Ma'uke

Introducing Ma'uke

Ma'uke is known as the 'garden island' of the Cooks, and it's not difficult to see why. It's one of the lushest and most verdant of all the islands, ringed by thick forests of casuarina, palm, banyan and barringtonia trees, and blanketed in richly coloured flowers and blossoming shrubs. A couple of hours' stroll can take you from the spick-and-span gardens and neatly tended front lawns of the main villages in the island's centre, along ancient makatea (raised, fossilised coral reef) pathways shaded by tangled forest and lofty palms, all the way to the deserted beaches and coves along the island's coast. Ma'uke's makatea is also honeycombed with caves and sinkholes, many filled with sparkling freshwater pools, cool and silent on a blazing hot tropical day. If you're looking for seclusion and solitude in the Cook Islands, Ma'uke is hard to top.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009