There is a Pacific island nation that wants to be “Not Hawaii”. The Cook Islands is proving that sustainable tourism isn’t just possible – it’s essential to preserve their paradise for generations to come.
Landing on Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands chain, feels like stepping back in time. Gazing out of the taxi from Rarotonga airport you are immediately struck by the absence of high-rise hotels, fast-food restaurants and corporate chains. There are no traffic lights, only coconut palms lining the road, the scent of salt and frangipani drifting through the air and the jungle meeting the ocean in a seamless panorama. It feels like Hawaii in the 1960s: uncrowded, laid-back and refreshingly authentic.
No building can be higher than a coconut tree, which isn’t just a local tradition, but a law set in 1965 by the Cook Islands’ first premier, Albert Henry, to prevent overdevelopment. Only Cook Islanders can own land, ensuring that large corporations don’t dominate the landscape. The hotels blend naturally into their surroundings, and white-sand beaches, ringed with long green parks, are all free from litter and crowds. Cook Islanders have made a conscious effort to ensure that Rarotonga never follows the path of overdevelopment seen in places like Honolulu. Instead, locals have committed to conservation, low-impact tourism and sustainable practices that benefit both locals and visitors. “People come here because it is a paradise uncluttered by overdevelopment,” explained Jeremy Goodwin, regenerative tourism manager for the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation (CITC). “Our sacred duty as custodians of the land is to look after our paradise.”
The Cook Islands, an archipelago of 15 islands between New Zealand and Hawaii, has been self-governing, in free association with New Zealand, since 1965. With a total population of 21,000, the islands are divided into two groups: the Southern Cook Islands, which includes the more accessible Rarotonga and Aitutaki, and the remote Northern Cook Islands, made up of low-lying coral atolls. Cook Islanders have their own Māori language, with different dialects across the islands. And while tourism is a key industry, the islanders have ensured that sustainability remains at the nation’s core. “For hundreds of years, the protection of the Cook Islands relied on the traditional Ra’ui System where access to a particular resource or area is forbidden for a given period,” explained Karla Eggelton, CEO of CITC. “The system aims to conserve food resources and protect ecological conditions in lagoons, reefs and other marine resources.” This philosophy persists today – and extends beyond the sea. On the northern island of Pukapuka, for example, locals have practiced sustainable living for centuries, packing up their belongings and sailing by boat to another atoll within the lagoon for seasonal periods to prevent resource depletion. They fish and farm only what they need, maintaining a delicate balance with nature.
Sustainability is woven into everyday life across the islands. At the Muri Night Market, a popular outdoor dinner option, vendors prepare island dishes like ika mata (raw fish marinated in lime and coconut milk) and rukau rukau (taro leaves in coconut cream), all using local ingredients. The market’s Rent-a-Plate project allows visitors can borrow reusable plates and cutlery instead of using disposable plastic. Cook Islanders also promote clean water initiatives. Reusable bottles can be purchased from the visitor’s centre and refilled at free UV-treated water stations around the island, which is a project led by the Te Ipukarea Society to minimise plastic waste.
The Tourism office recommends the following for visitors:
1. Support the Cook Islands economy by buying local crafts, clothing and food. Attend a cultural tour or show and embrace the traditions, customs and lifestyle.
2. Take shorter showers to save the islands’ limited water supply, and minimise electricity use.
3. Volunteer with Muri Environment Care Group. Every Wednesday and Thursday, visitors can join efforts to protect Muri Lagoon by participating in soil restoration projects and planting native trees near streams to control sediment flow into the lagoon.
4. Choose eco-friendly experiences and products, use reef-safe sunscreen and avoid single-use plastics.
Cook Islanders have also taken marine conservation to a global scale. In 2017, the country established the Marae Moana Marine Park, making the 15 islands the world’s largest multi-use marine protected area, covering 1.9 million square kilometres. The legislation also bans large-scale commercial fishing and seabed mining within 50 nautical miles of each island. “Marae Moana is the idea of shared space, a new concept of creating a sanctuary and the conservation effort that allows for shared, sustainable activity,” said Eggelton. “The project is an example of Mana Tiaki or island conservation. Mana Tiaki means guardianship with a sacred purpose. Culturally, for most Polynesians, the ocean is sacrosanct. The beaches bring tourists to this holiday destination, but they also connect Cook Islanders to the ocean. This is our little paradise; if we all look after it, she will look after us.”
In a world that seems to be increasingly overwhelmed by growing hordes of tourists, this is a refreshing story of a community that is anticipating that danger and has taken steps to prevent it destroying their way of life. Definitely not Hawaii!
