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Rarotonga isn’t a cheap island destination, especially if you start adding lagoon cruises, cultural shows and organised tours to your holiday. But you don’t need to spend a lot of money every day to enjoy the island. We spent 9 days in Rarotonga, which gave us plenty of time to do some of the more expensive activities as well as slow down and look for things we could do for free or very little money. Some of our favourite memories didn’t cost us anything at all. Here are the free and cheap things we’d recommend.
Free things to do in Rarotonga
Snorkel in the lagoon
Snorkelling is the most obvious free thing to do in Rarotonga. There are plenty of places where you can walk straight into the lagoon from the beach and explore the shallow water.
We loved being able to snorkel independently, especially because it meant we could choose when to go rather than fitting another tour into our itinerary. It’s also a great way to spend an hour or two without spending anything.
There is an important distinction to know, though. Snorkelling in the calm lagoon is very different from entering one of the passages connecting the lagoon to the ocean. The passages can have strong currents and aren’t places we’d recommend exploring independently. If you want to snorkel there, go with an experienced local operator, but be prepared for a much more expensive activity.
If you’re an experienced snorkeller like us, you’ll want to read more about our snorkelling experience to help set the right expectations.
Go hiking
Hiking is another great way to see Rarotonga without spending money on an activity. You’ll get a completely different perspective of the island once you leave the coast and head into the mountains. But Rarotonga’s trails are quite challenging, so don’t choose a hike purely because it’s free.
We did the Cross Island Track with Bruce from Maunga Tours to learn more about the local environment and recommend it if your budget allows it. However, if you’re an experienced hiker, it’s an activity you can do independently.
Walk along the beaches
One of the easiest ways to spend a few hours in Rarotonga is simply to walk along the coast.
You don’t need to pick a particular beach or have a plan. Just head out and explore. We particularly enjoyed stopping at Black Rock, which has an interesting landscape and is a little different from the picture-perfect stretches of white sand you might expect from Rarotonga.
Watch the sunrise or sunset
Sunrise and sunset are two activities that are difficult to beat on a budget: they are completely free and you don’t need to book anything. Find a good spot by the water, take a walk and watch the sun go down.
Rarotonga is just the perfect place to watch sunrise and sunset. The island is small enough that you can go from the east to the west side in half an hour, so you get plenty of options to try great spots. The timing also made it perfect for us. We’re not early risers and the sunrise when we visited in winter was around 7 am and sunset just before 7 pm – so we could enjoy breakfast on the deck watching the sunrise and watch the sunset before dinner.
Visit Punanga Nui Market on Saturday morning
The Punanga Nui Market is a free activity to fill your Saturday morning. You don’t have to buy anything to enjoy the market, although there are plenty of stalls with local food and souvenirs if you do want to browse. You can also simply enjoy the atmosphere, listen to music and watch cultural performances without spending any money.
Attend a Sunday church service
Going to church on Sunday was one of our best memories in Rarotonga, and it was completely free (donations to the church are always welcome though).
Sunday is a different kind of day on the island, with many businesses and tourist activities closed. Rather than seeing that as a disadvantage, we found it was a good opportunity to slow down and experience another side of Rarotonga.
The singing was particularly memorable, and attending a local service gave us an experience that felt very different from the activities aimed specifically at visitors.
If you go, remember that this is a genuine church service rather than a tourist attraction. Dress respectfully and be mindful of the people who are there as part of their normal Sunday.
Walk or run along the Ara Metua
We saw plenty of people out running in the morning (mostly in Muri along the coastal road), and it’s a good option if you want to get some exercise without spending any money. But if you want to see a different side of Rarotonga, take the old inland road, Ara Metua. The experience is very different from travelling around the main coastal road. It’s quieter and feels much more local. You’ll pass local homes and gardens where people grow food and properties where locals keep animals.
I particularly liked this as a way of seeing a more everyday side of Rarotonga rather than simply visiting its tourist attractions.
Look for a free island night entertainment
Island nights are one of the classic things to do in Rarotonga, but the well-known cultural shows can be quite expensive, particularly when they include a buffet dinner.
If you’d like to experience Polynesian dancing and live music without paying for a full buffet package, there are a few places where the entertainment is free and you simply order food from the menu. You’ll still need to pay for your meal and drinks, but you have much more control over how much you spend.
We didn’t try these shows ourselves, so we can’t comment on the quality of the performances. But if you’re mainly looking for an entertaining evening with music, dancing and a taste of the island night atmosphere, this could be a good way to experience it on a smaller budget.
It’s also worth checking the current entertainment schedule before you go, as shows and performance nights can change.
Visit Wigmore’s Waterfall
Wigmore’s Waterfall is often included in lists of things to do in Rarotonga, but to be honest, I wouldn’t make a special trip there just to see it. We’re lucky to have splendid waterfalls near Brisbane and we didn’t find this one particularly impressive.
However, it can be a nice place to stop and cool down after the Cross Island Track. So if you’re already nearby and want somewhere to refresh yourself, it’s worth considering. I just wouldn’t put it high on your itinerary solely for the waterfall.
Cheap things to do in Rarotonga
Hire a kayak to explore Muri Lagoon
Exploring Muri Lagoon is one of the must-do in Rarotonga. Hiring a kayak on Muri Lagoon is a great alternative to booking a more expensive lagoon tour.
It’s a chance to get out onto the lagoon and around the islands, but what we particularly enjoyed was seeing Rarotonga from the water. Looking back towards the island gives you a completely different perspective of the coastline and mountains, and on a calm day it’s beautiful.
It’s also a nice way to explore at your own pace. You don’t have to follow a tour group or stick to someone else’s schedule. You can simply paddle around, stop to swim and enjoy the scenery. You may also time it around lunch time so that you can listen to the drums from the cruise tours while you explore the lagoon.
We hired a double kayak from KiteSup for two hours at $30. They also have paddleboards if you want to be higher to spot turtles for example, but it’s more expensive as you’ll need one per person.
Spend time with rescue animals
There are a couple of low-cost ways to spend some time with rescued cats and dogs in Rarotonga. We didn’t do this ourselves, but we met several people during our stay who had visited or taken part in the animal experiences and absolutely loved them.
Paws n Claws Cat Sanctuary operates through donations, so you can visit and support the sanctuary by giving as much as you wish. Another option is the Waggy Tails Dog Walking Experience run by the SPCA, which costs around $30 and gives you the chance to take rescue dogs for a walk.
And, of course, your money goes towards helping animals, which makes it an especially nice way to spend a small amount of your holiday budget.
Do you need to spend a lot of money in Rarotonga?
Not necessarily. Let’s be clear, if you’re staying for just a few days, you’ll probably want to pack your itinerary with some of Rarotonga’s more expensive experiences, such as a lagoon cruise, turtle tour or the best cultural show. But if you’re staying for a week or longer, you don’t need to book an activity every day.
We spent 9 days on the island and found that mixing paid activities with free things worked really well. We could spend one day hiking or snorkelling independently and another exploring the island at our own pace from one beach to the other, slowing down to take in the island vibes.
What were your favourite free or cheap activities on Rarotonga? Share your experience in the comments below!
