Things to Do in Cook Islands in June

June's water temperature hovers around 24°C (75°F) - cool enough to be refreshing after hiking but warm enough to stay in for hours. The trade winds haven't yet churned up the lagoon floors, so visibility remains exceptional, on the leeward sides of the motus around Aitutaki. You'll see giant clams with iridescent blue lips, schools of turquoise parrotfish crunching on coral, and the occasional eagle ray gliding over the sand flats. The wind does mean the crossing between Rarotonga and the outer motus can be bouncy - take seasickness precautions if you're prone.

The 4 km (2.5 mile) cross-island track from Avatiu Valley to the Needle is enjoyable in June - the rain keeps the rainforest properly damp, so the scent of wet earth and decaying hibiscus flowers hangs thick in the air, and the streams you cross run cold and clear rather than the muddy trickles of the dry season. You'll hear the distinct 'kek-kek-kek' of the Rarotonga flycatcher in the canopy and feel the temperature drop noticeably as you climb toward the volcanic ridge. The track remains slippery though - the roots and rocks stay slick long after the rain stops.

This is when the umukai feasts taste best - the taro has been growing through the wet season, so it's starchier and sweeter, and the banana leaves used for wrapping impart a grassy, steamed flavor you don't get with drier leaves. At the Highland Paradise Cultural Village on Rarotonga, the fire pits are dug into the red volcanic soil, and the smell of smoking coconut husks and slow-cooking pork fills the valley as the sun drops behind the mountains. The performances happen under thatched roofs open to the evening breeze, which carries the scent of frangipani from the gardens.

Early season whale watching is a gamble with high rewards. The humpbacks are moving through the Rarotonga-Aitutaki channel on their migration north, so you're not guaranteed a breach. But you might hear their songs through hydrophones - a haunting, layered sound that echoes across the boat's deck. More reliable are the spinner dolphins that ride the bow waves and the occasional marlin slicing through the deep blue beyond the reef. The ocean swells in June can be substantial outside the lagoon. This isn't a calm glass-bottom boat experience.

Circle Rarotonga's 32 km (20 mile) loop in June and the southeast trade winds cool you like built-in air-con. The road is flat, paved, and lined with fruit stalls heaving with peak-season pineapples and mangoes. Detour to Muri and coral sand crunches under your tires. Salt spray hits your face as waves slam the reef. Shade beneath ancient tamanu trees drops the temperature fast. Locals ride clockwise so the reliable southeast wind pushes them along the longer eastern stretch.