Travel destinations: The Cook Islands

Stamp collecting is an excellent hobby for those who reach the golden age. It is a way to explore and somewhat get acquainted with various countries in this wide world. At one time when I turned the pages when I was arranging new stamps in my catalogs I came across a few stamps from the Cook Islands, some old and two or three of recent mintage. One stamps depicts the first Polynesian people who migrated from nearby Tahiti in 1651. Anther depicts the British navigator Captain Cook for whom the islands is named, when he set foot on the islands in the late 1700’s. The Cook Islands became a British Protectorate at their own request in 1888 onwards and the ruling kings and queen of Britain are on the corner of three stamps together with an idyllic scene. Unfortunately I didn’t have a stamp from the Cook Islands when the islands sovereignty was transferred to New Zealand in 1901; but I do have a stamp, in fact it is a New Zealand one showing the Cook Islands being one of the New Zealand dependencies… And the last one rather large shows the Cook Islands group that consists of 15 islands scattered over some 1.8 million square kilometers in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Now let up board our flight to the Cook Islands and see the land, its natural beauty and its people. Both Air Rarotonga and Pacific Blue air services fly to Rarotonga, the administrative capital from various Australian and New Zealand locations. Fasten your seat belts as we fly to a relaxing holiday.

“Kia Orana” – A warm welcome to the Cook Islands….

Your vacation really starts when your plane lands at the international airport at Rarotonga once through customs a beautiful maiden in native dress will place a lei, a flower garland around your neck. Slowly you will find everything on the islands is minutes away. Your accommodations, booked by your travel agent back home, can run from family resorts to secluded retreats, luxury lodges, self-catering cabins to budget motels your choice, depending on your purse.. The Cook Islands offer you an idyllic holiday, either a romantic getaway, a pleasant holiday with your family, or simply a place where you can get away the hustle and bustle of your daily life. The Cook Islands enjoys sunny weather all year round; flowers are in bloom, fragrant frangipanis, and gardenias a perfect setting for an enjoyable vacation.

The sandy beaches are rather quiet and inviting for you to have dip in cool waters under the warm rays of the sun (For