15 Best Souvenirs from Rarotonga & the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands' intricate black pearls are grown in just one atoll in the whole country, Manihiki. Black pearl farmers export black pearls to jewellers on Rarotonga, who set the black pearls in high-quality fashion pieces.

Find out more about the black pearl industry in the 10 Best Things to Do in the Northern Cook Islands. Plus, discover the best places to buy black pearl jewellery in The Best Places to Buy Souvenirs in Rarotonga & the Cook Islands.

Where to buy: Pearl Lounge (Arorangi), Goldmine (Avarua), Paka's Pearls (Avarua), Fishers Black Pearl Jewellery (Avarua), Island Craft (Avarua & Rarotonga Airport), Kora Pearls (Avarua), Bergman & Sons (Avarua & Pacific Resort Aitutaki), Beachcomber (Avarua), Punanga Nui Market (Avarua), Farm Direct Pearls (Avarua), T&S Artworx (Aitutaki) and straight from the source in Manihiki!

Made with the fine fibres of coconut fronds, locally known as rito, the most iconic hats in the Cook Islands are rito hats. Hats are usually bleached white, typically topped with a shell, which you see all the mamas wearing to church.

While predominantly coming in white, rito hats, fans, and earrings can come in an array of colours. Most of the Cook Islands' rito crafts come from the island of Penrhyn, with a smaller industry on the island of Rakahanga - both in the Northern Group.

Where to buy: Punanga Nui Market (Avarua), Tivaevae Collectables (Nikao), Island Craft (Avarua & Rarotonga Airport), Rongohiva Hut/Leida Tapu Creations (Avatiu), Perfumes of Rarotonga (Nikao) and straight from the source in Penrhyn and Rakahanga!

An iconic piece of attire in the Cook Islands, sarongs (locally known as pareu) are locally printed in a wealth of designs and colours.

For a hands-on experience, visitors can join a tie-dye fabric arts workshop at Te 'Are Vananga, Creative Centre or Rarotonga Fabric Arts, where they can paint their own pareu using a wide selection of stencils and custom-made blocks.

For those wanting to learn more about wearing this versatile garment, go on one of the Rarotonga lagoon cruises to learn about the many fashionable ways to wear a pareu.

Where to buy: Punanga Nui Market (Avarua), Te 'Are Tātatau Studio (Panama), Mareko Island Creations (Avarua), Island Craft (Avarua & Rarotonga Airport), CITC (Avarua & Rarotonga Airport), Beach Hut (Rarotonga Airport), Tuki's Pareu (Avarua) and the gift shops at the Muri Beach Club Hotel, Edgewater, The Rarotongan and Pacific Resort Rarotonga and Aitutaki. Te 'Are Vananga is located at Te 'Are Tātatau Studio at Main Road (Ara Tapu), Panama, north coast of Rarotonga. Creative Centre is located at Ara Tapu, Avarua, behind the dental services. Rarotonga Fabric Arts is located at Ara Tapu, Takitumu, southeast coast of Rarotonga.

'Ei kaki (neck garlands) and 'ei katu (head garlands) are a part of your Cook Islands journey from the moment you arrive and your host gives you a fresh floral 'ei kaki. However, they don't just come as fresh flowers with a short lifespan!

Shell necklaces, pupu necklaces (the name given to the tiny yellow shells which are a speciality of the island of Mangaia) and fake floral 'ei can also be purchased on the islands, giving you the complete island look!

Where to buy: Punanga Nui Market (Avarua), the gift shop at the Muri Beach Club Hotel, Island Craft (Avarua & Rarotonga Airport) and the Mangaia Golden Shells Tour (Mangaia).

Bring home a taste of Rarotonga with a bottle of Tavake, the colourful small-batch spirits produced by Cook Islands Distillery. Even the bottles have a local story, with their eye-catching labels inspired by the traditional tivaevae quilts made by co-founder Ash's grandmother from Atiu.

Choose from gin infused with Cook Islands citrus, star fruit, hibiscus and tiare maori flowers, vodka made using Cook Islands rainwater and rukau (taro leaf), or rum infused with local vanilla and pineapple bark. There's also a white rum made with Cook Islands rainwater and sugar cane.

For an easy-to-pack souvenir or gift, the range comes in 200 ml bottles as well as full-sized 700 ml bottles, with gift boxes also available.

Where to buy: Raro Liquorland (Black Rock, Rarotonga), Maire Nui Gardens & Cafe (Titikaveka, Rarotonga), Rarotonga Brewery (Arorangi, Rarotonga), and Sava Duty Free (Rarotonga International Airport).

That's right, the Cook Islands even has its own range of perfumes, Perfumes of Rarotonga. They are handmade right on the island of Rarotonga and all packaged in a spray bottle in a silk draw-string bag, making for an excellent gift.

Choose from either their floral range with the scents of the Cook Islands' flowers or their elegant premium range.

Where to buy: Perfumes of Rarotonga Factory (Nikao), the gift shop at the Muri Beach Club Hotel (Muri), id.CK (Avarua) and CITC (Avarua & Rarotonga Airport).

The coconut is hugely significant to the people of the Cook Islands, offering many different uses all the way down to making irresistible soaps and oil.

Coconut skincare and haircare products are a speciality of Rito Cook Islands, whose factory you can visit on some of the tours of Rarotonga. Alternatively, Perfumes of Rarotonga make all their own coconut soaps, oils and body spray.

Where to buy: Rito Cook Islands (Titikaveka), Perfumes of Rarotonga Factory (Nikao), the gift shop at the Muri Beach Club Hotel (Muri), id.CK (Avarua), Sud Up (Punanga Nui Market & Araura Gift Shop) and Beachcomber (Avarua).

A traditional art form in the Cook Islands, wooden carvings are a highly prized souvenir. Most wooden carvings are of the iconic "god of the sea" and "god of fertility", Tangaroa, but you can find all sorts of Polynesian and marine-inspired ornamental designs.

Where to buy: Punanga Nui Market (Avarua), Island Craft (Avarua & Rarotonga Airport), CITC (Avarua & Rarotonga Airport), Beach Hut (Rarotonga Airport), Perfumes of Rarotonga (Nikao), Stonefish (Aitutaki) and Avatea Café & Pearls Bar (Aitutaki).

Turn someone else's rubbish into your holiday treasure with some of the Cook Islands' more inventive recycled souvenirs.

On Rarotonga, Circle Cook Islands transforms discarded materials into one-of-a-kind bags, earrings and other creations. Popped inflatables can become colourful bags, while smaller scraps are put to use wherever possible. Even the earrings give waste a second life, with designs made from materials such as bicycle inner tubes and aluminium cans. Better yet, you can learn how to make your own awesome recycled earrings at Circle Cook Islands' workshops!

Want to make the souvenir yourself? Circle Cook Islands also runs a hands-on earring workshop where you'll learn about the materials and the environmental work behind them before designing and making your own earrings to take home. You can create your own design or use one of the supplied templates for inspiration.

Over on Aitutaki, T&S Artworx gives another type of waste a new lease of life, crafting earrings from glass washed up on shore or reclaimed after cyclone damage. Visit the workshop to browse the colourful results.

Where to buy: Circle Cook Islands (Tupapa, Rarotonga) and T&S Artworx (Aitutaki).

The traditional art form of quilting in the Cook Islands is called tivaevae, which adorns the beds of many resort accommodations in the Cook Islands. You can pick up your own piece of tivaevae on Rarotonga, whether it be throw pillowcases or a full bed set.

Tivaevae Collectables are the main store for selling tivaevae, with either handmade options from the Cook Islands or machine-made linens from Bali. They also run "Sewing Classes" every Wednesday; sessions run for 1.5 hours, with a maximum of six people, covering the basic blanket stitch and hemming techniques. Afterwards, participants can purchase a pack to continue at home.

For a more immersive experience, you can join The Tivaevae and Craft Tour on Atiu, where local mamas demonstrate how these beautiful quilts are made by hand.

Where to buy: Tivaevae Collectables (Nikao), Mareko Island Creations (Avarua), Te 'Are Tatatau (Panama) and Tivaevae Tour (Atiu - Contact Vito for details).

Strummed to create the sounds of Polynesia, ukuleles are handcrafted in the Cook Islands, either in the form of a traditional coconut ukulele or more modern yet still handcrafted in an array of carving designs.

Where to buy: Punanga Nui Market (Avarua), T&S Artworx (Aitutaki), Island Craft (Avarua & Rarotongan Airport) and M&M Ukalele & Crafts (Tupapa).

Nothing says the "Pacific Islands" more than a vibrant floral shirt! While these "island shirts" are for sale at souvenir shops across the Cook Islands, you can get yourself a tailor-made shirt at Tuki's Pareu.

Where to buy: Tuki's Pareu (Avarua), Island Craft (Avarua & Rarotonga Airport), CITC (Avarua & Rarotonga Airport), Beach Hut (Rarotonga Airport), Avatea Café & Pearls Bar (Aitutaki), id.CK (Avarua) and the gift shops at the Muri Beach Club Hotel, Edgewater, The Rarotongan and Pacific Resort Rarotonga and Aitutaki.

If you're looking for a clothing souvenir that you can wear anytime, anywhere, you can't go too wrong with a T-shirt. There are a few T-shirt, vest and cap designers on the islands selling awesome contemporary designer tees, such as at Stonefish Studio, as well as custom-made air-brushed caps at Ollie's Surf Gear.

For T-shirts, our go-tos are Te 'Are Tātatau near the airport and Kota'a Design Studio in Muri.

Where to buy: Stonefish Studio (Aitutaki), Ollie's Surf Gear (Avarua), Punanga Nui Market (Avarua), Te 'Are Tātatau (Panama), Kota'a Design Studio (Muri) and Turtles (Avarua & Rarotonga Airport).

Although the official currency of the Cook Islands is New Zealand Dollars, the country issues its own unique coins and banknotes. You're highly likely to be given the unusual triangle $2 or dodecagon $5 coin as change when paying with cash, but banknotes like the $3 Aitutaki banknote are pretty rare.

If you don't spend all of your Cook Islands money before leaving, you'll have to keep it as a souvenir, as there is nowhere outside of the Cook Islands that will exchange this currency.

Finally, on a similar note to the point above, one souvenir you may naturally bring home is your Cook Islands scooter license. If you're planning on hiring a scooter but don't have a motorcycle license from home, then you'll need to apply for one.

Find out how in our guide, How to Get a Rarotonga & Cook Islands Scooter License.