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 is an area slightly bigger than Indonesia or Mexico and nearly three times the size of Texas! 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 is an area slightly bigger than Indonesia or Mexico and nearly three times the size of Texas! 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).
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 arwe also 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 know 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, a list of the top 10 things to do and some "did you know?" facts
If you've got specific questions, please feel free to email me and I'll try to help you (note that I do not arrange travel or accommodation)
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 know 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, a list of the top 10 things to do and some "did you know?" facts
If you've got specific questions, please feel free to email me and I'll try to help you (note that I do not arrange travel or accommodation)
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 or continue 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. If you think anything's wrong, email me
...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, they are still as true today as when they were written over 40 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
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 could be yours. And life moves at the sort of pace the rest of the world has forgotten.
WHY ADVERTS? Like many other sites, there are adverts ...by clicking on them you'll help me cover my ever rising costs of running this site which itself is a labour of love. But none of the advertisers has a say in the content of the site and I'm not endorsing anything you see advertised. The only thing I'm "selling" is the idea (and hopefully the inspiration) to visit this unique part of the world
"AROUND THE CORNER FROM NOWHERE"
How one writer described the islands (and the title of my new book about them)
Available now as a paperback
or print replica ebook
Or contact me to buy it direct
How one writer described the islands (and the title of my new book about them)
Available now as a paperback
or print replica ebook
Or contact me to buy it direct
In the Cook Islands it's
