Made up of fifteen islands and two reefs in the South Pacific Ocean, the largest of which are Rarotonga, Mangaia, Atiu, and Mitiaro, the Cook Islands are a self-governing country in free association with New Zealand, which provides for its defense. Cook Island nationals are citizens of New Zealand and, although the Cook Islands are autonomous, New Zealand picks up many of the bills. New Zealand built its airport, hospitals, and has assumed most of the responsibility for the maintenance of its roads. Not all New Zealanders are happy with the arrangement because, while Cook Islanders can purchase land in New Zealand and enjoy all the rights of citizenship, New Zealanders are not permitted to buy land on the Cook Islands.
The Cook Islands are northeast of New Zealand, and between, and just south of, American Samoa and French Polynesia. Its smaller islands include Aitutaki, Mauke, Penrhyn, Manuae, Manihiki, Rakahanga, Palmerston, Pukapuka, Nassau, Takutea, and Suwarrow. Manuae and Takutea are uninhabited, and the two reefs - Tema Reef and Winslow Reef - are submerged. Rarotonga, its most populated island, has a population of just over ten thousand, while Suwarrow had a population of two at the time of the 2011 census. Manuae, with an area of about six kilometers, is an uninhabited marine park and breeding ground for seabirds and marine turtles.
The islands were named for Captain John Cook, who seems to have been everywhere in the Pacific. The Cook Islands are not well known as tourist destinations. There are no buildings higher than a palm tree, even in Avarua, its capital city. There are no traffic lights. The islands are lacking in significant natural resources, and they are somewhat isolated from foreign markets. Manufacturing is limited and, although the country is trying to expand agriculture on the islands and fishing plays a role, about seventy percent of its economy is based on tourism. The Cook Islands are not a major tourist destination because its infrastructure is inadequate in some ways and the islands are prone to natural disasters.
The Cook Islands have no poisonous insects or reptiles, and there has not been a problem with malaria on the islands. Two species of non-indigenous rats have greatly reduced the bird population on the islands, but efforts are in progress to reintroduce some species of its native birds.
Cook Island Māori and Engish are the official languages of the country, although several Māori dialects are spoken. The people of the Cook Islands are ethnic Polynesians. Although Captain Cook is credited for having discovered some of the Cook Islands, of course, there were people living there long before he came along, and it was actually the mutineers from the HMS Bounty who were the first known Europeans on the Cook Islands, as they landed on Rarotonga in 1789.
As they did on Samoa, the London Missionary Society arrived in the early 1800s and changed the religious demography of the islands. Prior to their arrival, Cook Islanders engaged in the traditional animistic worship of tribal gods and idols. The Missionary Society sent two missionaries to Aitutaki in 1821, and others soon followed to Mitiaro, Mangaia, Atiu, and Rarotonga. Today, the dominant religion in the Cook Islands is Christianity, largely Congregational, although the Roman Catholics have made progress as well.
With strong ties to New Zealand, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888 and, in 1948 the country was made a New Zealand dependent territory and remained such until 1965 when the country became self-governing. In 1980, the United States signed a treaty with the Cook Islands specifying the maritime boundaries between American Samoa and the Cook Islands and relinquishing its claims to four of the Cook Islands. France signed a similar treaty in 1990 that specified the borders between French Polynesia and the Cook Islands.
Recommended Resources
Registered in the Cook Islands, Air Rarotonga was founded in 1978, and its sales and call center, aircraft maintenance division and administrative offices are situated at the Rarotonga International Airport. Offering departures every day from Rarotonga to Aitutaki, the airline also operates regular flights and charter services to the other islands of the Cook Island group, as well to Tahiti and French Polynesia.
http://www.airraro.com/en
The private island resort is situated on Motu Akitua, a private island on Aitutaki Lagoon, in the southern Cook Islands, a two-minute ride by ferry from Aitutaki Island, and a forty-five-minute flight from Rarotonga. Photos of the accommodations are set forth, and its dining facilities, spa, wedding and event spaces, and other features are highlighted, along with transportation options. Rooms may be reserved online.
http://www.aitutakilagoonresort.com/
The Cook Islands Cultural Village tour departs on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoons, offering Polynesian history, ancestral fishing and navigation techniques, traditional medicine, legends, and beliefs, as well as hands-on experience in traditional weaving, dress, and dance. Highlights of a traditional village that is part of the tour include huts representing a witchdoctor’s hut, costumes, and the native use of coconuts.
http://cookislandsculturalvillage.com/
Headquartered on Rarotonga, Cook Islands, in the South Pacific, the employment business seeks qualified individuals to work in the Cook Islands, particularly Cook Islanders who might be thinking of returning home, but also those from other countries who have the appropriate qualifications. Available employment opportunities are featured on the site, and Cook Island employers are invited to have their jobs posted as well.
https://www.cookislandsjobs.com/
Offering a profile of the Cook Islands, in the South Pacific, the site offers photographs, descriptions, and maps showing the location of each of the Cook Islands, as well as suggestions as for getting there or getting around once on the islands, historical information, and other facts. Local accommodations, souvenir information, and a calendar of events are included. The author is introduced, and photos of the islands may be uploaded to the site.
http://www.cookislands.org.uk/
Ministry of Finance & Economic Development
The department of the Government of the Cook Islands responsible for treasury operations, fiscal and financial management, revenue collection, the collection and dissemination of statistics, and management of donor programs is represented here, including its organizational structure, complaint procedures, census and statistical data, tax information, and customs data.
http://www.mfem.gov.ck/
Offering a choice of sixty-four guest rooms, suites and villas on a beachfront location, surrounded by well-kept gardens. Situated on Muri Beach on Rarotonga Island, in the Cook Islands, the guest accommodations, common areas, restaurants, and event spaces are highlighted. Also featured is a list of amenities, photographs, policy information, rates, and contacts. Rooms may be booked online.
http://www.pacificrarotonga.com/
The Cook Islands are made up of a set of fifteen islands in the heart of the South Pacific. Jarvy Web designed, constructed and maintains this site, which serves as a guide to the islands, including its government, geography, history, people, culture, and art. Other resources include biographies of notable Cook Islanders, travel access to the islands, and an overview of things to do or see on the islands, as well as recipes and messages.
http://www.ck/
Maintained by Travel Online, the site features a travel guide to the Cook Islands, including a profile of its main islands, weather, and other facts, as well as suggestions for guest accommodations, attractions, and activities. Other resources include maps of the islands, regular, holiday and special packages. The locations of Cook Island resorts are shown on a map, and comparisons of resorts are included.
https://www.tourismcookislands.com/
Turama Pacific is the largest travel company in the Cook Islands. Specializing in making travel arrangements to the Cook Islands, and particularly the island of Aitutaki, which is a forty-five-minute flight from the larger island of Rarotonga, the company offers photographs and a profile of the island. Its regular package deals are presented, including budget properties, self-catering properties, holiday homes, hotels, and resorts. A promotional video is included.
http://aitutaki.com/
