Home » Travel & Places » Oceania

Cook Islands: The Islands of Wonder

0 Comments

4 Like

Like 4

Pin It

Ranked #7,240 in Travel & Places, #195,143 overall

The fifteen Islands

Off in the Pacific ocean, in between American Samoa and French Polynesia, there is a small group of fifteen islands under free association with New Zealand. These islands are called the Cook Islands, or in Maori, Kuki 'Airani. The largest island is Rarotonga, which has an international airport. There are about twenty thousand people living on the islands, most of which are of Maori descent.

The fifteen islands

The islands were formed by volcanic activity. The northern group is older and consists of six atolls, which are sunken volcanoes topped by coral growth. The climate of the country is moderate to tropical.
The fifteen islands and two reefs are grouped like this:

Southern Cook Islands:

Nga-pu-Toru ("Three Roots", the eastern islands):
Atiu- (Enua Manu or Island of Birds)
Ma'uke- (Akatokamanava)
Mitiaro- (Nukuroa)
Takutea

other islands:

Aitutaki- (Araura Enua)
Mangaia- (Auau Enua)
Rarotonga- (Tumutevarovaro), with the capital, Avarua.
Palmerston Island- (Pamati) sometimes grouped with the Northern Group.
Manuae
Winslow Reef- (submerged)

Northern Cook Islands:

Manihiki- (Te Fuinga o Niva)
Nassau- (Te Nuku o Ngalewu )
Penrhyn Island- (Tongareva or Mangarongaro)
Pukapuka- (Te Ulu o te Watu)
Rakahanga- (Tapuahua)
Suwarrow also called Suvorov
Tema Reef- (submerged)