The Complete Travel Guide to Pukapuka

© Daniel Fisher - Cook Islands Tourism

How to Get to Pukapuka

Pukapuka has an airstrip on one of the islands, Motu Ko, receiving infrequent flights from Rarotonga. The atoll is also visited by an even less frequent cargo boat, also from Rarotonga.

Flights to Pukapuka

Flights to Pukapuka are available with the sole domestic airline of the Cook Islands. Although there are no scheduled flights to Pukapuka, travellers can arrange private charters to Pukapuka or as part of Northern Group tour packages where you’ll stay one night on each island visited.

Flights in propeller planes take approximately 4 hrs 30 mins from Rarotonga, while private charter flights typically take 2 hrs 30 mins.  Find out more about flying in the Cook Islands with our guide, Domestic Flights in the Cook Islands: Your Guide to Interisland Flights.

Cargo Ships to Pukapuka

Very patient travellers with a lot of time on their hands can take the arduous journey from Rarotonga to Pukapuka via a cargo ship. Cargo ships depart for the island once every 2.5 months but are often delayed and impossible to plan around.

Voyages take several days, depending on which islands are visited first. Find out more about cargo ships in our Cook Islands Cargo Ship Guide: How to Use the Ferry for Interisland Travel in the Cook Islands.

Getting Around Pukapuka

Getting around Pukapuka solely relies on what your host can organise. There is no public transportation or taxis available. Your host will meet you at the airport on Motu Ko and transfer you to your accommodation via boat, a journey that takes approximately 45 minutes to reach Wale, the main island of Pukapuka.

Wale is the only island large enough to perhaps need transport. Your host can organise a scooter or bicycle to get around if needed. Otherwise, the other islands (and Wale, to be fair) are small enough to explore on foot.

Getting between islands requires boat transport, which can, again, be organised by your host. Local guides can be arranged to give you an informal tour of the lagoon, or they can operate similar to a water taxi, giving you all the time you want on an island or at a snorkelling spot before moving on to the next spot.

For more advice on planning your travels to Pukapuka, check out the Northern Cook Islands Transport Guide: 9 Ways to Get to (& Around) the Northern Group.

© Tayla Beddoes - Cook Islands Tourism

Where to Stay on Pukapuka

Visitors to Pukapuka usually stay in the island’s guesthouse. If there are more people on the island than the guesthouse can accommodate, then the nearby Island Administration building is opened up for guests.

Pukapuka Guesthouse

There is one guesthouse on the island of Wale that is set aside for visitors. It sits in the village of Ngake, close to a lagoon-facing beach. The guesthouse is, understandably, basic in its facilities but comfortable enough. Each of the four guest rooms has twin single beds, sleeping up to eight people in total.

Guests share communal areas, including a bathroom with cold water, a lounge, and a kitchen. While you will have access to electricity, please note that there is no WiFi available (see the notes on WiFi in the “Information, Services, and Shops on Pukapuka” section below).

Eating and Drinking on Pukapuka + The Cost of Accommodation

All meals are provided for guests, where the local community comes together to offer a buffet of local dishes, as well as fresh coconuts (nu). Drinking water is available via filtered rainwater. However, it’s best to take the precautions noted in our guide, ‘Is the Water Safe to Drink in the Cook Islands?‘

Expect the price of accommodation on Pukapuka to be around NZ$150 per night, including all meals.

Island Administration Accommodation

If there are more guests on the island, a building will be opened at the Island Administration, where guests will receive the same treatment of being well-fed and cared for while on the island.

See how the accommodations compare to some of the guesthouses in the other outer islands in the 5 Best Guesthouses in Rarotonga & the Cook Islands.

© Tayla Beddoes - Cook Islands Tourism

Things to Do on Pukapuka

For such small islands and a lagoon, Pukapuka has a ton of amazing landscapes to explore. Culture and nature blend together quite nicely and are all part of the Pukapukan experience.

10 Best Things to Do on Pukapuka

1. Walk along the reef between Wale and Motu Ko
2. Relax on Wale’s Sandbank
3. Experience an island church service
4. Visit the bird island of Motu Kotawa
5. Snorkel among colourful coral banks
6. Take a trip to the Toka Sandbank
7. Visit the local school, Pukapuka’s Niua School
8. Try some of the sweetest taro in the South Pacific
9. Learn about “Ra’ui” which allows sustainable living on the island
10. Visit the island of Nassau.

1. Walk Along the Reef Between Wale and Motu Ko

The waters on the reef between Wale in the north and Motu Ko in the south are extremely shallow at low tide, making for a fun walk with appropriate reef shoes. Hell, sometimes even the island’s bulldozers use the reef to get between islands! The walk is approximately 4.5 km (2.8 miles) and passes the wreck of an old Chilean cargo ship.

2. Relax on Wale’s Sandbank

Just off the northern tip of Wale is a gorgeous sandbank with just a few palm trees. It’s the perfect place to watch the sunset.

3. Experience a Church Service

Like all of the inhabited islands in the Cook Islands, Pukapuka has a selection of Christian denomination churches where the singing on a Sunday (or Saturday for Seventh-Day Adventists) is a wonderful experience.

There is the CICC Church near the jetty on Wale, the Seventh-Day Adventist Church on the way to Ngake, and the Catholic Church on the southern road through Ngake.

4. Visit the Bird Island of Motu Kotawa

Motu Kotawa is a bird nesting site and a stunning place to explore white-sand beaches. Where the boat docks, you’ll notice a few thatched huts where islanders live when there isn’t a ra’ui protection in place.

5. Snorkel Among Colourful Coral Banks

Pukapuka offers fantastic snorkelling, where locals with boats are happy to take you out. They’ll often take you to coral banks along the edge of the lagoon’s reef, as well as those that run through the lagoon. With the locals having a good understanding of conservation, the coral and abundance of fish are colourful and thriving.

6. Take a Trip to the Toka Sandbank

A gem in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Toka is a sandbank located outside the Pukapuka Lagoon. If the weather conditions are right, local boaties can take you out to discover this tranquil patch of sand. The journey is an approximately 30-minute boat ride from Wale.

7. Visit the Local School

Children on Pukapuka are always excited to have visitors on the island. The local school is Pukapuka Niua School, where school visits can be arranged by your host. Gifts of stationery supplies are always appreciated.

8. Try the Sweetest Taro in the South Pacific

Pukapukans pride themselves on the crops grown on the islands, especially taro that locals claim are the sweetest in the South Pacific due to the special way they store them. You’ll likely have a taste during the meals at your accommodation.

9. Learn How the Locals Live Sustainably (and Liberally)

The people of Pukapuka are fascinating to learn from as their culture and sense of community is much different from the other islands in the Cook Islands. Additionally, they have a sustainable ethos to ensure that the islands continue to provide. This is done by establishing nature protection periods on the islands, called ra’ui to allow nature to recover.

10. Visit the Island of Nassau

Another one of the Cook Islands, Nassau, can only be visited via boat from Pukapuka. Check out The Complete Travel Guide to Nassau for more details on what this adventure entails!

© Tayla Beddoes - Cook Islands Tourism

Information, Services and Shops on Pukapuka

It’s essential to understand what Pukapuka does (and doesn’t) have so that you can come fully prepared.

What Pukapuka doesn’t have are shops and ATMs. The locals obtain supplies from shipping containers, so if there’s anything you really need, you can ask your host, who may be able to source it for you. However, when it comes to personal items, consider bringing the following: cash (in New Zealand Dollars), medication, hygiene products, your favourite snack, snorkelling gear, sunscreen, etc.

WiFi and Post Office on Pukapuka

There are two Wi-Fi hotspots, one located near the Island Administration area in Ngake village (Wale) and another at the Vodafone and post office, further inland. Learn more about connecting to Vodafone hotspots using How to Get Internet & WiFi in Rarotonga & the Cook Islands.

Hospital on Pukapuka

Pukapuka has a hospital/medical centre that is soon to be (or already has been) newly renovated. Opening hours for doctor’s appointments are from Monday to Friday, 9 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm. You can find the hospital, like most of the island’s limited services, in the administration centre in Ngake village, Wale.