariki Adventures Sea Scooter Turtle Safari – we saw so many turtles on our Safari!
Our feature activity on Rarotonga was swimming with turtles using sea scooters, a really amazing activity you can enjoy in the Cook Islands. We went on an Ariki Adventures Sea Scooter Turtle Safari, which uses motorised sea scooters to tow you around.
You can read all about our Ariki Adventures Sea Scooter Turtle Safari here.
Aitutaki – the island with the world-famous blue lagoon
Aitutaki’s lagoon is world famous
Aitutaki is another beautiful Cook Island, perhaps best known for its stunningly blue lagoon – and it’s super-easy to get to!
How do you get to Aitutaki?
The fastest way to Aitutaki is by air from Rarotonga
You can quickly access Aitutaki in less than an hour via a short hop flight from Rarotonga International Airport.
Within the Aitutaki lagoon you’ll discover crystal clear water, deserted tropical islands, massive tropical fish, two types of turtles, nesting rare sea birds and so much more.
Aitutaki’s lagoon is so blue and beautiful it’s been used for the Survivor TV show and even Sports Illustrated model shoots!
Our feature activity on Aitutaki was a Wet N Wild cruise.
Aitutaki Wet N Wild cruise
Island hop the Aitutaki Lagoon with Wet N Wild Cruises
Wet and Wild cruise, as the name suggests, is not your average kick-back and watch the world go by cruise! The Wet N Wild cruise is an action-packed cruise with lots of opportunities to take part in really fun activities such as snorkeling, swimming and much more. You can read all about our Wet N Wild cruise on our review here.
The beautiful Aitutaki Lagoon has deserted islands to explore
Where can you swim with whales?
Believe it or not, you can also swim with whales at Aitutaki! Wet and Wild Aitutaki offer this experience outside of the Aitutaki Lagoon. This year swimming with Humpback whales commenced in June. (We didn’t have time to swim with whales on this trip, but maybe next time so that we can tell you what it’s like first-hand!)
Snorkeling in the lagoons
Snorkeling is a great fun family activity in the Cook Islands
Snorkeling is a really fun activity in the Cook Islands and is great even for little kids thanks to the large shallow lagoon areas surrounding the islands.
Both of the island resorts we stayed at (see below) supplied free snorkel gear and in Aitutaki there were even canoes and sup boards available for free, too. Both beach resorts had amazing snorkeling available directly off their beachfront. It’s a simple as walking out of your door….and into the ocean!
Where can you eat in the Cook Islands?
The Blue Lagoon restaurant in the Aitutaki Village
Your beach resort will most probably have a great restaurant like ours did, but if you want to sample different locations around the Cook Islands there’s plenty of options to pick from! With over 100 cafes and restaurants in Rarotonga alone, you’ll be spoilt for choice every night of your holiday.
A selection of Vaima Restaurant’s desserts
We even spent one evening fine-dining in a restaurant literally right on the beach with the sand between our toes! Another night we ate at a beach restaurant with an incredible sunset to entertain us – along with a live island band. The Cook Island restaurant food we experienced was always fresh and delicious. This is holiday food at its finest – you definitely won’t go hungry in the Cook Islands!
Vaima Restaurant, Rarotonga – why eat next to the beach when you can dine ON the beach?
Don’t miss: Ika mata
Ika mata is a very popular dish in the Cook Islands made from raw fish (often tuna) marinated in the traditional way with lime and coconut mik, served with raw vegetables.
Transportation – how to get around the Cook Islands
The Cook Island main roads are narrow tar, and have low speed limits
There are several different ways to get around the Cook Islands.
At the airports you’ll find taxis for hire, motor scooters and hire cars.
The larger resorts on the islands supply a minivan pick up service. So you can just let them do all the driving if you like (which is not much – Rarotonga only takes around 45 minutes to circumnavigate, and Aitutaki is even smaller),
Does Rarotonga have public transport?
Yes, there are regular public bus services you can pay to use.
Does the Cook Islands have hire car rentals?
Yes. The Cook Islands has rental car companies. We had hire cars in both Rarotonga and Aitutaki, which can be very handy to get around in.
We picked up our Rarotonga hire car at the airport
The Cook Island hire cars are mostly small or compact, which makes them easy to park and drive around the flat, narrow roads.
The girls fell in love with our little Aitutaki hire car!
With just one main circular coastal road on both the Raratonga and Aitutaki islands it would be hard to get lost. Even the local bus service direction signs are simply, “Clockwise”!
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Chickens roam wild in the Cook Islands, and you’ll often see a friendly well-fed cat or dog going for a swim or sunning itself by the road in Rarotonga and cats in Aitutaki. You do need to keep an eye out for them if you’re driving, however luckily the speed limit is only 30kph in the town and 50kph elsewhere. The local animals seem to live in symbiosis with the traffic – or at least, they think they do!
Roaming chickens are a common sight in the Cook Islands!
Does the Cook Islands have WIFI?
Yes. The Cook Islands does have WIFI, however it can be more expensive and slower than by Australian standards.
Telstra doesn’t include the Cook Islands as a top roaming country, so will charge you high roaming fees. (Think $3 per MB).
The best option is to purchase a Cook Islands SIM card. VODAPHONE sim cards are available at the airport – the going rate is around $50 NZD for 5GB. Most resorts offer WIFI for comparable prices. Free WIFI is usually not the default option around the islands.
Cook Islands accommodation options
There is a huge range of island accommodation for all budgets in the Cook Islands. We stayed in family-friendly, mid-budget resorts during our stay – and loved them! From the tropical breakfasts to the open-sided restaurants with beach-front views and resort swimming pools, they were everything we could have needed, and more. But don’t worry – there certainly are adults-only resorts too if you’re really wanting to get away from it all – or for a kid-free getaway!
Where can you stay in Raratonga?
Edgewater Spa and Resort in Rarotonga
Edgewater Resort and Spa
In Raratonga we stayed at the family-friendly Edgewater Resort and Spa in a luxury beachfront villa. You can read all about our stay in our Edgewater Resort and Spa review here, or check for the best Edgewater Resort rates on Tripadvisor here
Where can you stay in Aitutaki?
The view from the swimming pontoon at Tamanu Beach Resort in Aitutaki
Tamanu Beach Resort
In Aitutaki we stayed at the beautiful Tamanu Beach Resort in a private bungalow. You can read all about our stay in our Tamanu Beach Resort review here or check for the best Tamanu Beach Resort rates on Tripadvisor here
This page may contain affiliate links. If you book a stay or an attraction through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!
Which is the best airline to fly to the Cook Islands from Australia?
Jetstar Australia
Check for the cheapest Jetstar Cook Island fares here
Jetstar Australia are the only airline that fly from Australia to the Cook Islands. They offer cheap fares from Sydney to Rarotonga three times a week – check their website for their low Cook Island fares and frequent sales. See Jetstar Australia’s cheap Cook Island flights here
Fly Jetstar Australia to the Cook Islands
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The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Jetstar Australia for our flights and hosted us for a week in the Cook Islands. As always, all opinions remain firmly our own.
This page may contain affiliate links. If you book a stay or an attraction through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!
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