IN THE COOK ISLANDS, on Rarotonga, I’m walking along a dusty path, edged by a plethora of plants and trees. Fat papayas hang from their umbrella-like trees; bananas, still green on the stem, invite; and mangos, ripe and ready, have fallen from their roost. Blossoming bushes waft a perfume, butterflies circle halos around my head, and a stream gurgles nearby. A mother sow and her family of cartoonish piglets join me on the road. Not one but 10 roosters crow in competing symphonies — though early morning is long past. The sea lies nearby, but here, hiking inland, surrounded by steep hills and much vegetation, I feel like the only person left on Earth.

Warm welcome to Aitutaki © RAFAEL BEN ARI | DREAMSTIME.COM

Luckily, I’m not. I share this walk with one of the Cook Islands’ most famous residents, a larger-than-life figure known as Uncle Pa, once a world surfing champion. Though an octogenarian, he wears long dreadlocks, treks shirtless and sports a colorful sarong. With rippling muscles and the physique of a 30-year-old man, he belies aging and serves as the metaphorical poster child for his role as this island nation’s most famous healer. An herbalist or kahuna, he learned from his grandmother about the power of the plants that grow on these less-traveled islands. Intuitive, fearless, with a foot in both the past and the modern world, Uncle Pa has helped thousands of people regain their health over the years. As we walk, he picks leaves, flowers, berries and fruit. He tells me how he makes elixirs or poultices from them; he lets me taste a few. Not all are palatable. Noni juice, brown as tobacco but curative, tastes like rotten cheese. Besotted by the beauty of the place, I can barely keep up with this fast-moving, active man who wants to show me everything in nature’s medicine cabinet. “This is my treasure chest,” he says, beckoning to the landscape, proud of all the people he helped cure throughout the decades.

A simple, rustic place composed of 15 islands, Cook harks back to Hawai’i as we imagine it 50 years ago. A blend of Polynesian cultures, deeply recognizable as Māori (according to legend, the canoes left Rarotonga for New Zealand and other South Pacific islands centuries ago, making this the motherland of the cultures), the Cook Islands wellness traditions stem from the land. Casual and informal, more affordable than Fiji and Tahiti, the Cook Islands offer crystalline lagoons, sugary sand, stellar diving, unspoiled wilderness expanses and, possibly, the friendliest denizens on the planet. Compliment locals on what they’re wearing, and they’re likely to give it to you. Need a ride, they’ll beg you to hop in their car. At a loss for directions? They’ll walk you there. Hungry? They’ll share their feast. On Sundays they’ll even invite you into their churches to join their glorious singing, clapping and celebrations of life. If you’re lucky, as I was, you’ll receive an elaborate flowered wreath to wear in your hair.

Spa Ariki facials © SPA ARIKI

On Rarotonga I stay at Crown Resort & Spa, a laid-back, beachside hotel with individual cabanas. Its Spa Ariki employs local natural healers like Uncle Pa who utilize the offerings and traditions of their forefathers. “At Spa Ariki, our therapists understand that the secret to lasting beauty is not skin-deep,” says the spa director as I check in for a custom spa treatment, designed to quell my jet lag. “Our beauty packages always incorporate treatments in reflexology, acupressure, homeopathy, massage (and more),” she says. To start the treatment, I climb into a tub, made from lava rock and filled with coconut milk and flower petals, that sits amid a garden. After soaking, I am rubbed with papaya which, though soft and creamy, exfoliates and nourishes my skin. Finally, I’m treated to a lomi lomi-style massage which stretches my muscles with long strokes and infinitely revives me from head to toe.

Hiking to Aitutaki Lagoon © RAFAEL BEN ARI | DREAMSTIME.COM

While the modern-day health care system in the Cook Islands combines ancient ways and Western medicine, the practice of Māori medicine is widespread. Native healers, many of whom studied with elders, relieve common ailments with plants, herbs and fruit found in their gardens — from coconut oil for the hair to capsaicin peppers to alleviate the itch of a mosquito bite. Visitors can take Uncle Pa’s herbal hike, which he leads a few days each week, to learn more about Cook Island plants and healing. But don’t forget most spas in the island nation incorporate some aspect of Cook Island native culture in their menus. At the premier Pacific Resort Aitutaki, set on lagoon-rimmed Aitutaki, Cook’s most visited island, the Tiare Spa uses spa products by Te Tika that contain authentic Cook Island botanicals. “Our staff have a good appreciation of the traditional remedies that their parents and grandparents used to re-establish wellness,” explains the Pacific Resort spa director. A few to note? Use the noni plant to swab cuts or abrasions, drink a tea created from the leaves of the mile-aminute vine for headaches, and blend onion with tamanu tree oil to relax and soothe tired muscles.

Whether you visit a spa or not, wellness and repose come naturally in the Cook Islands. Enveloped in the slow-as-molasses, openhearted culture, you’ll catch something the Polynesians call mana, or soul. Here you’ll be hugged and kissed by everyone, revel in their laughter, be unlatched by their sincerity and caring. As you begin to relax to their generous ways, you’ll be wowed as well by the beauty of a less-trammeled, thankfully undeveloped frontier. On Rarotonga or Aitutaki, where I visited, you can take a sunset cruise, try a stand-up paddleboard, visit an uninhabited island for the day, fish, snorkel and dive. Luxury isn’t what you’re after here; rather, the Cook Islands provides a chance to connect with something a bit more authentic, to get to know real locals — the kind of people who come back from urban jobs in places like New Zealand to care for their aging parents — or folks like scientists who work for nearly nothing to save a marine species or conserve the oceanscape. It’s a place still frozen in time, where the internet is so expensive kids don’t carry phones and tourists tend to give up checking email. Sometimes that’s just what we need.

Cook Islands Info to Go

A variety of international airlines fly to Rarotonga International Airport on the Cook Islands’ main island. In December 2016 Air New Zealand began weekly non-stop flights on its comfortable Boeing 777-200 aircraft, which offers a new premium-economy option, from Los Angeles (LAX), making the trek from the United States easier than ever.

Where to Stay in the Cook Islands

CROWN BEACH RESORT & SPA This friendly, no-nonsense resort sitting on a beach offers kitchenettes that make it easy to enjoy longer stays. Its small spa with indigenously inspired treatments is the best in the Cook Islands. Main Ring Road, Arorangi, Rarotonga $$$

PACIFIC RESORT AITUTAKI This Small Luxury Collection hotel, vaunting stand-alone, thatched-roof villas on a perfect beach and a lovely pool, is the Cook Islands’ undisputed 5-star gem. Aitutaki $$$$

RUMOURS LUXURY VILLAS & SPA Rumours, right on the beach, offers a small collection of sleek, lavish, individual villas on what feels like a private beach. On-site owners act as personal concierges. Rarotonga $$$$

Restaurants in the Cook Islands

CAFÉ TUPUNA A small, chef-owned restaurant on Aitutaki, this cozy, chic place is famous for its chili lime fish served in a coconut shell, creamy cheesecake and crab-brimming seafood chowder. Tautu Road, Aitutaki $$$

THE MOORING FISH CAFÉ Casual, friendly and dishing up the best fish sandwich you’ll ever eat, this locally owned, Lilliputian café is a Cook Island icon. Avana Harbour near Muri Beach, Rarotonga $$

NAUTILUS RESTAURANT This beachfront restaurant in a swanky hotel has glass windows offering a panoramic view of the sea. Its fusion cuisine takes advantage of local products and the fruit of the sea. Nautilus Resort Rarotonga, Muri, Rarotonga $$$