Air New Zealand flies to Rarotonga several times a week from Auckland and LA (via Papeete). As far as we know they are the only carrier. It is possible to get one way tickets from Auckland (wouldn't that be lovely!) from NZ$399 per person if you book well in advance.
If you want a self-catering holiday, and you are single or a couple, we highly recomend staying at the Avana Lagoon Cottage, on the east. It had everything we needed, and then some. We really enjoyed being independent of a resort, and as Rarotongans all speak English, there is no real risk in doing this.
If you're looking for a luxury holiday, you can't go past the Crown Beach Resort on the west, where our honeymooning friends stayed, and where they had their wedding. It's just beautiful, and everything a tropical resort is 'supposed to have' with palm trees and hammocks and cocktails on the beach. However, there is a price tag to match!
If you want that large resort feeling, try The Rarotongan on the south, which seemed large, but cheerful (from our walk around) for a family holiday (they have a good kids program), or Pacific Resort on beautiful Muri beach, which seemed nice also, but not particularly Rarotongan in it's theme. We don't recommend the Edgewater, after spending one night there when our flight home was delayed. A bit run-down and too noisy and just yuck really.
Otherwise, there are lots of lovely villas, bungalows, and resorts not mentioned here all over the island. Many can be booked over the internet. The entire island is lovely, so you can't really go wrong...
Rarotonga is encircled by a coastal road approximately 32km long. Therefore, there are really only two directions to travel in: clockwise and anti-clockwise. Buses travel every hour in both directions during the day so there is no need for independent transport, however we hired pushbikes for a week to adventure around our local area. Scooters are also popular, and if you don't already have a motorbike license, the test is easy (once around the 'block' in town, with a police officer following you).
For more information on Rarotonga, we found the following websites invaluable in preparing for our trip:
www.ck.com
Cook Islands Tourism Corporation site
Rarotonga Travel Guide
To see one of the photos we had taken at the wedding, click here.
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