Sunday in the Cook Islands: what is open and what is not

Sunday matters here in a way it does not in most places visitors come from. Church is the centre of the day, a lot of businesses close, and a trip planned without knowing that goes sideways.

Takitumu Conservation Area

A protected area of native forest in the island's south-east, run by local landowners, and home to the kakerori — a bird brought back from near extinction.

The Ara Metua: the thousand-year-old inland road

The older of Rarotonga's two ring roads, running inland through plantations and villages. Slower, greener and far more interesting than the coast road.

The Cross-Island Track and Te Rua Manga (The Needle)

The island's best-known walk: roughly 6km from the north coast to the south, past a 413-metre volcanic spire, finishing at a waterfall. Three to four hours, and steeper and muddier than most people expect.

Titikaveka: the south coast snorkelling

Clear, calm water on the south coast with some of the best shore snorkelling on Rarotonga, and a fraction of the people at Muri.

Travelling to the Cook Islands: entry, health and insurance

Practical basics — entry requirements, what medical care exists, and why travel insurance matters more here than in most destinations.

Turtles in Rarotonga: where and when

Green and hawksbill turtles are seen regularly off Rarotonga, particularly on the northern and western coasts. What is realistic, and how to behave around them.

When to visit the Cook Islands

Two broad seasons, neither of them bad. What the difference actually means for swimming, walking, prices and cyclone risk.

Where to swim on Rarotonga besides Muri

Muri gets the photographs, but the west and south coasts have better snorkelling, better sunsets and far fewer people. Where to go, and where the currents make it a bad idea.

Wigmore's Waterfall (Papua Falls)

A short, flat walk from the south coast road to a small waterfall and pool. Ten minutes each way, and entirely dependent on recent rain.