Beginning on the Friday before 4 August, the 10-day Constitution Festival celebrates independence with sports, dances, music, historical and cultural displays and many other events. This is the Cooks' major festival of the year. During the last week of November, floral float parades, a beauty pageant and flower arranging competitions all mark the Tiare (Floral) Festival. Dancing and other entertainments mark New Year's Eve.
Avarua, the capital of the Cook Islands and Rarotonga's main town, lies in the middle of the northern coast. Until recently, Avarua was a sleepy little port, very much the image of a South Seas trading centre. The town had quite a facelift to spruce it up for the international Maire Nui festival in 1992, and it's had some development since, but its relaxed, friendly ambience remains. The focal point of the town is the traffic circle, located toward the eastern end of town near Avarua Harbour. Just east of the circle is the Seven-in-One Coconut Tree, a group of trees growing in a perfect circle of their own. Legend has it that they've grown from the same seed.
Aitutaki ranks behind Rarotonga in the visitor contest, and it lacks the sheer physical beauty of its larger neighbour, but it has charms all its own. For a start, it sits at one corner of a triangular lagoon dotted with lovely motu (small islands). And it's historically interesting, with a number of impressive marae (pre-European religious meeting grounds) that are open to visitors. Aitutaki also has one of the best 'island nights' dance and music performances in the Cooks.
Arutanga is the main village - a sleepy place with a weathered 1828 CICC church, the oldest and one of the most beautiful in the Cooks, with lots of carved wood and stained glass windows. There are lots of funky little shops, and the view of the coastline from the end of the jetty is superb.
Rarotonga is a lush, beautiful place, fringed with beaches and crowned with mountains at its centre. Two concentric roads ring the island, and most of its attractions are on or near one of them. On the western coast, 'Arorangi was the first mission-built village and was meant to be a model village for the rest of the island. The main place of interest is the 1849 CICC Church, where Papeiha, the islands' first Christian preacher, is buried. Rising up behind 'Arorangi is the flat-topped peak of Raemaru, a good destination for a day hike.
The Cook Islands Cultural Village, on Arorangi's back road, is a great experience: you'll learn more about traditional Cook Islands culture in one day here than you probably will for the rest of your stay. Guided tours visit a number of traditional huts and include demonstrations on Cook Islands history, Maori medicine, ancient fishing techniques, coconut husking, woodcarving and dancing. The tour is followed by a feast of traditional foods accompanied by yet more dancing.

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