Pacific Resort Aitutaki is 'a pearl of a place'.
A second honeymoon can be better than the first, writes Penny Lewis.
You can spot honeymooners a mile away. They are young and in good shape. Their wedding rings are shiny and new. My husband Michael and I never looked like that. We did everything backwards - children first, then a wedding and finally a "second" honeymoon to the Cook Islands in January for our fifth wedding anniversary, where we spotted several pairs of happy newlyweds.
Our first honeymoon wasn't really one at all. A few months after our wedding we took our children to Queensland in winter and went to Movie World. It was a fun family holiday, but it wasn't romantic.
How wonderful, then, to have five nights to relax in Rarotonga and Aitutaki without children. Our daughters went to stay with family in Waipukurau and we flew out of Auckland on a Wednesday morning, crossing the international dateline to arrive in Raro on a Tuesday afternoon.
Andrew Griffin met us at the airport. He and his wife, Belinda, had only arrived on the island 10 days earlier to manage Rumours Luxury Villas & Spa.
Originally from Melbourne, the Griffins brought up their two now-adult children in Noosa and spent several years managing a boutique resort in Fiji before coming to Rarotonga.
"Here it's exactly what you want a tropical island to be," says Andrew. Belinda says the place has a low-key feel. "It's not a party island." That was fine by us.
After marvelling at our beachfront villa's view, four-poster beds, private courtyard with plunge pool, spa and amazing bathrooms - we couldn't believe our luck - it's time to FaceTime our children from this adults-only oasis. It doesn't go smoothly.
The Cook Islands doesn't have the infrastructure for affordable roaming and nor does it have reliable Wi-Fi. I buy an hour's Wi-Fi for $10, but we can't get hold of our kids. When they reply, the Wi-Fi has expired and I use up my $50 Vodafone roaming package in minutes. The children and I are cut off and that's the end of my being online. At first, I feel disconnected from the world, but it doesn't take long to realise being able to relax without constantly looking at my iPhone is a good thing.
At dinner time we wander 15 minutes along the road to LBV at Muri. We ate here on a previous visit - enjoying breakfast and pastries - and expected cafe fare for dinner. I was wrong to have such simple expectations. The food, cooked by Kevin Mapu and Tepae Papai - a Cook Islander trained in New Zealand at MIT and Weltec - is outstanding.
We start with tuna carpaccio and seared scallops and progress to mains of mahi mahi and gnocchi made of fish and prawn. My glass of Wither Hills chardonnay costs $10 - hardly a budget-breaker. Michael can't believe his Heineken is only $6.50 - much cheaper than home. He is also impressed it comes with a chilled glass, without his having to ask.
Our waitress, Danielle, who's originally from Masterton but whose mother is Rarotongan, says with a smile "that's what the owner always tells us. Water for the table and serve beer with chilled glasses."
Darkness falls as we eat dessert and all of a sudden, there's an onslaught of mosquitoes. Danielle explains they've made their presence felt after recent rains. Luckily LBV provides insect repellent. After dinner we stumble back along the roadside to Rumours - not because of inebriation, but with no street lighting we can barely see where we are going. No matter, we look up and marvel at the stars. It's a bit romantic.
The next morning, after enjoying breakfast in our room, we head 500m down the road to Rumours' Waterfall Spa for our couple's massage. We are not normally the type to don terry towel robes and get massaged together, but the knots are eased and we feel very relaxed.
After the spa treatment it's off to Muri Beach Club Hotel for a gourmet picnic basket and short voyage by treddle cat over to the nearby motu (island). We have enjoyed these pedal-powered catamarans before, but as we drag today's craft into the water, a thin German man wearing only Speedos seems to be staring at us - and approaching. Despite my protestations that we are fine, he helps push us off into deeper water.
After scoffing our fish-wrap, fruit platter, dip and bruschetta picnic on the island, we head back to Rumours to make the most of our private plunge pool, where there are no Speedo-wearing strangers.
That evening we walk down the road to the Nautilus Resort for dinner. Manager Ben Plummer shows us around the complex, at that stage still in its final stages of completion. It's a family-friendly place - important to note as several resorts on the island are adults-only. We enjoy a sumptuous meal and meet the restaurant's executive chef, Mike Fosbender, formerly of Strawberry Fare in Christchurch.
The next day dawns and Michael and I take our villa's allocated kayaks out on to the water, paddling around the motu. As we head back to Rumours a dog is waiting on the sand for us. I have noticed that in Rarotonga there are often dogs wearing collars roaming around, but they all seem happy and not vicious or aggressive.
Michael was first to reach the shore and, as he landed, the dog climbed up and put his two front paws on the kayak. "He was wagging his tail and almost looked like he was smiling," says Michael. "He waited for a pat and then wandered off back down the beach."
After a superb lunch at The Fish Mooring Cafe at Avana near Muri, it was time to pack up and bid farewell to Belinda and Andrew to catch a 40-minute flight to an island with no dogs at all - Aitutaki. The island has a permanent population of 2000 people and is so laid-back it makes Rarotonga look bustling.
We check into our bungalow at the sublime Pacific Resort Aitutaki, a pearl of a place with 27 beachfront bungalows, villas and suites and the most incredible gardens and views. That first night we cycle a few minutes down the road to nearby Tamanu Beach resort for its island-night dinner and show. There's a mix-up with the reservation, but no matter, we get to sit at "the family table", where the resort owner's grandson Michael teases my husband. "You're going to have to get up and dance," he says with a cheeky smile.
And he's right - Michael the elder is whisked up by the troupe while I laugh and record it all on my phone.
The next day's adventure is the Vaka lagoon cruise, a six-hour excursion that visits the old Teal flying boat base seen on Survivor a few years ago and One Foot Island, where Air New Zealand filmed its infamous Sports Illustrated model flight safety video.
The palm trees, white sand and turquoise waters are so perfect, they look like an idyllic computer screensaver. The cruise is livened by lots of banter from our hosts, we are fed a delicious barbecue lunch on board and go swimming and snorkelling to see rainbow-hued tropical fish and have encounters with giant clams and George, an enormous trevally.
A group of New Zealand travel agents are on the cruise, but also a number of locals enjoying their day off. We meet Terry, who works for the fire service at Aitutaki airport. He used to live in Manukau but returned home for the lifestyle. When the Vaka hosts call for a volunteer to help split a coconut as part of the entertainment, Terry says something in Cook Islands Maori and poor Michael is once again the fall guy.
Terry tells us about the league game on in town that evening - the island's westies versus its easterners - and recommends his friend Tasi's restaurant for dinner.
Back on land we hire a car from the resort and drive into Arutanga, which really is too tiny to be considered a town. There's a sizeable crowd at the game on this Friday night, but unfortunately Tasi's is shut, as are the other two restaurant and takeaway places. It's then we grasp just how laid-back this place is.
Hungry, we head back to Pacific Resort's Rapae Bay Restaurant to watch the sunset and savour an incredible seafood platter.
Our last full day in paradise is spent snorkelling, kayaking and lazing around on the pristine beach outside our bungalow. I also manage to slip in a top-notch facial at the spa. Mere, the beauty therapist, is originally from Fiji and loves the pace of life here. "You ask someone in Raro what they do and they tell you about their job, but here if you ask someone what they do they usually just say 'nothing'."
In contrast to the hunger pangs and league game of the night before, Saturday evening is undeniably romantic. We feast like a king and queen on the beach outside our bungalow, sitting on cushions under a canopy. Our waiter Gerard has adorned the tent with garlands of flowers and tea lights. It is the prettiest thing I have ever seen. He pours champagne and brings us fresh sushi and sashimi for dinner. We are in heaven.
Our last morning is spent walking on the beach and trying to soak up every little detail. Until now we've seen nobody else at all on "our" beach, but we stop to chat to a young Australian couple playing petanque. "Are you on honeymoon?" I ask. "Yes, for 10 days. But we leave tomorrow," they reply.
We all agree it's a hard place to leave - honeymoon or not. Michael and I may not have enjoyed a honeymoon as a young married couple, but these five nights away make us feel like the luckiest middle-aged couple on Earth.
Rarotonga & Aitutaki
• Rumours Luxury Villas & Spa: For a special accommodation rate, email info@rumours-rarotonga.com and quote reference 5NI/NZH.
• cookislands.travel
• feelraro.co.nz
• aitutaki.net
• Pacific Resort Aitutaki - for latest specials click here
Penny Lewis travelled to the Cook Islands courtesy of Cook Islands Tourism and operators.
The 'Southern Link' will directly connect Aotearoa to Argentina by year's end.