Highlights
- 7 nights at Edgewater Resort & Spa
- Visit to Punanga Nui Market
- Rarotonga's historical & scenic sights - Footprints of our Ancestors
- Visit a Sunday church service
- Full day Aitutaki Island Cruise ** new inclusion **
- Progressive Dinner with the locals of Cook Islands
- Visit to a local school (feel free to donate some school supplies)
- Beach visits for snorkelling, swimming & relaxing
- Free time for personal discovery
- Friends for company!
Inclusions
- Personally escorted from Australia, your Sisterhood Tour Hostess is on hand to assist with making your holiday a memorable one
- Return airfares from Melbourne to Rarotonga (via Auckland) flying with Air New Zealand including taxes (other departure cities on request)
- Guided sightseeing as per itinerary
- Meals as per itinerary
- Transportation and transfers throughout
- 1 night post Auckland Airport Hotel inc breakfast
- Beachfront rooms at The Edgewater Resort & Spa (Option for Lagoonview Rooms)
- Willing to Share Option (subject to availability)
- Zoom Meet & Greet prior to departure
Notice
A lovely, easy going itinerary providing everyone with plenty of free time to relax and explore.
** This itinerary is subject to change due to weather and other operational requirements. **
Basic Fitness Rating - A basic level of fitness is necessary for these tours. Typically, a day of walking entails approximately 10,000 steps and you should be capable of boarding and disembarking coaches, trains and boats unaided as well as managing steps and uneven terrain including cobblestones and unsurfaced roads and paths. For more information on our physical ratings please click here
Lagoon View Rooms - have been recently renovated but are in a busier area of the resort near the function centre (may be noisier if there is a wedding on).
Beachfront Rooms - are located in a quieter area of the resort with original styled furnishings.
Itinerary
Day 1 - Tuesday 17 June 2025
Melbourne - Auckland - Rarotonga (Meals Inflight)
Welcome to Sisterhood Womens Travel. Meet your Tour Hostess and fellow travellers at Melbourne Airport for your flight to Rarotonga via Auckland. Due to crossing the International Date Line, we will arrive into Rarotonga early afternoon of the Monday 16 June.
Upon arrival into the Cook Islands we'll be transferred to our accommodation (late arrival).
Overnight - Edgewater Resort & Spa
Day 2 - Tuesday 17 June 2025 **Same date due to International Dateline**
Exploring Rarotonga (B,L,D)
After breakfast, we'll depart on our "Discover Raratonga" tour enjoying Rarotonga's historical and scenic sites. We'll visit places of interest including learning all about the growth and cultivation of black pearls. We'll enjoy special demonstrations of unique aspects of Cook Island life and hear about the fascinating culture from our informative guide. Lunch is included in this tour.
The rest of our day is free to relax. Read a book, go swimming, or just take time out and enjoy your tropical surroundings. There are plenty of complimentary activities to enjoy at the Edgewater Resort including snorkelling, fish feeding and guided village and nature walks.
This afternoon we'll have an orientation tour of the resort where we will be introduced to the resort staff and enjoy welcome cocktails by the pool at 5pm.
Dinner tonight at our hotel.
Overnight: Edgewater Resort & Spa
Day 3 - Wednesday 18 June 2025
School Visit and Footprints of our Ancestors (B,D)
Today a special visit to one of the island's local schools. We'll meet and spend time with the students and enjoy light refreshments. (Feel free to donate books, pencils, etc to the school, it is always much appreciated).
After our school visit, we'll enjoy a Highland Paradise Tapuae Day Tour - "Footprints of our Ancestors". Discover magnificent King Tinomana's life story and hidden mountain village brought to life by his descendants. Our knowledgeable and entertaining guides will showcase the spiritual past and present, ancient legends and practices. On this tour, we will be visiting the ancient village of Tinomana Enuarurutini Ariki who left this settlement during the 1830s when he and his people converted to Christianity. Highlights of this tour include the Ancient Sacred Marae, Navigators Rock and the Maunga Roa Learning Centre which features a historical and contemporary collection of art, craft and artifacts.
An afternoon at leisure. You may like to catch the clockwise or anticlockwise bus to town for more exploring.
Dinner tonight at the Spaghetti House.
Overnight: Edgewater Resort & Spa
Day 4 - Thursday 19 June 2025
Aitutaki Full Day Cruise (B,L,D)
There is no better way to fully experience the beauty and charm of this magical place than to experience it on our all inclusive Aitutaki day tour from Rarotonga. We'll enjoy jaw-dropping views in a relaxing atmosphere. We'll enjoy swimming and snorkelling spots teeming with an array of colourful tropical fish and majestic giant trevallies, visit sun-soaked islets (motus) and enjoy a delicious tropical buffet lunch. It is an experience no visitor to the Cook Islands should miss! We'll experience the beauty and the bounty of Aitutaki’s lagoon and its many islands including One Foot Island right from the front door of our Rarotonga Hotel all the way to our double-hulled traditionally styled Vaka cruising Aitutaki’s wide turquoise lagoon.
We'll begin with an early morning airport for our short flight to Aitutaki. Breathtaking views of Aitutaki Lagoon give the first impression of what lies ahead. A fabulous day for us to get away from it all and enjoy cruising in Paradise.
We'll return to the Main Island and be transferred back to our resort with dinner tonight at Tamarind House.
The restaurant, Rarotonga’s delightful eatery, owned by former Flame Tree restaurateur and cookbook author, Sue Carruthers, housed in a colonial building on the Pacific Ocean foreshore at Tupapa makes for a wonderful end to the day.
Overnight: Edgewater Resort & Spa
Day 5 - Friday 20 June 2025
Day at Leisure (B,D)
A day at leisure to continue to enjoy the resort facilities or venture a little further out and explore the Island by taking the Clockwise or Anti-Clockwise bus which departs just outside the resort.
A progressive dinner tonight which gives us a fabulous opportunity to enjoy the hospitality of the locals who love to showcase traditional cooking whilst sharing their unique stories.
Overnight: Edgewater Resort & Spa
Day 6 - Saturday 21 June 2025
Punanga Nui Markets (B,D)
Today we head to Rarotonga's Saturday Punanga Nui Market at Avatiu. The market is a great meeting place for locals and offers a wide range of island gifts and handicrafts, black pearls, pearl shells, jewellery, pareu fabrics, clothing, island music and fresh local produce. It's a great place to sample homemade delicacies and chat with locals. Grab some lunch before heading back to the resort for an afternoon free.
Tonight, we'll enjoy an Island Culture Night including dinner at our resort.
Overnight: Edgewater Resort & Spa
Day 7 - Sunday 22 June 2025
Cook Islands Church Service (B,D)
A lovely experience this morning with a visit to a historic local church to share in a Cook Islands Christian Church service. Hear the whole congregation filling their beautiful limestone and coral church with soaring harmonies of their hymn singing followed by the best morning tea! A great way to meet and chat with the locals.
Returning to our resort for another afternoon of relaxation. There's plenty to do at our resort including swimming, snorkelling in the marine reserve filled with tropical fish, tennis, guided village walks and much more.
Tonight's dinner at our resort - Sunday BBQ under the stars.
Overnight: Edgewater Resort & Spa
Day 8 - Monday 23 June 2025
Rarotonga - Auckland (B)
A free morning before we say farewell to the Cook Islands. We transfer to the airport after lunch for our flight to Auckland. Sit back and relax as we reminisce about our Pacific Island adventure.
Day 9 - Tuesday 24 June 2025
Arrive Auckland
Arriving into Auckland early evening we'll make our way to our accommodation.
Dinner at leisure tonight. Let's make this our farewell dinner to celebrate great times with new friends.
Overnight - Novotel Auckland Airport
Day 10 - Wednesday 25 June 2025
Auckland - Melbourne (B)
A relaxing breakfast before our flight back to Melbourne.
Welcome Home. Thanks for joining us for your latest adventure and we look forward to welcoming you back!