Cook Islands - Rarotonga

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Tall Ship Sailing: Cook Islands, South Pacific

An active sailing holiday where you are guest voyage crew helping sail the ship, and where exploration of these South Pacific islands is by anchoring inside the reef and jumping barefoot from the ships boat.

Few stop over travellers have time for anything more than a chill out few days on Rarotonga so the places you sail to by ship are very special.

Raotonga & Palmerston

Rarotonga is the capital of the 15 island group of the Cook islands and Soren Larsen will be berthed at Avarua where there are some great island style seafood restuarants. The central volcanic peak dominates the island and you can spend a day trekking through the rainforest jungle if you have time before joining the ship.

Leaving the sheltered water behind the reef  the ship will set off NW towards Palmerston Island, which will take 3-4 days from Avarua.  Palmerston is home to a small and isloated community, living amongst the ring of uninhabited atolls around a reef lagoon.

Aitutaki & Suwarrow Atoll

If the weather systems are favourable there may be time to visit both Aitutaki and Suwarrow, before setting off for the next Pacific island group of Samoa.

Aitutaki is a hook shaped island creating a huge triangular lagoon. The outer reef of the lagoon is dotted with beautiful 'moto' (lagoon islets). The colour of the water around the ship is truely incredible and sometimes the Tarzan rope swing emerges so you can dive off the ship. There are plenty of masks and snorkels on board.

Buried treasure & International wildlife reserve

500 mles from NZ is this perfect atoll - Suwarrow. It was described by Mrs Robert Loius Stevenson as " the most romantic island in the world" and was nmade famous in the1960's by NZ recluse Tom Neale and his book "An Island to himself" Buried treasure has also been found here from Spanish  treasure ships from the 1600's.

Suwarrow Atoll (see photo above) is equally close to paradise and the Cook Islands first National Park. It has category IV status from the International Union of Nature. The preservation of this fragile marine and island environment is in the hands of the few who visit, and it is truely a pristine place.

The islands caretaker John, his wife Veronica and children spend from April to September on the island. John is employed by the Cook Islands Environmental Service and it is his job to make sure visiting yachts respect the National Park and the marine wildlife.

Auckland to the Cook Islands

An authentic ocean sailing experience on this classic blue water passage from New Zealand to the Cook Islands. Join the crew of this magnificent square rigger, help set and trim sails, take the helm and discover the timeless romance of a tall ship voyage—with a daily routine that has remained unchanged for centuries.

You need an adventurous spirit as ocean swells can be large and your wooden home will always be in motion. Continuous sailing and standing watches to help sail the ship day and night 2300 miles across the South Pacific for nearly a month can be challenging but the rewards are great. The blue water sailor adapts to the rhythm of watch keeping, catching naps in the afternoon, looking forward to those midnight watches where the moonlight casts shadows of your tall ship on a silvery sea. Learn the Southern constellations; how the Polynesians navigated; have a go with a sextant and revel in a chance to escape the modern world. Depending on the speed of the ocean passage we will spend 5-7 days exploring the Southern Cook Islands.

Cook Islands & Samoa