Travel

10 facts you didn’t know about the Cook Islands

Oct 28, 2017

You may just think the Cook Islands is just another South Pacific getaway, albeit a beautiful one, where you can travel to relax, sit on the beach and drink cocktails. But, the Cook Islands nation has a distinct culture and history that you won’t be able to experience anywhere else. Here are 10 things that may surprise you about the Cook Islands.

1. The Cook Islands is made up of 15 islands, two of which are uninhabited.

A post shared by Kat & Lu around the world (@findingmalokoko) on Oct 25, 2017 at 11:13am PDT

2. There is no McDonalds on the Cook Islands. There have been campaigns over the years to bring the fast-food giant to the island nation, but it has never been successful.

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3. The Cook Islands are one of the world’s biggest exporters of black pearls.

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4. The Cook Islands are famous for their wood carvings and it’s a skill that’s passed down from generations still.

A post shared by Island Craft (@islandcraftrarotonga) on Aug 19, 2016 at 10:05pm PDT

5. The official currency of the Cook Islands is the New Zealand dollar, but there is a Cook Islands currency too. The Cook Islands currency can’t be exchanged anywhere other than in the Cook Islands.

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6. The official languages of the Cook Islands are English and Maori, but on the Northern Island of Pukapuka, they have their own language. Only 2,000 people in the world can speak it.

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7. The power sockets are the same as Australia and New Zealand.

8. Not all islands of the Cook Islands have cars. The only two islands with cars in the northern group are Penrhyn and Pukapuka, where there are four on each island.

A post shared by Yuki Lambert (@ydkfish) on Sep 24, 2015 at 5:54pm PDT

9. The road that circles the main island of Rarotonga is only 32kms long, so you can see the whole island in 45 minutes.

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10. The islands were named after Captain Cook, but he never actually visited them. He sailed through the area but never anchored down. Captain Cook actually called them the ‘Hervey Islands’, but in the 1820s, one of Cooks big fans and Russian cartographer named them in his honour.