If your ideal holiday includes warm tropical weather, relaxation and crystal clear water, then there is a new holiday destination that Aussies are adding to their wish list.

Located about halfway between Australia and Hawaii is the Cook Islands, which Flight Centre Travel Group’s leisure CEO James Kavanagh have deemed ‘the new Tahiti’.

Locals have described Rarotonga (the largest of the 15 islands that make up the nation) as “what Hawaii was 50 years ago”, while others say it’s a great alternative to Bali and Fiji without the crowds.

The Cook Islands have cemented their status as one of Australia’s fastest-growing holiday escapes, with new figures showing leisure bookings to the Pacific paradise have soared 28 per cent in the first half of the year.

Often touted as a more affordable, c

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