Cook Islands is a small tourist paradise.Almost all of the local population, one way or another, is working in the service sector of tourists. In addition, there are magnificent beaches with white sand, corners of virgin nature, original culture and much more that may interest tourists.
Cook Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean, to the southNew Zealand, of which they have long been a part. Today, it is a self-governing state entity, the sovereignty of which, however, is recognized not by all countries. Locals have New Zealand citizenship, but live by their constitution.
This association includes 15 islands.their total size is 237 sq. km., and the population is about 60 thousand people. The main island of Cook - Rarotonga, the capital of the island and the entire state - Avarua. The archipelago consists of islands of volcanic and coral origin, and they are divided into two groups: the northern and southern.
Первые посещения этих земель состоялись в 1595 и in 1606, however, the records of the Cook Islands appeared only in 1773, when they were first visited by navigator James Cook. He visited the southern part of the archipelago, and in his notes gave him the name of the island of Harvey. However, it did not take root even later, in the 19th century, Krusenstern, a Russian traveler, called these lands the Cook Islands.
In 1814, another visit to the archipelago took place.Europeans, ending the carnage, and after a few years, the first missionaries arrived. The local population was quickly introduced to the new faith and still preaches Christianity. Already in 1888, the Cook Islands became a protectorate of England, and in 1901 they were transferred to the administration of New Zealand. The archipelago became a self-governing state in 1965.
Great popularity in the Cook Islands haschurch music Moreover, unlike the generally accepted traditions, local church hymns are performed using the 6th chord. Traditional religious songs are of great importance in the life of the islanders. There are hymns dedicated to each important event in a person's life: wedding, funeral, birth of children, and so on. In addition, in addition to the hymns distributed throughout the archipelago, each island has its own set of songs.
Studying Cook Islands is best sinceRarotonga, it is here that the main part of the sights of the times of colonization is located, including the first church, the first settlement of missionaries and so on. Excursions to the pristine jungle and sea fishing are also held here. Divers will find a lot of interesting things for themselves here. The fact is that before the island was located in the center of a large coral atoll, which is now gone under the water.
It should be noted that Rarotonga is one of the youngestislands of the archipelago, as can be judged by the mountain formation on this and other islands. On Rarotonga there is a powerful volcanic ensemble, with high young mountains, while on the rest the mountains more closely resemble high hills with gentle slopes.
All this, along with sandy beaches and hottropical climate, attracts tourists to the Cook Islands. Tours here are in demand all year round, as seasonal climate changes in the area are insignificant, emit a cool dry period from April to November, when the temperature is approximately equal to 24-26 degrees; and a hot wet period, from December to March. At this time, the average temperature is about 25-30 degrees.
A visa to Ostrava Cook is issued upon arrival at that,no doubt very comfortable. In order to get it, you only need a passport, a return ticket and a tourist voucher. It does not interfere with familiarize with the customs regulations. Thus, the import of currency into the state is not limited, but it is impossible to export more than 5,000 New Zealand dollars. Do not import food, weapons and drugs. It is impossible to take out samples of animals or plants which are under protection. For this reason, all products made of wood, feathers, leather, corals, and so on are subject to inspection and mandatory certification.
