Organisers of Rarotonga's annual Vaka Eiva canoeing festival believe there is still room to grow.
The annual event has been running for 12 years and attracted 550 paddlers last month.
Event manager Chrissy Thomas says their event is especially popular with the 50-70 age group who are keen on paddling and want to see the world while doing something they love.
"We've got a good word of mouth. We have a lot of paddlers who obviously come every year - this is, I think, their annual holiday. Because of it we're getting a lot more people around the world taking notice of us. Our event is mainly a masters/senior masters category - they're ticking off their bucket list - but I've got a whole world out there and thousands of paddlers who've never been to the Cook Islands before so for next year my aim is to find those people who have never been here and get them to come".
Action from the 2015 Vaka Eiva canoeing festival in Rarotonga. Photo: Facebook / Vaka Eiva
