The Cook Islands secretary of health, Bob Williams, says a number of people planning to travel to the Cooks were offloaded in Auckland from the Thursday flight to Rarotonga.
They were people travelling from Wellington.
Mr Williams said, in line with the cautious approach the Cooks has taken over the past 15 months. he made the decision to off-load passengers who had travelled from Wellington.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
He said this was in line with Wellington Airport being listed as a 'location of interest'.
Mr Williams said he makes no apologies for taking this decision, but did "apologise to the passengers who were off-loaded in error and for the stress and uncertainty it caused all off-loaded passengers."
He also apologised to visitors in Rarotonga who have had their holidays temporarily disrupted - sometimes in the middle of the night - so his staff could swab them.
Mr Williams said 124 people had been tested on Thursday Cook Islands time, with all returning negative results for the virus.
