What's Happening
Keep up with the latest news and events from Polynesian Rental Cars and Bikes, including cultural and sporting events across the Cook Islands, helpful tips and tricks for planning the best possible holiday in our island paradise, and updates and specials from our amazing team based in handy locations all around Rarotonga. If you've got some news you'd like us to share, then please get in touch.
October 16th, 2026
Landing in Rarotonga: How Airport Car Hire Works - Even at 3am
Almost every holiday in the Cook Islands begins at Rarotonga International Airport. Flight times vary across the week, and some arrivals land well after dark, so knowing how your transport works before you step off the plane makes that first warm evening far more relaxed. Car rental at Rarotonga Airport is straightforward, with Polynesian Rental Cars & Bikes running a desk in the arrivals area that opens for every scheduled international flight. You can collect your vehicle whether your plane touches down mid-afternoon or at 3am, with the support of a team that is 100% locally owned and operated, as set out on the About Us page.
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September 23rd, 2026
Vaka Eiva 2026: Twenty Years of Outrigger Canoe Racing, What to Expect
Every November, Rarotonga’s coastline turns into one long finish line. Outrigger crews from across the Pacific and beyond arrive in their hundreds, paddles flashing and drums beating from the wharf, while the whole island turns out to watch. In 2026, that energy reaches new heights as Vaka Eiva, one of the standout entries on any list of Rarotonga attractions, turns twenty, with paddlers and organisers alike anticipating the biggest edition yet.
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August 20th, 2026
Round Raro Road Race 2026: What to Know Before Race Day
There is one Saturday in September when the whole island wakes up before the sun does. Drums start rolling somewhere near Avarua, headlights string out along the coast road, and a few hundred runners and walkers set off to take on all 31 kilometres of Rarotonga in one go. Race week is coming around again in September 2026, and if you are on island for it, a little planning now will make the whole thing far more enjoyable.
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July 24th, 2026
July in Raro: Night Markets, Bonfires and Starry Skies
July is when Rarotonga slows down and turns its face to the stars. The days are warm and clear, the evenings carry a soft winter cool, and the night sky out here is something else once you get away from the town lights. This is one of the best times of the year to explore after dark, when the island settles into a slower, more social rhythm.
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June 16th, 2026
June in Raro: Taste Your Way Around the Island
June is one of our quiet favourites. The crowds have thinned, the mornings are crisp and golden, and the island settles into that easy winter rhythm where everything slows down just enough to taste it properly. Cooler temps outside, warm eats everywhere you turn.
It’s also market season, and that is where the magic is. From Saturday-morning stalls to roadside BBQ smoke drifting across the coast road, Rarotonga in June is a feast you can drive your way through. With a car or scooter from Polynesian Rentals, you can chase the good kai on your own schedule, no bus timetables, no rushing, just you and the open road and your next delicious stop. Here is how we like to do it, whether you are travelling as a couple, with friends or with the whole whānau.
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