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The Cook Islands: The Pacific's Hidden Treasure
June 09, 2008
The Cook Islands' adventure and luxury make it an ideal destination
By Alex Palmer
One of the first responses you will likely get when telling someone you just returned from the Cook Islands will be an initial "Wow," then the question, "So where are those exactly?" This gorgeous destination remains a mystery to American travelers, who may know about Captain Cook's exploration of the islands or the role they played in Mutiny on the Bounty, but not a lot else.
That's just what Gabriel Haigazian, vice president of Woodland Hills, Calif.–based Creative Travel Planners, liked about these South Pacific islands, located just east of Tahiti. Planning a pair of recent trips to Rarotonga and Aitutaki for a San Francisco– and Los Angeles–based radio station, Haigazian himself had never actually been to the islands when he booked the programs. In fact, he had only recently learned about their offerings to incentive groups while speaking to a representative from the islands at a trade show. Seeing photographs of the textured blue lagoons, and hearing about the adventure experiences and top-notch luxury accommodations the Cooks could provide, he was ready to plan a program there, sight unseen (which he describes as all but unheard of for the company).
"When you put out a destination that people have to stop and scratch their heads and say, 'Where exactly is this place?' you're setting them up for a totally unique program," says Haigazian.
 Hosting the principals of advertising companies who work with the stations, Haigazian wanted to offer a location that felt a little more special than the better-known resort islands. Working closely with destination management company DMCK, a division of Turama Pacific Travel Group, Creative Travel Planners put together a wide-ranging program that was made all the more special for being the first American incentive program to take place on the Cook Islands.
Though in free association with New Zealand, the Cook Islands is a self-governing democracy—and far enough northeast that travelers coming from America do not cross the international dateline as they do going to New Zealand (which controls foreign affairs and defense). It is a mere nine-hour flight from Los Angeles International Airport, and the time is only two or three hours ahead of Los Angeles, depending on the season. With nonstop flights leaving there from LAX once a week on Air New Zealand, it's easier than ever to get to this fascinating land.
The vast tropical jungles and beaches where one is unlikely to see a tourist proved a perfect arena for relaxing tours of the terrain as well as adventure games in the vein of The Amazing Race or Survivor (a recent season of Survivor was in fact filmed in the Cook Islands). From running up muddy hills to making flower leis and offering them to the locals, Haigazian's groups were able to enjoy the unique surroundings of the islands in a personal way. For those looking to add some vehicles to the experience, interested groups can arrange for dune buggies and all-terrain vehicles from Rarotonga-based Coconut Tours or take a more traditional Circle Island Discovery Tour of Rarotonga, or an Aitutaki Discovery Safari Tour.
Rarotonga and Aitutaki are the most suitable of the Cooks' 15 islands for incentive travel, and each offers distinct experiences that complement one another on a program. The capital island of Rarotonga contains most of the Cooks' population and is the more bustling of the two main islands (though it's hardly a major metropolis), with numerous resorts, restaurants, shopping options and activities to choose from. Among the resorts and hotels is Crown Beach Resort, where one of Haigazian's groups stayed. It includes 22 spacious beachfront villas. Sunday nights the resort hosts a memorable culture night of native dancing and drumming, even getting the audience involved as participants.
Just a few minutes south of Crown Beach is Little Polynesia, a true gem of a resort with 10 beachfront bungalows, each with its own private gazebo and daybed. Modest in size, this is an ideal property for a small and exclusive incentive group.
 For a destination so abundant with local flavors (a wealth of exotic fruits grow all over the islands), it is not surprising that the Cook Islands offers a distinct and delicious dining experience for travelers. Seafoods like the local mudcrab, salads made with arrowroot (which can taste like a slightly sweet potato), and the appetizer ika mata (a kind of Maori ceviche made with raw fish and coconut cream) are some of the favorite choices at many of the islands' restaurants and cafes.
Rarotonga has several top dining spots. Crown Beach's Windjammer restaurant has a top-notch menu with an intimate atmo-sphere. The close-by Tamarind House Restaurant and Bar offers not only some of the finest dining on the island, but a large outdoor area for group events.
You are not going to find many large resort chains on the islands, but instead have a choice of many smaller, independently run resorts, with, in almost all cases, extraordinary service and attention to detail. The hospitality on the Cooks goes beyond good service, giving guests the sense they are staying with an old friend. "I liked the fact that it was not a massive tourist attraction with every known hotel chain building hotels there," says Haigazian.
An exemplar of this exquisite hospitality is Pacific Resort Rarotonga. With a wide range of suites and villas set among the flora and waterways throughout its 5.5 acres of land, Pacific Resort can accommodate groups of varying sizes and interests. Guests are able to enjoy all variety of island activities on site, from snorkeling and windsurfing to cruising through the lagoon in a glass bottom boat. Set far back from the main road, it also offers luxurious privacy.
Aitutaki is a whole other experience of the Cooks. The island is a 45-minute flight from the Rarotonga Airport on Air Rarotonga, which has several flights running daily between the islands and offers charters for an even more personalized experience. The striking colors, coral reefs and small islets that greet those flying into this triangle-shaped island will create a feeling of relaxation before travelers have even landed.
"I remember one qualifier said, 'You see pictures in magazines where they have touched up the photo to make it look like that,'" says Haigazian. "'This is looking at an untouched photo—it doesn't look real.'"
Pacific Resort Aitutaki is where Creative Travel Planners hosted its groups during their days there. Guests staying in one of the property's 27 wooden beachfront bungalows can recline on their large back patios or push their sliding doors open to enjoy the lagoon view from inside a vast bedroom, complete with all the current technology, even as the room exudes a classic elegance. Like its sister property, Pacific Resort Aitutaki provides all variety of activity, including kayaking and snorkeling as well as a tranquil feeling of distance from the busyness of the outside world. The elevated Rapae Bay Restaurant on site offers local cuisine, and just a few steps down, the poolside Black Rock Café and Bar is the ideal place to gather with fellow incentive winners after a midday swim or for a nightcap at the end of an unforgettable day.
Editor's Note: This is only part of the story; for further details on the Cook Islands’ resorts and activities, visit www.incentivemag.com/cooks.
Send comments to alex.palmer@incentivemag.com.
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