Cook Islands Vacation and Trip Information

The Cook Islands are 15 islands spread over 850,000 square miles in the Pacific Ocean. From the largest island, the mountainous Rarotonga to low coral atolls, only 92 square miles of land area are home to roughly 19,000 people. Double-hulled canoes, called vakas, are said to have brought the first inhabitants in A.D. 800, including Chief Toi, who presided over the creation a vast road built of coral, now paved and called Ara Metua. In 1770, Captain Cook, an Englishman, sighted Manuae atoll and named it Hervey Island; the islands would become his namesake thanks to Russian naval charts in the early 19th century.

A range of accommodations abound, from resorts to self-catering cabins to budget motels, most on the southern islands where a majority of the population resides, including Rarotonga. Along with the obvious lure of tropical beaches, the traditional Ura dance, meant to tell a story in movement and accompanied by rhythmic drumming, is a popular tourist attraction. Each island has unique songs and dances performed in competitions throughout the year.