Avarua: the lagoon capital of the Cook Islands

Capital of the Cook Islands, Avarua overlooks the island of Rarotonga with a turquoise lagoon protected by a natural coral barrier.

Rental scooters remain the most common way to explore the island.

The Punanga Nui Market, open on weekends, displays local crafts, tropical fruit and live Polynesian music.

A few steps away, the Cook Islands Christian Church, built in white coral in 1853, remains one of the Pacific's oldest religious buildings.

Continuing along the coast you travel part of the Ara Tapu, the road that completely circles Rarotonga island passing through villages and lagoon beaches.

As evening approaches, snorkeling in the protected lagoon in front of Avarua allows you to observe tropical fish in shallow, calm waters.

The coral reef protecting Rarotonga creates a lagoon so calm and shallow that it can be crossed on foot in many places during low tide, a distinctive trait rare among Pacific islands.

The Cook Islands, despite being a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, maintain a distinct Polynesian culture with their own language, Cook Islands Maori, different from New Zealand Maori, and their own local currency.