Cook Islands
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
67.1km²
Area
32km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
652m
Highest point
Te Manga
10,572
People
28°C
Warmest sea
March
4,893km
To the mainland
When to go to Rarotonga
Best for the beach from June to October.
The sea is warmest in March (28 °C) and coolest in August (24 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island of the Cook Islands
Rarotonga is an volcanic island in Cook Islands. It covers 67.1 km², with 32 km of coastline. Its highest point, Te Manga, rises to 652 m. About 10,572 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 4,893 km away.
Getting there
- Rarotonga International Airport (RAR)airport on the island, with scheduled flights
- Ferries1 ferry terminals on the island
- 4,893 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From June to Octoberbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
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On the island
What you find on Rarotonga.
- 4beachesMatavera Beach and 3 more
- 11viewpointsClear area, Airport view, Towards Airport and 8 more
- 1ferry terminalsCruise Berth for Tender
- 16named peaksTe Manga, Te Atukura, Te Kou and 13 more
- 1castles and fortsTinomana Palace (Au Maru)
- 2ruins and archaeological sitesTaputapuātea, Arai te Tonga
- 2dive centresCook Island Divers, Dive Rarotonga
- 27hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 40restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 97 m above the sea. 79 % of it is below 200 m.
- 50 %0–50 m
- 30 %50–200 m
- 21 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Avarua13,373 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Night low (°C) | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 25 |
| Sea (°C) | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 |
| Rain (mm) | 195 | 202 | 198 | 166 | 150 | 62 | 77 | 63 | 83 | 94 | 144 | 174 |
| Wet days | 19 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 17 |
| Sun h/day | 7.8 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 6.9 | 6.2 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 7.2 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 7.9 | 7.8 |
| Wind (km/h) | 22 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 22 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | −0.5 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.1 | −0.2 | +0.5 | +0.6 | −0.2 | +0.9 |
| 2021 | +1.2 | +1.3 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +1.0 | +0.1 | +0.2 |
| 2022 | +0.4 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +1.5 | +1.5 | +1.2 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.1 | −0.8 | −0.1 |
| 2023 | −0.6 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +0.8 | +0.4 | −0.3 | −0.2 | −1.1 | −1.0 |
| 2024 | −0.2 | +0.1 | +0.9 | +1.1 | +0.8 | +0.4 | +0.4 | −0.1 | +0.3 | −0.1 | −1.1 | −0.6 |
| 2025 | +0.5 | +1.1 | +0.7 | +0.5 | +0.1 | −0.3 | −0.2 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | +0.6 | −0.1 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q471793) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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