Right now, I am vacationing in the Cook Islands. Most Americans, when pressed, couldn’t tell you where on earth I am. When we venture into the Pacific, we’re usually off to Hawaii. The moneyed, jaded, status conscious and/or seemingly adventurous might forego Hawaii for, say, Tahiti or Fiji (both great destinations, mind you). Beyond that, most of us envision the Pacific as one big ocean without much between us and Asia, save for a few nameless atolls bombed to pieces in World War II and possibly Imelda Marcos’ shoe collection.
Well, I’m going to do my small part to let the secret out about this place. The Cook Islands are a group of 15 small islands spread over two million square miles of the South Pacific. The total population rests somewhere between eighteen and nineteen thousand (no exaggeration – it’s a small corner of the world) and, remarkably given that this is a slice of paradise, the population is shrinking. Long a protectorate of New Zealand but fully independent since 1965, Cook Islanders still use the New Zealand dollar as their official currency and enjoy the benefits of New Zealand citizenship. As a result, the Cooks are in the throes of a “brain drain”, as many of their most promising young people leave the islands for the bright lights of Auckland. In their place come many vacationing Kiwis who, with daily non-stops from Auckland to Rarotonga (the main island and population center of the Cooks – think a kinder, gentler Oahu), have their own version of Hawaii a short three hour flight from home.
So with all of these comparisons to Hawaii (the Cook Islands and Hawaii are even in the same time zone), why not just say “aloha” and go strum the proverbial ukulele without a passport? Well, for starters, I don’t love crowds. Though the economy turns on tourism here and your tourist dollars will be much appreciated, the Cook Islands only receives a total of 80,000 visitors per year – the total annual number for Hawaii is well into the millions. Rarotonga is a nine hour non-stop flight from LAX, but truly worlds away from hustle and bustle when you arrive. Boiling the stats down, it all means that when I check into my beachfront bungalow the manager greets me personally, there’s no one else on the beach when I first dip my toes into the perfect white sand, and the still, azure blue, coral filled lagoon in front of me has one snorkeler…me. Such secluded and unspoiled bliss is not the province of Hawaii (or Tahiti or Fiji for that matter), even on the outer islands. If you want to get away from it all, and “tropical paradise” sounds like a good vacation, this is the place.
The low tourism numbers and sheer remoteness of the Cooks provide two other real perks – the people are incredibly warm and nice, and the islands themselves are undeveloped in the most charming way. Everyone has a smile for you – their culture, which from my admittedly limited outsider’s perspective, seems to thrive on warmth and common decency. People smile, laugh, and look you in the eye – even in the tourism industry (where the “I’ve seen it all” blank stare from one too many front desk or airline ticket counter temper tantrums is commonplace outside of paradise). You won’t find rows of high rises, miniature golf courses, or strip mall-based TGIFridays here, either. You will see a lot of palm fringed beaches that you might be sharing with another tourist or two and a few locals. Potential down sides? The chances of having a crowing rooster as your alarm clock are far greater here than in Waikiki, and you may have to slow down for motor scooters and the occasional tractor if you’re driving.
I’m a big fan of this wonderful place, and I hope you will be, too. I’ll be spending a week here – a few days on Rarotonga, the “great metropolis” of the Cooks with nearly 10,000 people and a whole lot of gorgeous deserted coastline, and a couple of days on Aitutaki, with its world famous breathtaking lagoon. Please feel free to read along, and post any thoughts you may have. I help people discover places like this for a living as owner of a travel agency, Peak Travel Partners, which specializes in travel planning to Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific. If you have any questions or comments you’d like to direct to me without posting for the world to see, feel free to contact me by email at rhill@downunderguru.com. Enjoy the blog and come visit the Cooks for yourself!!
Well, I’m going to do my small part to let the secret out about this place. The Cook Islands are a group of 15 small islands spread over two million square miles of the South Pacific. The total population rests somewhere between eighteen and nineteen thousand (no exaggeration – it’s a small corner of the world) and, remarkably given that this is a slice of paradise, the population is shrinking. Long a protectorate of New Zealand but fully independent since 1965, Cook Islanders still use the New Zealand dollar as their official currency and enjoy the benefits of New Zealand citizenship. As a result, the Cooks are in the throes of a “brain drain”, as many of their most promising young people leave the islands for the bright lights of Auckland. In their place come many vacationing Kiwis who, with daily non-stops from Auckland to Rarotonga (the main island and population center of the Cooks – think a kinder, gentler Oahu), have their own version of Hawaii a short three hour flight from home.
So with all of these comparisons to Hawaii (the Cook Islands and Hawaii are even in the same time zone), why not just say “aloha” and go strum the proverbial ukulele without a passport? Well, for starters, I don’t love crowds. Though the economy turns on tourism here and your tourist dollars will be much appreciated, the Cook Islands only receives a total of 80,000 visitors per year – the total annual number for Hawaii is well into the millions. Rarotonga is a nine hour non-stop flight from LAX, but truly worlds away from hustle and bustle when you arrive. Boiling the stats down, it all means that when I check into my beachfront bungalow the manager greets me personally, there’s no one else on the beach when I first dip my toes into the perfect white sand, and the still, azure blue, coral filled lagoon in front of me has one snorkeler…me. Such secluded and unspoiled bliss is not the province of Hawaii (or Tahiti or Fiji for that matter), even on the outer islands. If you want to get away from it all, and “tropical paradise” sounds like a good vacation, this is the place.
The low tourism numbers and sheer remoteness of the Cooks provide two other real perks – the people are incredibly warm and nice, and the islands themselves are undeveloped in the most charming way. Everyone has a smile for you – their culture, which from my admittedly limited outsider’s perspective, seems to thrive on warmth and common decency. People smile, laugh, and look you in the eye – even in the tourism industry (where the “I’ve seen it all” blank stare from one too many front desk or airline ticket counter temper tantrums is commonplace outside of paradise). You won’t find rows of high rises, miniature golf courses, or strip mall-based TGIFridays here, either. You will see a lot of palm fringed beaches that you might be sharing with another tourist or two and a few locals. Potential down sides? The chances of having a crowing rooster as your alarm clock are far greater here than in Waikiki, and you may have to slow down for motor scooters and the occasional tractor if you’re driving.
I’m a big fan of this wonderful place, and I hope you will be, too. I’ll be spending a week here – a few days on Rarotonga, the “great metropolis” of the Cooks with nearly 10,000 people and a whole lot of gorgeous deserted coastline, and a couple of days on Aitutaki, with its world famous breathtaking lagoon. Please feel free to read along, and post any thoughts you may have. I help people discover places like this for a living as owner of a travel agency, Peak Travel Partners, which specializes in travel planning to Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific. If you have any questions or comments you’d like to direct to me without posting for the world to see, feel free to contact me by email at rhill@downunderguru.com. Enjoy the blog and come visit the Cooks for yourself!!
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