Category Archives: Cook Islands

Learning to Cook (City AM)

Posted on 2018-10-08 by tikichris

The Cook Islands is a nation comprising 15 small islands sprinkled across a patch of the South Pacific, roughly halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. As remote as they are spectacular, the collection of islands is reminiscent of Hawaii before its mid-century tourism-boom, and though the largest of its islands is today ringed by boutique hotels, much of the country is untouched and feels wildly tropical. Continue reading →

Posted in City AM, Cook Islands, Hotels, Luxury, Travel | Tagged Aitutaki, City AM, Cook Islands, luxury, Pacific Islands, polynesia, Rarotonga, south pacific, Travel | Leave a comment

Best Hotels of 2017

Posted on 2017-12-20 by tikichris

I stayed in a lot of hotels over the past 12 months. Most of them were perfectly adequate, and I wouldn’t be against checking in at them again. A select few far exceeded even my highest expectations and deserve some extra recognition. Continue reading →

Posted in Best of 2017, Best of the Best, Cook Islands, Hotels, Luxury, Netherlands, Switzerland, Travel | Tagged 3072 AD, Best of 2017, Best of the Best, Champéry, Cook Islands, holland, Hotel Beau-Séjour, Hotel New York, hotels, Koninginnenhoofd, Little Polynesian Resort, luxury, netherlands, Rarotonga, rotterdam, Rue du village, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, switzerland, Takitumu District, Travel, Valais, Wallis | Leave a comment

Cook Islands Idyll | I Didn’t Want to Leave

Posted on 2017-10-09 by tikichris

I can’t think of a warmer, friendlier destination than the Cook Islands nor one where I felt so relaxed and at ease. Continue reading →

Posted in Cook Islands, Cook Islands Idyll, Travel | Tagged Aitutaki, Cook Islands, Cook Islands Idyll, polynesia, Rarotonga, south pacific, Travel | Leave a comment

Cook Islands Idyll | Aitutaki

Posted on 2017-10-08 by tikichris

For a couple of nights during my Cook Islands Idyll I enjoyed the chilled out serenity of the tiny atoll of Aitutaki. Continue reading →

Posted in Cook Islands, Cook Islands Idyll, Drink, Food, Hotels, Restaurants, Travel | Tagged Aitutaki, Aitutaki Escape, Cafe Tupuna, Chef Thomas Koteka, Cook Islands, Cook Islands Idyll, Drink, Food, hotels, luxury, Ngaakitai Pureariki, One Foot Island, polynesia, Punarei Cultural Tour, Punarei Cultural Village, resorts, restaurants, Rumours Café, Rumours Café at Aitutaki Escape, Snorkel, Snorkeling, south pacific, Tamanu Beach Resort, Teking Lagoon Tours, Thomas Koteka, tiki, Travel, Tupuna’s Restaurant | Leave a comment

Cook Islands Idyll | Rarotonga

Posted on 2017-10-07 by tikichris

Most of my Cook Islands Idyll was spent splendidly on the “main island” of Rarotonga: an idyllic base indeed for enjoying all the warmth and wonder that a trip to the South Seas should involve. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cook Islands, Cook Islands Idyll, Drink, Entertainment, Food, Hotels, Live Performance, Luxury, Museums, Music, Restaurants, Shopping | Tagged Art, carving, Cook Islands, Cook Islands Christian Church, Cook Islands Idyll, Entertainment, HIghland Paradise, hotels, live performance, luxury, Michael Tavioni, Mike Tavioni, museums, music, polynesia, Rarotonga, restaurants, Shopping, south pacific, Storytellers Eco Cycle Tours, tiki, Titikaveka, Titikaveka Cook Islands Christian Church, Travel | Leave a comment

Cook Islands Idyll

Posted on 2017-10-06 by tikichris

The Cook Islands is a nation comprised of 15 small islands in the middle of the South Pacific, roughly (or at least most easily described as being) halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. I spent an ideal week discovering this … Continue reading →

Posted in Cook Islands, Cook Islands Idyll, Travel | Tagged Air New Zealand, air travel, Aitutaki, Cook Islands, Cook Islands Idyll, polynesia, Rarotonga, south pacific, Travel | Leave a comment

#TCTalks | Episode 4 | Rarotonga

Posted on 2017-09-30 by tikichris

For the fourth episode of tikichris Talks I share some highlights from my September visit to the tiny Polynesian country of the Cook Islands. The episode includes an interview I conducted with master carver Michael Tavioni at his Rarotonga studio, a hymn sung in the language of Cook Island Maori during Sunday morning service at the Cook Islands Christian Church in the village of Titikaveka and the sounds of traditional drumming from a performance at the popular Highland Paradise dinner show in the uplands of Rarotonga. Continue reading →