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When Captain Cook landed on Cook Islands shores, he described them as being “detached from earth”, an observation that can today be applied to the Cook Islanders themselves. They are well balanced, cheerful, relaxed and amicable, a population with more gusto and joie de vivre than anywhere else in the world. Already on arrival you sense the relaxed atmosphere. When the gangway opens, it gives way to the floral scent of the island and you are crowned with a garland of flowers. It is here that the happy-go-lucky attitude of the Polynesian way of life has been best preserved: the innate charm and the hospitality of the Polynesians, their sense of humour and love of conversation, their natural musicality and above all their unstoppable love of life, expressed in songs and dances.
Facts & Figures |
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The
Cook Islands are a miniature edition of Polynesia. Rarotonga, the
main island, with its precipitous volcanic mountain tops is a mini
Moorea in Tahiti, and Aitutaki, a mix between atoll and volcanic
island, is the Cook Island equivalent of Bora Bora. The Cook Islands
are even something of a mini state: its population of 16,000 means
that it is only just as big as a small european town. Yet they vote
for their own parliament, a government and an opposition and they
have two radio stations, a television station, a brewery, an airline
and an international airport where jumbo jets can land. The 15 islands
are tucked away in an ocean expanse as large as western Europe.