rarotonga The island capital PeTiTe riVière BorDanT le senTier De ranDonnée Transilienne./smAll river AloNg The Cross-islANd TrAil. 46 rarotonga, located in the northern group, is nicknamed « raro » by the locals. similarly to Tahiti in French Polynesia, it is the main island and home to the majority of the archipelago’s inhabitants, the international airport, government and administration. avaru, the island’s main town, has a port, superstores, shops and a large market, the Punanga nui Market, that should be visited on saturday mornings, when there are a host of craft stall, local produce and food stalls open, and you can also enjoy the traditional dance show. Despite the urban feel, rarotonga is stilla small island, there are no traffc lights or buildings taller than a coconut tree, and land cannot be sold to foreigners. With a circumference of just 32 km (20 miles), the island is easy to visit by bus, scooter or bike. a coastal road known as Ara Tapu (the sacred road) takes you around the island passing beautiful beaches such as Black rock on the northwestern coast or Muri on the southeast coast with its attractive motu. Muri is also the biggest beach resort with water activities centers, restaurants and a night market where you’ll find lots of little snack bars. a second, older road, runs alongside the first at the foot of the mountains. it is known as Ara metua (The road of the ancestors). Passing through taro fields and tropical plantations, this road allows you to visit craft workshops, learnabout the use of medicinal plants, see the churches, the marae (sites for cultural and religious rituals), and to go hiking through the sacred mountains, discovering waterfalls and lush vegetation. conFecTion D’un PlaT en PalMe De cocoTier. mAkiNg oF A plATe ouT oF CoCoNuT leAves. PlaGe De Muri au PeTiT MaTin./muri BeACh iN The eArly morNiNg.