Heading away on holiday to the tropics and the South Pacific Island of Rarotonga naturally inspires plans for tropical tastes! There are new foods and exotic fruits to find. But there is also a range of locally grown, traditional and handcrafted drinks to try in Rarotonga.
Whether you are into refreshing drinks from nature, tasty local treats, traditional drinking customs or you are ready to relax on the beach with a cocktail in hand. Here are 10 drinks in Rarotonga and the Cook Islands that we recommend trying!
1. Nu – Drinks to try in Rarotonga
Its unanimous that coconuts are a signature drink for any tropical island, right? But don’t be confused between a drinking coconut and a stereotypical coconut that you eat.
Young and mature coconuts are used differently in eating and cooking. The flesh of young coconuts is soft and sweet. Whereas mature ones have tough flesh and a less flavoursome liquid left inside.
It is the new and green, young coconut that is the type to drink.
Here in the Cook Islands the young coconut is referred to as ‘Nu’. But whether it is your first time to the pacific or you are returning on holiday. The Nu is one of the essential drinks to try in Rarotonga.
It’s not hard to find freshly husked drinking coconuts at roadside stalls and the markets all around the island.
In Rarotonga, a husked Nu that is ready to drink should cost between $4 – 5 NZD.
2. Vai Uto
If it is your first time to the Cook Islands you might not have heard of Uto. But Uto, is officially one of nature’s most amazing coconut treats!
Uto is quite literally the inside of the sprouted coconut. This is where a fallen coconut has started to grow roots. The roots start from the nut inside and a small green shoot starts to sprout upwards. In the Cook Islands, Uto is often referred to as ‘island marshmallow’. Because it does have a kind of marshmallow candy-floss-like texture!
Living in Rarotonga, we have come to love Uto. We sometimes pack it into the kid’s lunchboxes as a snack.
But one thing that is possibly even nicer than Uto is a refreshing local drink made from the sprouted coconut – called Vai Uto.
This is a coconut drink with pieces of grated coconut. It’s oddly satisfying (floaties included) and seriously refreshing!
3. Tumutoa Tours Coconut Toa Delite
At the charming TLC Café in Arorangi run by Mania and Ngame, you can try a local twist on your morning coffee.
Ngame and Mania are the hosts of Tumutoa Tours. Which is one of the most well-known and truly local tours to experience on Rarotonga!
At their TLC Café they showcase the best of Cook Islands culture through their food. Including the delicious Coconut Toa Delite and Coconut Iced Latte.
4. Atiu Island Coffee
Atiu Island Coffee is a locally grown and roasted coffee made on Atiu in the Cook Islands by local entrepreneur, Mata Arai.
Mata uses a process from cultivating to roasting and preparing the beans that has been passed down from her grandmother. With an end product of coffee that is delicious!
If you get the opportunity to visit the southern island of Atiu, the chance to visit Atiu Island Coffee is a true highlight. Otherwise, be sure to grab some Atiu Island Coffee at the supermarket. Or try the duty-free stores in Rarotonga Airport on your way out.
5. Vai Ora – Drinks to try in Rarotonga
Alright so it’s not often we let our kids drink soft drinks. Because yes; we know it is full of sugar!
But Vai Ora is another popular and iconic drink to try in Rarotonga. These brightly coloured (slightly ghastly looking) soft drinks are like the New Zealand ‘Jolly’ drinks that have been popular since the nineties.
Rooted in a similar 25 years of island tradition, the Vaiora sodas claim to embody the true taste of the Cook Islands.
Albeit they do come in tropical flavours. There is pineapple, lime and a pink tropical punch with passion. But the flavour is decidedly more imitation than local.
However, these are one of the locally made, bottled and sold drinks to try in Rarotonga. So, if you are keen to try something made on the island this is one to look for.
Plus, I recommend the ‘Punchy Passion’ flavour out of all of them!
6. Raro Juice
Raro is (namely) one of the most iconic drinks in Rarotonga.
It was originally a well-known brand of orange juice from the Cook Islands, that started in New Zealand during the 1950s and 1960s. There was a canning factory in Rarotonga specifically to produce Raro juice for export to New Zealand.
However, a few decades later the canned juice was changed to make way for a powdered juice mix. This is the drink that has been popular in New Zealand for more than 40 years!
I remember as a child that it would be such a treat to be allowed to drink Raro juice at a party. (It is very sweet!).
But I also confess that it wasn’t until we moved to the Cook Islands to live in Rarotonga and I saw Raro juice sachets on the shelf that I made the connection.
If you haven’t tried this childhood juice favourite yet, it is one of the must-taste drinks to try in Rarotonga.
7. Cook Islands Ginger Beer
This is a delicious, well-known favourite with a local ginger twist.
The Rarotonga Brewery Ginger Beer is made with locally farmed ginger. It is non-alcoholic and seriously delicious!
Alcoholic drinks to try in Rarotonga
There are also some favourite and locally made alcoholic drinks to try in Rarotonga.
8. Cook Islands Lager
The Rarotonga Brewery is proud to present its famous drop; the ‘Cook Islands Lager’.
This is a crisp refreshing lager that is brewed with passion right here in Rarotonga. It is a clean pale amber in colour with a mild bitterness that complements the tropical climate where it’s brewed.
Gavin reckons it could be described as a refreshing and drinkable island-style lager. If you are a beer drinker, it is definitely one of the drinks to try in Rarotonga!
9. Tavake Island Rum, Gin and Vodka
The Tavake Rum, Gin and Vodka is a premium spirit that is handcrafted right here on Rarotonga. The spirits are made by Mike and Ash of Cook Islands Distillery. Cook Islands Distillery is a family-owned business run by Mike and Ash. With each of the different drinks proudly showcasing local ingredients.
The Tavake Gin is made with Cook Islands citrus and starfruit to give a harmonious tropical twist. The Golden Rum is made with pineapple bark. While the White Rum is created with locally grown sugar cane.
This is absolutely one of the drinks to try in Rarotonga. Try it with your favourite mixer. Or create an island-inspired cocktail! Otherwise the Tavake range makes a beautiful and tasty gift to take home.
10. Tumunu Bush Beer – Drinks to try in Rarotonga
Tumunu is a part of the Cook Islands culture that is unique to the Cook Islands. It is both a drink to try and a type of drinking culture from Polynesia!
The word ‘Tumunu’, translates as coconut trunk. It is the word given to a barrel caved out of the bulbous base of the coconut tree. But also, it is the name given to the gathering called the Tumunu.
In the Cook Islands, Tumunu is a two-century old tradition originally from the island of Atiu.
On Atiu, the Tumunu was the meeting place for expressing ideas, singing songs and solving problems. Which culturally – and traditionally – is all washed down with the mighty bush beer, brewed of course in a Tumunu barrel.
The Cook Islands style of Tumunu bush beer is a potent homebrew made with orange, banana and sometimes pawpaw. If you get the chance to try it; make sure you do!
Read more about travel to Rarotonga
- All About The Rarotonga Bus.
- Hiring a scooter in Rarotonga.
- Renting A Car in Rarotonga.
- How To Buy A Car In Rarotonga.
- Finding And Renting A House In Rarotonga.
- Rarotonga Reef Explorer Tour With Ariimoana.
- Is Dengue Fever a worry for travel to Rarotonga?
- Transport And Getting Around Rarotonga.
More about travel planning for Cook Islands and beyond
These are the companies we use and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation. Easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for.
- Skyscanner– This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world. Everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel including those who have already left home. Make sure you have travel insurance before holidaying to Rarotonga!
Gavin is our people-meeter wherever we go. For all the stories we share about the kindness of strangers in Uzbekistan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and more, it is Gavin that extends a handshake and meets a new friend without even sharing the same language.