black rock beach and nikao social centre

Black Rock is the place Cook Islanders believe the spirits of the dead begin their journey to the afterlife. The turquoise waters were picturesque; the water was deeper than elsewhere on the island and a little bit rougher, too. There were some large corals and decent snorkeling. The sand was littered with lots of pieces of coral that had washed up on the beach.

Black Rock is an area used by locals a lot . Great swimming and safe . Terrific in late afternoon for sunsets too .

Didn't manage to do any snorkelling but been told it is good. just sitting there for a few sunsets was breathtaking. Definitely a good spot

We chose this place to swim because 1. it was close to where we were staying, and 2. it's not as busy like other beaches in the Cook islands.. Bring your reef shoes as there are a few stones and rocks and you wont wanna step on those rock fish... Nice relaxing place to soak up the sun and enjoy a swim

didn't like he beach here, quite littered. Went to escape the wind in the south of the island but just didn't feel comfortable here.

The draw of Black Rock had to be in the legend of its being the departing place for the spirits of the dead, so we went there to have a look. The rock is not huge, but it's dark, heavy color and sculpted contours—truly like an ocean-enclosed, sky-bound runway for the departing—endow it with at least a little of the grandiose and awe-inspiring. We climbed up it and enjoyed the late afternoon view of the sea and the beautiful secluded beach.

We were blown away when we first saw this place! Black Rock is a beautiful white sand beach with little people and a giant black rock where we could watch some guys scaling fishes on the top. From the street side you need to go down a slope a few steps to find this spot. There you find a rocky plateau with shallow moulds to sit on, place your bag and a bottle or can.We spent the whole afternoon reading and enjoying the sight on wonderful Black Rock, but most spectacular and not to be missed at all is the sunset - the colours are so special and beautiful you feel it might be surreal! We were absolutely amazed by this sheer beauty.

Loved this place. We could walk from our motel to here and so became our walking place. We also had a lovely picnic right on the beach and watched the planes come into land at the airport. Just needed a bit of tidying up as rubbish was about in the picnic area...but it was still a gorgeous place.

This was the first beach we visited while on the cook islands. We walked here from the airport while we were waiting for our flight to Aitutaki. I do not recommend walking here from the airport as it is a bit far and very hot. But the beach is quite beautiful. The contrast of the black rocks and the very blue water is amazing and makes for a good photo. The water is shallow, but is relaxing to wade in to see some fish, I saw a motley eel, so cool.

My wife and I went snorkeling almost every day of our stay, and we had been told that Black Rock was something special. Not so much. It was OK, but a little too shallow and the selection of fish life was much more limited than at Aroa Beach a little further down the West coast of Rarotonga.

Black Rock Beach has one of the best beaches on the island and the best part is that you will probably be one of the few present as it is relatively unknown to tourists. BBQ facilities are available and one of the better snorkelling spots on the north side of the island. If you time it right and are game enough you may even get a rush from an incoming jet plane to the airport.

Black rock is a great place for an afternoon picnic or a few sundowners. Get panoramic views of the lagoon and sunset and if you're lucky do some whale watching! Take your togs as the lagoon here often warms up a lot, making it like a private heated pool.

私たちが行ったときは大型犬がわらわらいてちょっと怖かったのですが、わりとおとなしい犬が多く、ブラックロックまで案内してくれた犬もいました。ブラックロックにもまた大きな犬がいて、岩を守っているかのようでした。せっかくなので番犬？のワンコとブラックロックと一緒に記念撮影をしました。帰りはそのワンコ含め、5～6頭の大型犬が途中まで送ってくれました。岩の印象より犬たちの印象が強かったですが、楽しかったです。首輪をした犬がほとんどだったのでこの近所で飼われているようです。

ラロトンガ空港滑走路の西端からメインロードに沿って１ｋｍ弱ほど南の海岸にあります。海側の道路脇に車が１、２台停められるスペースがあり、海岸まで歩いて降りられます。特に案内板などはありませんでした。黒い岩と白い砂浜、青い海と青い空のコントラストがきれいでした。