Warm and sunny weather will welcome you year round in the Cook Islands, which are located in the Tropic of Capricorn. Average temperatures range between 64 degrees Fahrenheit and 82 degrees Fahrenheit in their winter (May through October) and 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 84 degrees Fahrenheit in their summer (November to April). Most of the rainfall occurs from January through early May. While there are no extremes in temperatures, the drier cooler season runs from April to November. The warmer, humid season runs from December to March. Warmth and sunshine can be enjoyed year-round in the Cook Islands and severe weather is rare and infrequent, so lightweight clothing is the norm.

The lagoons of the Cook Islands offer an incredible variety of coral and tropical fish as well as bright blue starfish in warm waters that have greater than 100 feet of visibility. In the late summer and early fall you may also see whales outside the reefs. Your travels on land will reveal butterflies, exotic birds and colorful, fragrant flowers. If fishing is to your liking, you'll find a variety of game fish in the waters outside the reefs. On land, there are no snakes, no poisonous insects and no wild animals.

Rarotonga is the youngest of the Cook Islands and its craggy peaks have not yet been eroded as much as those of the other Southern Islands. The surrounding lagoon extends several hundred yards from the shoreline and drops off rapidly from the reef. There is a relatively flat area that stretches in from the shore where most of the agricultural development takes place. About 70% of the households are involved in agriculture of some kind for subsistence, commerce or both. Two major roads run around the island - an outer, newer one that runs completely around it and an old stone one that runs parallel to the outer ring road in many places.