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By far the most popular of all the many beaches of Rarotonga is this beautiful lagoon.
Muri Beach is situated on the south-eastern coast of the island, sweeping in a small arch for about one kilometre and is backed by palm and ironwood trees. Perfect for many aquatic activities, it also faces four uninhabited islands within the reef and has a lovely shallow lagoon for swimming (it's possible to wade across to two of these islands).
Muri Lagoon is the centre of water activities on the island and is the chosen spot for those who wish to take their families to a place which is safe for swimming. You can rent paddle boats and catamarans or take wind surfing lessons or even go para-surfing.
Muri Beach definitely is the most favoured because it is simply glorious sand and there are a few others as well along the same stretch of coast. But it does have its drawbacks in that it is also the most heavily populated and while pollution hasn't quite become a major problem, there is some lagoon-weed around now that didn't used to be.
It is a great beach for families, being shallow and in some areas you are able to literally paddle out to islets like Kokomiri at low tide. But if you like a beach where you can actually swim at chin-depth, with great sand and good snorkelling, others like Aroa and Nikao are also very good, although the latter is far more rocky in places.
The lagoon, no matter where you are, is perfect for snorkelling, even if you have never done this before. There are a number of places which have a raui in place, that is, the area is a protected marine reserve, so it means fish are plentiful and easily found in the areas where reef rocks are close by. If you want to spear fish, you may be better heading out to one of the outer islands such as Aitutaki.
There are a number of restaurants, clubs and bars overlooking the beach where you can relax and enjoy the scenery. Muri Beach is now quite developed with small beach bungalows sitting side by side and it can be crowded (for the Cook Islands) on weekends. If you're looking for privacy, Muri Beach Lagoon no longer offers that - but there are plenty of other beaches on these beautiful islands that will.
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