Category: Cook Islands

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Punanga Nui Market

Punanga Nui Market sign above a wooden entrance way with a market stall selling hand bags on the left and two signs for Smoothies in the middle.

Punanga Nui Market is every Saturday morning in the town centre of Avarua. It is well worth a visit for any tourist to Rarotonga. I was lucky enough to go twice in the 8 nights I was on the island. This open air market offers free entertainment, tropical fruit vendors, handicrafts and of course the legendary Paul of Paul’s Hot Sauce. It was raining when this photograph was taken which explains why I was able to get this sign without dozens of people in the shot. A lot of the stalls had gazebos set up, especially ones serving food or drink. After some people watching and souvenir buying I really enjoyed a brunch at Kai & Co which was delicious and highly recommended.



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Rarotonga lagoon at night

Night sky with stars and blurred clouds with the Rarotonga lagoon lit up in the foreground.

Seeing the stars from a remote island in the middle of the South Pacific is magical. There is very little light pollution. After a couple of clear nights I knew I had made a mistake. Travelling light and not bringing my 14mm astrophotography lens. I had to resort to my all rounder 24mm zoom lens which can only capture a fraction of what is possible. Still I gave it a go and I’m pleased with the results. You can clearly see some stars in the night sky. In the foreground the waters edge is lit up by the house. This ended up being a 30 second long exposure at f3.5. I wish I had tried a few shots with a higher ISO than 100, not sure what I was thinking when I took this, must be out of practice.

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Chicken in Rarotonga

Rooster chicken on the right side of the photograph looking towards the middle. With orange and red feathers and the corner of a blue fence in the background.

Hens and roosters like the one photographed here roam all over Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. Taken in the popular Muri beach area. Specifically on the side road outside TEM Store and Takeaways. I try to ignore the chickens, roosters and dogs that roam freely around the island. In this case the sun was lighting up the spectacular oranges and reds of this roosters feathers. Along with the uncluttered background with a pop of blue fence for contrast. It made me stop and photograph this majestic rooster as he walked along the road.

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Coconut trees at night

Two coconut trees with the clear waters of the Rarotonga lagoon and night sky with stars in the background.

This was my second time on Rarotonga, a small south Pacific island and the largest in the Cook Islands. Visiting with a group of family, I was unsure what photographs I would be able to capture to share here. Fortunately we had a large beautiful house as our accomodation. On the south coast overlooking the lagoon. This was the view of the lagoon at night from the deck. Composing the photograph with the two large coconut trees in the foreground to frame the shot. It was an hour or two after sunset so you can see the stars in the clear parts of the night sky.