WHERE ...in the world are they?
The Cook Islands are "hidden" in a vast expanse of the South Pacific ocean roughly 3,000 kms (1,867 miles) north east of New Zealand and 4,725 kms (2,936 miles) south of Hawaii. The country is actually 15 separate islands...nine in the Southern Group and six in the Northern Group, and they're defined geographically as between 156-167° West and 8-23° South.
Two of the islands - Takutea and Manuae - are uninhabited.
They're spread across 2.2 million square kilometres (nearly 850,000 square miles) of water, which is an area the size of India. And the whole of those territorial waters are also the world's largest designated whale and shark sanctuary. 1,433 kms (891 miles) separates the most northerly island (Penrhyn) from the most southerly (Mangaia).
Two of the islands - Takutea and Manuae - are uninhabited.
They're spread across 2.2 million square kilometres (nearly 850,000 square miles) of water, which is an area the size of India. And the whole of those territorial waters are also the world's largest designated whale and shark sanctuary. 1,433 kms (891 miles) separates the most northerly island (Penrhyn) from the most southerly (Mangaia).
WHAT...will I find on the site?
This is the only totally independent guide on the internet to each of the 15 islands...how to get to the Islands in the first place, what to see and what makes each special. There's also the latest news from and about the Cooks, and a few ideas on what to take home to remind you of paradise.
Some of the Islands' young residents share their thoughts on their beautiful homeland. I've created some short video guides you can watch and selected some of the best from YouTube. And if you want to ow what others think about the islands you can read some of the best articles from journalists around the world. There are also answers to frequently asked questions.
Some of the Islands' young residents share their thoughts on their beautiful homeland. I've created some short video guides you can watch and selected some of the best from YouTube. And if you want to ow what others think about the islands you can read some of the best articles from journalists around the world. There are also answers to frequently asked questions.
HOW...do I find my way round the website?
Use the menu bar at the top of each page to "tailor make" your own tour. If you're stuck for time, take a 10 MINUTE TOUR. Just keeping clicking the red button...you can start from here. If you're planning a trip to the capital island of Rarotonga, why not take the ROUND RARO TOUR? Click on the blue logo for pictures, information, a video guide and personal recommendations. There's also an AITUTAKI TOUR. Click the yellow logo to start. There are around 200 pages of detailed information, unique to this site, and all of it regularly updated.
WHAT...are they like?
...and are they for me?
If you're after an action packed time where everything is packaged and priced, forget it! I can't do better than to quote the words of the man whose book* inspired my passion for this paradise. And despite inexorable changes on Rarotonga at least, they are still as true today as when they were written over 30 years ago. "You create your own mixture of tropical life. White beaches. Lagoon swimmming. Unsmogged skies. Moonlight on palm trees. Make up your own magic".
* How To Get Lost and Found in the Cook Islands, by John W. McDermott, Waikiki Publishing Company, 1979
Uniquely on this site, you can also "visit" some of the islands without ever leaving the comfort of your computer. With the help of a free programme from Google, you can explore some of the sights of the islands which I've marked out for you on Google Earth. Look out for the globe shaped logo below on some pages, to try out this new feature (not all islands are mapped yet). Find out more now
VISIT the Islands now
Each island is unique...many have stunning lagoons and Aitutaki is listed in several books as one of the places everyone should see before they die! Its lagoon is so vividly blue you'd think it had been painted that colour. By law, no building on any island is taller than the tallest palm tree - and there are plenty of those. The sand is white; if you venture to the outer islands, the only footprints in it will be yours. And life moves at the sort of pace the rest of the world has forgotten.
On the capital island of Rarotonga it's now:
with
There are adverts around the site...they help to cover my ever rising costs of running it. But none of the advertisers has a say in the content of the site. The only thing I'm selling is the idea (and hopefully the inspiration) to visit this unique part of the world.
"Just round from the corner from nowhere"
How one writer described the islands
How one writer described the islands
