10 Best Caves in the Cook Islands 🦇

Last Updated: 9 June, 2025

Where to Find Caves in the Cook Islands

It’s not just all about sunbathing in the Cook Islands! While the Cooks might be known for their glorious sandy beaches and turquoise lagoons, there’s a whole subterranean world that not a lot of people know about. Some of the Cook Islands’ Southern Group are uplifted coral atolls, mostly made of limestone (what locals call makatea).

With that, it has taken thousands, in some cases millions, of years for caves to form within the islands. See which ones you should visit, right here, in this list of the best caves in the Cook Islands!

Cook Islands Caves Checklist:

Sturdy closed shoes (no flip-flops!)
Insect repellent
Swimwear
NZ$30-$60 in cash per person for your guide
Camera.

While we’re on the subject, don’t forget to check out our Cook Islands Packing List.

1. Tuatini Cave – Mangaia

At the southern end of the Cook Islands’ second-largest island, Mangaia, there is what many believe to be the grandest cave on the island. If you can arrange a tour here, you won’t regret it.

Tuatini Cave is extensive and largely untouched, characterised by magnificent stalagmites, stalactites and crystalline floors, walls and ceilings. The local guides will show you a vast portion of the cave, share stories of their ancestors (showing you cooking instruments and fish hooks that remain), and point out prehistoric crabs that still inhabit the area.

Location: Mangaia. Explore the 5 Best Caves on Mangaia for information on locations and guidance on booking a tour.

2. Vai Nauri – Mitiaro

By far the best swimming cave in the Cook Islands, Vai Nauri holds a deep pool with clear deep blue waters and striking limestone features. This cave on the island of Mitiaro has a set of steps down to the pool or you can clamber around the pool and jump off a 3 m (3.3 yards) outcrop into the deep waters.

Try to get there on weekdays when the kids are in school to experience the eerie silence of this cave as you’re floating under a canopy of dripping stalactites. It’s also one of the few caves in the Cook Islands that you don’t need a guide to visit.

Location: Mitiaro. Check out the 5 Best Caves on Mitiaro for locations.

3. Anatakitaki Caves (Kopeka Cave) – Atiu

Embark on an unforgettable adventure to explore the fascinating Anatakitaki Cave, also known as the Kopeka Bird Caves. This 2-3 hour journey takes you through dense rainforest on a 30-40 minute hike (each way) to reach the cave system.

Once inside, you’ll marvel at impressive limestone formations, have the opportunity to swim in a cool cave pool, and experience the thrill of complete darkness as kopeka birds soar overhead using echolocation.

Tours run at 9 am or 2 pm and are suitable for able-bodied participants. Don’t forget to bring strong, non-slip footwear, mosquito repellent, water, and swimwear.

Transfers from your accommodation are included, making it easy to join this unique Atiuan experience. Book your caving adventure with Anatakitaki Cave Tours for an unforgettable glimpse into Atiu’s natural wonders and rare wildlife.

Location: Atiu. Check out the 5 Best Caves on Atiu for locations and advice on how to get a tour there.

4. Vai Tango – Mauke

A short walk from a nearby village, Vai Tanga Cave is the easiest (and best) cave to visit on Mauke. There’s a 500 m (550 yards) trail through gardens and jungle to this popular swimming hole with a platform to make getting in (and out) a breeze.

Location: Mauke. Check out the 10 Best Caves on Mauke for locations.

5. Vai Marere – Mitiaro

The only sulphur pool in the Cook Islands, Vai Marere is known among the locals of Mitiaro for its healing minerals. Bathe in the healing waters yourself by finding this easy-to-miss cave pool after a 10-minute walk from Mangarei village.

It looks small from the roadside, but as you go down the concrete stairs, the cave opens up into a relatively large cavern with stalactites hanging from the ceiling. The water is a little murkier than the other cave pools mentioned on this list of caves on Mitiaro, but that might be due to the sulphur content.

Find more experiences on the island in the 15 Best Things to Do on Mitiaro.

Location: Mitiaro. Check out the 5 Best Caves on Mitiaro for locations.

6. Te Rua Rere Cave – Mangaia

Contending with Tuatini Cave (see point #1 above) as the best cave on Mangaia, Te Rua Rere Cave is definitely worth exploring if you can fit it in. Your local guide will take you from a magnificent chamber, with stalactites and stalagmites and distinct patches of crystals that glitter in the torchlight, deep into the narrow tunnels.

It’s an adventurous journey of scrambling over rocks, clinging to overhangs and avoiding drops. See more Mangaia experiences in the 15 Best Things to Do on Mangaia.

Location: Mangaia. Explore the 5 Best Caves on Mangaia for information on locations and how to book a tour.

7. Vai Tamaroa – Mitiaro

Vai Tamaroa on Mitiaro requires a little walking to get to, but is well worth the hike. Spot the white-painted sign for the 1985 Boys Brigade from the roadside (it was the project that set up this trail) and begin!

The trail is easy enough to follow without a guide if you pay attention as you scramble over grassy makatea inland. Allow around 20 minutes of walking to finally reach Vai Tamaroa, a 10 m (10.9 yards) deep circular hole with a pool filling most of it. Be prepared for a bit of climbing in and out.

Location: Mitiaro. Check out the 5 Best Caves on Mitiaro for locations.

8. Stomach Rock (Kopupooki Beach) – Mauke

Hidden away on Kopupooki Beach on Mauke is an open cave with a swimming pool inside! Once on the beach, walk down the beach/reef to your left when facing the ocean.

Go around the outcrop and you’ll find a small cave (hence the name “Stomach Rock“) with a pool inside, ideal for a swim! You can only reach this cave at low tide. Make sure you’re out of there before the tide comes in!

See what else you can do on Mauke with our 15 Best Things to Do on Mauke.

Location: Mauke. Check out the 9 Best Caves on Mauke for locations.

9. Vai Moti – Mauke

This cave can also be found on Mauke on the way to the island’s famous Giant Banyan Tree (which you can learn more about in the 15 Best Things to Do on Mauke).

From the roadside between Areora village and A’anga Beach, take a 15-minute trail to Vai Moti, a small cave with a swimming hole where you a take a quick dip!

Location: Mauke. Check out the 10 Best Caves on Mauke for locations and advice on how to get a tour there.

10. Rimu Rau Burial Cave – Atiu

One of many burial caves across the Cook Islands, Rimu Rau on Atiu. Here, you’ll see well-preserved skeletal remains, adding to the spooky atmosphere. Although it’s not certain what caused the approximately 30 bodies to be buried in this cave, your guide, if you can find one, will tell you the opposing legends. During our last visit, the landowners were no longer providing tours, but it’s always worth asking around if the opportunity presents itself again.

Note that this may not be the cave to visit if you’re claustrophobic…

See more experiences on the island of Atiu in our 20 Best Things to Do on Atiu.

Location: Atiu. Check out the 5 Best Caves on Atiu for locations and advice on how to get a tour there.

More Cave-Related Goodness in the Cook Islands

That’s it for our complete list of the best caves in the Cook Islands! Want to discover more stunning natural attractions? Try these:

Finally, find more items for the bucket list in the 101 Best Things to Do in the Cook Islands: The Ultimate List.

Sources:

The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across the Cook Islands and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:

Cook Islands Tourism Corporation (General travel advice - Updated [2025])
Cook Islands Tourism Industry Council (Tourism trade association - Updated [2025])
SPTO (Pacific tourism advice - Updated [2025])
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration (Visa and immigration advice - Updated [2025])
Cook Islands Meteorological Service (Weather forecast and warnings - Updated [2025])
Ministry of Finance & Economic Management (Border restrictions advice - Updated [2025])
Ministry of Agriculture (Biosecurity advice - Updated [2025])
Cook Islands Statistics Office (Statistics and travel data - Updated [2025])
Ministry of Transport (Transport operators and licenses - Updated [2025])
Safe Travel (New Zealand travel advisory for the Cook Islands - Updated [2025])
Smart Traveller (Australia travel advisory for the Cook Islands - Updated [2025])

At Cook Islands Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.

About the Author

Robin C.

This article was reviewed and published by Robin, the co-founder of Cook Islands Pocket Guide. He has lived, worked and travelled across 16 different countries before settling in the South Pacific, so he knows a thing or two about planning the perfect trip in this corner of the world. Robin works and consults regularly with Cook Islands Tourism Corporation, a local government body representing the tourism industry. Robin is also the co-founder of several other South Pacific travel guides and is a regular host of webinars with the South Pacific Tourism Organisation.

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