Backpack and Snorkel Travel Guide for the 5 Best Beaches in Rarotonga - Rarotonga Beaches Purple Travel Guide
This Rarotonga Best Beaches Travel Guide tells you what the best beaches in Rarotonga are and what the best snorkeling beaches in Rarotonga are and we show you photos of what you will see.
Rarotonga has beautiful white sand beaches with wonderfully turquoise waters and often good swimming and snorkeling.
We advise you to wear water shoes when you get into the water as you may need to walk over have quite a few rocks or coral pieces on many beaches and, to make matters worse, there is a possibility of stepping on a stonefish. Stonefish are one of the most venomous fish in the world. When you step on them, they can inject you with toxic venom that can cause excruciating pain or even death.
We have made a video about Rarotonga in the Cook Islands which shows you in depth what you will see. Please check it out.
Table of contents
Muri Beach at Muri Lagoon
The most popular beach on Rarotonga is Muri Beach. Muri Beach is bordering Muri Lagoon, which is approx. 1.4 miles (2.2 km) long and 0.6 miles (1 km) wide. Muri Lagoon starts at the Avana Passage in the north and ends at Motu Taakoka in the south. The three motus Motutapu, Oneroa, and Koromiri are part of the lagoon.
Despite its small size, it is Rarotonga’s largest source of tourist income.
Muri Beach lines the central and southern part of the lagoon. If you don’t stay in any of the beach-side hotels or resorts, then there is only one public access next to the Muri Beach Club Hotel.
The beach at the hotel is beautiful and well cared for. If you want more solitude, go a few feet north of the hotel and you will likely be all by yourself. The beach here is not groomed and narrower, but definitely well worth a visit. The trees provide sufficient shade.
Swimming is generally good. The water depth is max. 5 ft (1.50 m), but be aware that there is a current parallel to the beach that you can swim against, but it can tire you out.
Muri Lagoon is a victim of its popularity. Many years of neglect and construction activity without insufficient investment in infrastructure have led to the lagoon becoming heavily polluted from agricultural runoff and leaking septic tanks. In 2015, the local government declared the environmental condition of the lagoon a national disaster. Quite a bit of work to clean up the mess has been performed, but permanent major was damage is done. You will see several colorful fish when you are snorkeling, but the vast majority of the corals are bleached and the water is a little hazy in several areas.
You can get into the water without water shoes, but we advise you to wear water shoes as there are quite a few rocks and sea cucumbers in the water, and to make matters worse, there is a possibility of stepping on a stonefish. Stonefish are one of the most venomous fish in the world. When you step on them, they can inject you with toxic venom that can cause excruciating pain or even death.
Please see our Rarotonga Purple Travel Guide in the Backpack and Snorkel Travel Store for much more photos.
Find out more about snorkeling at Muri Beach.
Titikaveka Beach
Titikaveka Beach lies 2 miles (3.2 km) south west of Muri Beach outside the Muri Lagoon. It is often chosen as an alternative to Muri Beach as it has good swimming. We liked the beach better than Muri and we appreciated that it is much less visited. As a matter of fact we had it almost all for ourselves.
The trees provide ample shade, if needed.
Due to the potential presence of stone fish, we recommend to wear water shoes when you get into the water.
Please see our Rarotonga Purple Travel Guide in the Backpack and Snorkel Travel Store for much more photos.
Find out more about snorkeling at Titikaveka Beach.
Black Rock Beach
The Black Rock area is culturally and historically significant to the local Maori people who call it Tuoro. They believe that Tuoro is the place where the spirits of the dead leave Rarotonga.
Also, the Black Rock area was important site for the manufacture of stone objects like tools, anchors, etc. As there was no metal on the island, everything had to be manufactured from stone, wood or plant and animal raw materials. Tuoro was one of the places where gravel, water and basalt rocks were available to manufacture stone objects.
Black Rock Beach is one of the least frequented beaches on Rarotonga. It sees full sun and there is basically no shade. Swimming is good and there is some snorkeling, but not as good as in the southern parts of Rarotonga.
Due to the potential presence of stone fish, we recommend to wear water shoes when you get into the water.
In the evenings, you may see people come here to see the sunset.
Aroa Beach and Aroa Marine Reserve
The lagoon here is not very deep – it may be less that 5ft (1.50m) deep and that can make it difficult for inexperienced swimmers and snorkelers as they may hit the reef, damaging the reef and injuring their skin. So, be careful when you get in the water at low tide.
The outlying reef protects the Aroa Marine Reserve from dangerous currents and larger fish, so you will not see sharks or rays here.
At Aroa Beach, very much like at Titikaveka Beach, the beach is beautiful and the trees provide shade if needed.
Due to the potential presence of stone fish and low water levels, we strongly recommend to wear water shoes when you get into the water.
As the beach is facing west, you may see people flock here in the late afternoon to see the sunset.
Find out more about snorkeling at Aroa Beach.
Arorangi Beach
Arorangi Beach may very well be the most beautiful beach on Rarotonga. It is usually totally deserted as most people just drive by on their way to Aroa Beach or the beaches on the southern part of Rarotonga.
We stopped at the nearby gas station to refuel our rental car and get some ice cream before we flew to Aitutaki. Since we had some time to spend, we decided to stop here and, wow, were we blown away.
The beach is absolutely gorgeous and with soft white sand and incredibly turquoise waters. There is even a public restroom, a small parking lot is right nearby.
Since we were on our way to the airport, we did not snorkel here. If you have snorkeled here, please let us know how it was.
And the best thing was, during the whole time we were mostly alone.
Learn more about the best things to see and do in Rarotonga by going back to the Rarotonga Purple Travel Guide.
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