Aroa Marine Reserve

The Aroa reserve protects a stretch of Rarotonga's southwestern lagoon under ra'ui, the traditional prohibition that chiefs place on an area to let it recover, revived from the 1990s as a conservation tool and applied around the island in rotation. Inside the reserve the fish are visibly more numerous and less wary than outside it, and the shallow water is entered straight from the beach. The reserve sits in front of a stretch of shore with resorts along it, so the water is easy to reach and gets a steady flow of swimmers through the day.

What you actually see

• The ra'ui system - the traditional prohibition used as a conservation tool.
• The fish numbers - the visible difference inside the protected stretch.
• The shallow lagoon - water entered directly from the beach.
• The coral heads - the bommies scattered through the protected area.

When to go

May to October is the drier season with the calmest water. The reserve's status can change as ra'ui are rotated. High tide gives the best swimming.

Honest expectations

Ra'ui are rotated and the protected area can change; check locally which stretch is closed. Coral in the lagoon has been damaged by bleaching. Currents run near the reef passages.

Nearby

Arorangi is north, and Tikioki is southeast.