Between August 17th – 29th, I travelled to the Cook Islands – Rarotonga and Aitutaki via Vancouver, Los Angeles, Auckland, New Zealand and then to my final destination. Including layovers, this encompassed about 45 hours of travel time. I can’t say enough about the comfort and hospitality offered by Air New Zealand. The fact that they are regarded as the number one airline in the World was evident. I have always dreamed about visiting “The Cooks.”

The Cook Islands are in the South Pacific Ocean, Northeast of New Zealand, between American Samoa and French Polynesia.There are 15 major islands spread over 2,200,000 km² of ocean, divided into two distinct groups: the Southern Cook Islands and the Northern Cook Islands.

The people are warm and friendly, the food delicious and every service is available. During my stay, the weather was moderate and there were only a couple days that it was a bit “too hot.” On day 2, I got to experience a “tropical storm.”

A very special thanks goes out to Sonny and staff at Aroko Bunglaows. If you visit Rarotonga, I highly recommend you stay here. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to Arerau Rino Maao for sharing the beauty of his island, Aitutaki with me on the 25th. I also highly recommend the Aitutaki day tour offered by Air Rarotonga. Thank you to Mia at Island Car & Bike Hire for setting me up with “wheels.” Lastly, thank you to Walker, Tatiana and Marie at Te Vara Nui Village for being excellent hosts during the cultural performance and dinner I attended on the 20th.