Things To Do › Rarotonga
Culture & History

Cook Islands Christian Church, Avarua

📍 Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Where
Central Avarua, on the main road
Opening hours
Sunday services; the building can be viewed from outside at other times
Typical cost
Free — a donation is appropriate

The CICC church in Avarua is a striking piece of colonial-era architecture built from local coral limestone, and it remains a working church at the centre of island life.

Sunday service

Visitors are welcomed. The reason to go is the singing — imene tuki, the unaccompanied harmony singing of the Cook Islands, is unlike anything most visitors have heard, and hearing it in the building it was made for is a different experience from hearing it at a cultural show.

Courtesy

  • Modest dress — shoulders and knees covered.
  • Arrive before the start rather than during.
  • Photography during a service is intrusive. Ask first, or simply do not.

The graveyard

The graves surrounding the church are worth a slow walk. They tell a good deal of the island's recent history, including that of the writer Robert Dean Frisbie.

💡 Local tip
Cover shoulders and knees, arrive before the service starts, and stay to the end. Many congregations serve tea afterwards and will invite you to join.
Listed as a local guide entry — not bookable through CI Booking. Details can change; it is worth confirming before you go.

Book something on Rarotonga

Stay
Peaceful 2BR Retreat with AC Near Muri Lagoon
From NZD 330/night
Stay
Lady D's Houses
From NZD 200/night

Booked direct with local operators — no booking fees.

For local operators

Run a business on Rarotonga?

List your accommodation, tours, vehicle hire or transport on CI Booking and take bookings direct from visitors reading this page. You set your own rates and availability, payments go straight to you, and there is no commission taken from the guest.

🏠 Accommodation🌟 Tours🚗 Vehicle hire🚕 Taxi & transport
List your business →
Free to list. Cook Islands operators only.