For many who live in the Cook Islands, the vaka (canoe) is a way of life. Visit the island of Rarotonga for Vaka Eiva, an annual outrigger canoe paddling festival that draws competitors from around the world to this tiny archipelago between Sāmoa and French Polynesia, a dreamscape of islands and atolls where everything moves at a slower pace—except, of course, for the canoes.