Arorangi

Arorangi was laid out in the 1820s by the missionary Aaron Buzacott, who moved people down from the inland valleys into a planned village on the coast, and the Cook Islands Christian Church built there in 1849 in coral limestone still stands with its whitewashed walls. Papeiha, the Raiatean teacher who brought Christianity to the island in 1823, is buried in the churchyard. Sunday services there are sung in Cook Islands Māori.

Highlights

• The 1849 church - the whitewashed coral limestone building at the village centre.
• Papeiha's grave - the burial of the teacher who brought the mission in 1823.
• The planned village - the settlement laid out by moving people down from the valleys.
• The Sunday singing - the services sung in Cook Islands Māori.

When to go

May to October is the drier cooler season. Sunday services are the reason many visitors come. The church is open outside service hours by arrangement.

Things to know

Visitors at Sunday services are welcome but expected to dress and behave appropriately. The church is sometimes locked on weekdays. The village is otherwise ordinary.

Nearby

Black Rock is north, and Raemaru rises behind.

Key facts