The colourful fish is no bigger than my thumb, with delicate fins flapping – and it’s in full attack mode. I’m colossal by comparison but beat a hasty, splashy retreat complete with undignified squawking sounds into my snorkel. When I look for my teenagers, they’re laughing so hard they’ve had to surface to breathe.

View of the beach at The Edgewater Resort & Spa. Photo / Supplied

It’s day four of our week at the Edgewater Resort & Spa on the largest of the Cook Islands and I’ve just learnt a healthy respect for its smallest residents. The resort itself is the largest and oldest on Rarotonga and a firm favourite for generations of Kiwis who crave an easy, sun-soaked escape. Like me, it’s just turned 50. Though, unlike me, it’s had a few facelifts to keep it fresh.

Never crowded

Spread across six manicured acres, the property has 272 rooms, a tennis court, pool and kids’ club – and it never felt crowded. My favourite place was our balcony overlooking the reef. Every morning I’d sit with a coffee and watch the sky lighten, waves foam over the reef and palm trees sway lazily. Later, I’d wander to the beach with a snorkel and mask to drift over the coral and count the different species of fish. I still catch myself wishing I was back there.

Swimming with green sea turtles. Photo / Ariki Adventures

I travelled with my older teenage children in the off-season. We were warned about the higher possibility of rain, but when it did, all we had to do was wait 30 minutes for the clouds to shift and the sun to reappear. That rhythm shaped the week-long holiday; calm, unhurried, and warm – whether we were in the sea (yep, even when it rained), under the palms (while always looking up first to check for coconuts), or taking part in tours we’d booked. We swam with eagle rays, had an endangered green sea turtle surface and noisily exhale beside us, watched the sun rise from a mountain top, swam in a waterfall – and, yes, even the small ferocious fish is on my list of life highlights.

The food!

Food at the Edgewater Resort & Spa deserves its own mention. The day begins with a buffet breakfast on the patio. For dinner, choose between a pasta restaurant or the oceanside bistro. By evening, cocktails flow at “tropical hour” on the Marae Tai Sand Deck beside the pool as the sun sinks below the horizon.

Debbie Griffiths enjoys lunch at local favourite, Charlie’s. Photo / Asher Wadsworth

Dinners are accompanied by live entertainment and have themes such as seafood night, curry night, or barbecue under the stars. Twice weekly the unmissable umukai feast – food cooked in an earth oven – is served alongside a cultural show that presents dances from each of the Cook Islands. Locals and visitors alike gather for the interactive, high-energy evening.

Activities and relaxation

Active relaxers can rest assured that someone else has done all the planning for you. The poolside activities hut has snorkel gear, beach towels and a daily roster of workshops ranging from sarong tying and drumming to coconut opening and lei making. On weekends, a mini market springs up at the resort, or you can catch a bus to one of the island’s bustling markets for produce, crafts and street food. If the shopping, sightseeing and sun-lounging gets too much, the Akaora Spa & Salon is a retreat in itself, with massages, facials and Pure Fiji products that attract locals and guests.

Sunrise from Arore Mountain. Photo / Debbie Griffiths

The best holidays are the ones where you can still close your eyes and picture them years later with a dreamy smile. The Edgewater Resort & Spa on the island of Rarotonga is that place for me. It’s one I recommend to anyone who asks. I’m already planning to return.