82-531: The Cook Islands ( Rarotongan : Kūki ‘Airani ; Penrhyn : Kūki Airani ) is an island country in Polynesia , part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean . It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately 236.7 square kilometres (91 sq mi). The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers 1,960,027 square kilometres (756,771 sq mi) of ocean. Avarua
164-633: A New Zealand dependent territory until the New Zealand Government decided to grant them self-governing status. On 4 August 1965, a constitution was promulgated. The first Monday in August is celebrated each year as Constitution Day . Albert Henry of the Cook Islands Party was elected as the first Premier and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Henry led the nation until 1978, when he was accused of vote-rigging and resigned. He
246-458: A catastrophic storm and tsunami in the 17th century. A new estimate of the date of the calamity based on oral histories suggests that it happened about 1590. Following blackbirding raids, by 1870 the population of the atoll was reduced to 340 people. The island had a population of 664 at the 2001 census, but since 2005 the population has declined to less than 500. The American writer Robert Dean Frisbie settled on Pukapuka in 1924, married
328-448: A hut belonging to Lakulaku Tutala on Loto Village's reserve, where he gave them coconuts to drink. He then went and got more help. Shortly after their arrival a cyclone struck the island and caused widespread damage. Their story was told in the book The Raft by Robert Trumbull, published by Henry Holt and Co. in 1942, and released as a motion picture Against the Sun in 2014. Pukapuka
410-859: A logistical role for the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Rifles at their Moascar base and later in ammunition supply for the Royal Artillery. After the war, the men returned to the outbreak of the influenza epidemic in New Zealand, and this, along with European diseases meant that a large number did not survive and died in New Zealand or on their return home over the coming years. When the British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948 came into effect on 1 January 1949, Cook Islanders who were British subjects automatically gained New Zealand citizenship . The islands remained
492-451: A native woman, and raised his family on the island. He wrote several books about his experiences on Pukapuka and surrounding islands. He said at the time he was looking for a place beyond the reach of "the faintest echo from the noisy clamour of the civilised world". Frisbie’s daughter Johnny and her return to Pukapuka is featured in the 2021 documentary The Island in Me . Pukapuka served as
574-483: A quarry on Tutuila (Samoa). Tahitians are known to have passed through Pukapuka en route to islands in Samoa and Tonga. The original population is likely to have numbered 1000 or more, but has recovered from extremely low numbers more than once. Oral traditions refer to at least two episodes of civil war, and inundation of the atoll from a major tsunami or cyclone, in which only two women and 15 men survived. The island
656-406: A small party landed ashore but the inhabitants would not allow them to inspect the island. Trading later took place near the ship, when adzes, mats and other artifacts were exchanged for knives and European goods. "Everything united to convince us that we had the right to attribute to ourselves the honour of having discovered three new islands; and with this conviction I gave them the name 'Isles of
738-566: A speciality of Mangaia. The weaving of rito is a speciality of the northern islands, Manihiki, Rakahanga and Penrhyn. A major art form in the Cook Islands is tivaevae . This is, in essence, the art of handmade Island scenery patchwork quilts. Introduced by the wives of missionaries in the 19th century, the craft grew into a communal activity, which is probably one of the main reasons for its popularity. The Cook Islands has produced internationally recognised contemporary artists, especially in
820-551: A standardised orthography that includes the ʻokina and macron. Cook Islands Māori is an isolating language with very little morphology. Case is marked by the particle that initiates a noun phrase, and like most East Polynesian languages, Cook Islands Māori has nominative-accusative case marking. The unmarked constituent order is predicate initial: that is, verb initial in verbal sentences and nominal-predicate initial in non-verbal sentences. Tē manako nei au i te ʻoki ki te ʻare : I am thinking of going back to
902-475: A strong tradition of crafts both in carving and local fibre arts such as tapa. Mangaia is the source of many fine adzes carved in a distinctive, idiosyncratic style with the so-called double-k design. Mangaia also produces food pounders carved from the heavy calcite found in its extensive limestone caves. The outer islands produce traditional weaving of mats, basketware and hats. Particularly fine examples of rito hats are worn by women to church. They are made from
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#1732765506944984-587: Is Nassau (Cook Islands) which is owned by the people of Pukapuka and considered part of it for administrative purposes. Since the 1950s it has been governed by the Council of Chiefs of Pukapuka. The Nassau Island Committee advises the Pukapuka Island Committee on matters relating to its own island. Human settlement of Pukapuka can be dated back about 1,000 years, after the sea level stabilised to its present height. According to oral tradition
1066-532: Is moderate to tropical . The Cook Islands consist of 15 islands and two reefs. From March to December, the Cook Islands are in the path of tropical cyclones, the most notable of which were the cyclones Martin and Percy . Two terrestrial ecoregions lie within the islands' territory: the Central Polynesian tropical moist forests and the Cook Islands tropical moist forests . Note: The table
1148-459: Is an Eastern Polynesian language that is the official language of the Cook Islands . Cook Islands Māori is closely related to, but distinct from, New Zealand Māori . Cook Islands Māori is called just Māori when there is no need to distinguish it from New Zealand Māori . It is also known as Māori Kūki ʻĀirani (or Maori Kuki Airani ), or as Rarotongan Many Cook Islanders also call it Te reo Ipukarea , which translates as "the language of
1230-783: Is an associate member of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and a Member of the Assembly of States of the International Criminal Court . On 11 June 1980, the United States signed a treaty with the Cook Islands specifying the maritime border between the Cook Islands and American Samoa and also relinquishing any American claims to Penrhyn , Pukapuka , Manihiki , and Rakahanga . In 1990
1312-529: Is host to the Island Administration. The traditional names for these villages are Takanumi, Kotipolo and Te Lāngaikula. In daily life, the islanders frequently call them Tiapani (Japan), Malike or Amelika (United States) and Ōlani ( Holland ) respectively. In sports competitions between the villages, the villagers use the names and flags of these countries. The submerged Tima Reef is situated 23 km southeast of Pukapuka. About 60 km away
1394-655: Is its capital. The Cook Islands is self-governing while in free association with New Zealand. Since the start of the 21st century, the Cook Islands has directed its own independent foreign and defence policy, and also has its own customs regulations. Like most members of the Pacific Islands Forum, it has no armed forces, but the Cook Islands Police Service owns a Guardian Class Patrol Boat, CIPPB Te Kukupa II , provided by Australia, in order to police its waters. In recent decades,
1476-802: Is not a United Nations member state, but, along with Niue , has had their "full treaty-making capacity" recognised by the United Nations Secretariat , and is a full member of the World Health Organization (WHO), UNESCO , the International Civil Aviation Organization , the International Maritime Organization and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization , all UN specialized agencies , and
1558-503: Is one of the most remote islands of the Cook Islands, situated about 1,140 kilometres (708 miles) northwest of Rarotonga . On this small island, an ancient culture and distinct language have been maintained over many centuries. The population of Pukapuka is around 400 people. The traditional name for the atoll is Te Ulu-o-Te-Watu ("The Head of the Stone"), The modern name Pukapuka (sometimes written as Bukabuka) originally applied to
1640-532: Is ordered from north to south. Population figures from the 2021 census. The Cook Islands are a representative democracy with a parliamentary system in an associated state relationship with New Zealand. Executive power is exercised by the government, with the Prime Minister as head of government . Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of the Cook Islands . While
1722-469: Is owned, or that the possession is considered to be inalienable. The following list indicates the types of things in the different categories: Although most words of the various dialects of Cook Islands Māori are identical, there are some differences: Pukapuka Pukapuka , formerly Danger Island , is a coral atoll in the northern group of the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean . It
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#17327655069441804-573: Is the main commercial dealer gallery in the Cook Islands, situated in the main island of Rarotonga, and represents Cook Islands artists such as Sylvia Marsters , Mahiriki Tangaroa , Nina Oberg Humphries , Joan Gragg and Tungane Broadbent The Art Studio Gallery in Arorangi, was run by Ian George and Kay George is now Beluga Cafe. There is also Gallery Tavioni and Vananga run by Mike Tavioni and The Cook Islands National Museum also exhibits art. Rarotongan language Cook Islands Māori
1886-438: Is to the north. Toka sand cay is to the west of the atoll, separated from Motu Kotawa by a reef. Kō and Motu Kotawa are uninhabited food reserves, with taro and pulaka gardens and coconut plantations. Pukapuka Airport ( ICAO : NCPK / IATA : PZK) is on Kō. The three villages are located on the crescent-shaped bay of the northernmost islet of the atoll: Yātō (West), Loto (Central) and Ngake (East). Loto (Roto on most maps)
1968-409: Is used when the possessor has or had control over the initiation of the possessive relationship. Usually this means that the possessor is superior or dominant to what is owned, or that the possession is considered as alienable. The "o" category is used when the possessor has or had no control over the initiation of the relationship. This usually means that the possessor is subordinate or inferior to what
2050-660: The British Virgin Islands , the Cayman Islands and Switzerland, the Cooks "generally disregard foreign court orders" and do not require that bank accounts, real estate, or other assets protected from scrutiny (it is illegal to disclose names or any information about Cooks trusts) be physically located within the archipelago. Taxes on trusts and trust employees account for some 8% of the Cook Islands economy, behind tourism but ahead of fishing. In recent years,
2132-754: The Ngaputoru dialect of Atiu , Mitiaro , and Mauke ; the Aitutaki dialect; and the Mangaian dialect. Cook Islands Māori and its dialectic variants are closely related to both Tahitian and to New Zealand Māori . Pukapukan is considered closely related to the Samoan language . English and Cook Islands Māori are official languages of the Cook Islands; per the Te Reo Maori Act . The legal definition of Cook Islands Māori includes Pukapukan. Music in
2214-754: The Pacific Community since 1980. The Cook Islands' main population centres are on the island of Rarotonga (10,863 in 2021). The Rarotonga International Airport , the main international gateway to the country, is located on this island. The census of 2021 put the total population at 14,987. There is also a larger population of Cook Islanders in New Zealand and Australia: in the 2018 New Zealand census , 80,532 people said they were Cook Islanders, or of Cook Islands descent. The last Australian census recorded 28,000 Cook Islanders living in Australia, many with Australian citizenship. With over 168,000 visitors to
2296-576: The 1820s. In 1813 John Williams , a missionary on the colonial brig Endeavour (not the same ship as Cook's) made the first recorded European sighting of Rarotonga . The first recorded landing on Rarotonga by Europeans was in 1814 by the Cumberland ; trouble broke out between the sailors and the Islanders and many were killed on both sides. The islands saw no more Europeans until English missionaries arrived in 1821. Christianity quickly took hold in
2378-558: The Colonial Boundaries Act, 1895 of the United Kingdom. The boundary change became effective on 11 June 1901, and the Cook Islands have had a formal relationship with New Zealand since that time. The Cook Islands responded to the call for service when World War I began, immediately sending five contingents, close to 500 men, to the war. The island's young men volunteered at the outbreak of the war to reinforce
2460-570: The Cook Islands Government and at its request. The total offshore EEZ is about 2 million square kilometres. Vessels of the Royal New Zealand Navy can be employed for this task including its Protector-class offshore patrol vessels . These naval forces may also be supported by Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft, including P-8 Poseidons . However, these forces are limited in size and in 2023 were described by
2542-537: The Cook Islands and France signed a treaty that delimited the boundary between the Cook Islands and French Polynesia . In late August 2012, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the islands. In 2017, the Cook Islands signed the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons . On 25 September 2023, the Cook Islands and the United States of America established diplomatic relations under
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2624-462: The Cook Islands and was punishable by a maximum term of seven years imprisonment; however, the law was never enforced. In 2023, legislation was passed which legalised homosexuality. There are island councils on all of the inhabited outer islands (Outer Islands Local Government Act 1987 with amendments up to 2004, and Palmerston Island Local Government Act 1993) except Nassau , which is governed by Pukapuka ( Suwarrow , with only one caretaker living on
2706-579: The Cook Islands are usually published in English with some articles in Cook Islands Māori . The Cook Islands News has been published since 1945, although it was owned by the government until 1989. Former newspapers include Te Akatauira , which was published from 1978 to 1980. The languages of the Cook Islands include English, Cook Islands Māori (or "Rarotongan"), and Pukapukan . Dialects of Cook Islands Māori include Penrhyn ; Rakahanga-Manihiki ;
2788-492: The Cook Islands constitution, New Zealand cannot pass laws for the Cook Islands. Rarotonga has its own foreign service and diplomatic network. Cook Islands nationals have the right to become citizens of New Zealand and can receive New Zealand government services when in New Zealand, but the reverse is not true; New Zealand citizens are not Cook Islands nationals. Despite this, as of 2018, the Cook Islands had diplomatic relations in its own name with 52 other countries. The Cook Islands
2870-506: The Cook Islands has gained a reputation as a debtor paradise, through the enactment of legislation that permits debtors to shield their property from the claims of creditors. Since 2008 the Executive Director of Cook Islands Bank has been Vaine Nooana-Arioka . There are eleven airports in the Cook Islands, including one with a paved runway, Rarotonga International Airport , served by five passenger airlines. Newspapers in
2952-481: The Cook Islands have adopted an increasingly assertive and distinct foreign policy, and a Cook Islander, Henry Puna , served as Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum from 2021 to 2024. Most Cook Islanders are also citizens of New Zealand , but they also have the status of Cook Islands nationals, which is not given to other New Zealand citizens. The Cook Islands have been an active member of
3034-612: The Cook Islands is varied, with Christian songs being quite popular, but traditional dancing and songs in Cook Islands Maori or Pukapukan remain popular. Woodcarving is a common art form in the Cook Islands. The proximity of islands in the southern group helped produce a homogeneous style of carving but that had special developments in each island. Rarotonga is known for its fisherman's gods and staff-gods, Atiu for its wooden seats, Mitiaro , Mauke and Atiu for mace and slab gods and Mangaia for its ceremonial adzes. Most of
3116-567: The Government as "not in a fit state" to respond to regional challenges. New Zealand's subsequently announced "Defence Policy and Strategy Statement" noted that shaping the security environment, "focusing in particular on supporting security in and for the Pacific" would receive enhanced attention. The Cook Islands Police Service is the police force of the Cook Islands. The Maritime Wing of the Police Service exercises sovereignty over
3198-711: The Māori Contingents and the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Rifles. A Patriotic Fund was set up very quickly, raising funds to support the war effort. The Cook Islanders were trained at Narrow Neck Camp in Devonport , and the first recruits departed on 13 October 1915 on the SS Te Anau . The ship arrived in Egypt just as the New Zealand units were about to be transferred to the Western Front. In September 1916,
3280-472: The Otter' ('Isles de la Loutre') which was the name of our vessel. In order to distinguish them, we named the eastern one 'Peron and Muir' [Motu Kō], the one to the north 'Dorr' [Pukapuka], and the name of 'Brown' was given to the third [Motu Kotawa], after one of our officers." Péron believed that they were the first to discover the island, mostly because the people were so afraid of them. The Pukapukans' fear of
3362-705: The Pioneer Battalion, a combination of Cook Islanders, Māori and Pakeha soldiers, saw heavy action in the Allied attack on Flers, the first battle of the Somme. Three Cook Islanders from this first contingent died from enemy action and at least ten died of disease as they struggled to adapt to the conditions in Europe. The 2nd and 3rd Cook Island Contingents were part of the Sinai-Palestine campaign , first in
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3444-777: The Pukapuka Island Council on matters concerning its own island. Births and deaths In the Cook Islands, the Church is separate from the state, and most of the population is Christian. The religious distribution is as follows: The various Protestant groups account for 62.8% of the believers, the most followed denomination being the Cook Islands Christian Church with 49.1%. Other Protestant Christian groups include Seventh-day Adventist 7.9%, Assemblies of God 3.7% and Apostolic Church 2.1%. The main non-Protestant group are Catholics with 17% of
3526-692: The South Pacific Ocean, north-east of New Zealand, between American Samoa and French Polynesia . There are 15 major islands spread over 2,200,000 km (850,000 sq mi) of ocean, divided into two distinct groups: the Southern Cook Islands and the Northern Cook Islands of coral atolls . 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
3608-422: The United States signed the Cook Islands – United States Maritime Boundary Treaty acknowledging that Pukapuka was under Cook Islands' sovereignty. Although the island has a well-maintained airstrip, flights from Rarotonga are very infrequent. The five-hour flight from Rarotonga via Air Rarotonga now operates when there is a Government charter once every six weeks or so. The island is closer to Samoa than to
3690-470: The Word of God at Pukapuka", dated August 1869). Some lineages wanted to kill the newcomers in revenge for an incident that had happened a month earlier, but Vakaawi, chief of Yālongo lineage, protected them. In the following days, the island accepted Luka's Christian message, largely because of an encounter when two dead people were apparently raised back to life. In 1862 Rev. William Wyatt Gill found most of
3772-582: The ancestral homeland". English is the official language of the Cook Islands. Cook Islands Māori became an official language of the Cook Islands in 2003 as defined by the Te Reo Maori Act 2003. The Te Reo Maori Act 2003 states that Māori: There is a debate about the standardisation of the writing system . Although usage of the macron (־) makarona and the glottal stop (ʻ) amata is recommended, most speakers do not use them in everyday writing. The Cook Islands Māori Revised New Testament uses
3854-409: The atoll Îles de la Loutre ("Islands of the Otter") when he visited on 3 April 1796. Pukapuka is shaped like a three-bladed fan. There are three islets on the roughly triangular reef, with a total land area of approximately 3 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi). Motu Kō , the biggest island, is to the southeast; Motu Kotawa (Frigatebird Island) is to the southwest; and the main island Wale
3936-475: The breadfruit pudding, eat up e ʻeke koe ki raro : you get down e tū ki kō : stand over there Auraka rava koe e ʻāmiri i tēia niuniu ora, ka ʻutiʻutiʻia koe : don't on any account touch this live wire, you'll get a shock Kāre nō te ua : It will not rain Kāre a Tī tuatua : Tī doesn't have anything to say E ʻaere ana koe ki te ʻura : Do you go to
4018-536: The country is de jure unicameral, there are two legislative bodies with the House of Ariki acting as a de facto upper house. There is a multi-party system . The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The head of state is the King of New Zealand , who is represented in the Cook Islands by the King's Representative . The islands are self-governing in "free association" with New Zealand. Under
4100-401: The culture and many islanders are Christians today. The islands were a popular stop in the 19th century for whaling ships from the United States, Britain and Australia. They visited, from at least 1826, to obtain water, food, and firewood. Their favourite islands were Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Mangaia and Penrhyn. The Cook Islands became aligned to the United Kingdom in 1890, largely because of
4182-498: The dance? E noʻo ana aia ki Nikao i tē reira tuātau : he used to live in Nikao at that time Ka imene a Mere ākonei ite pō : Mary is going to sing later on tonight Kua kite au ē ka riri a Tere : I know (or knew) that Tere will (or would) be angry Kua kite mai koe ia mātou : You saw us Kua meitaki koe ? : Are you better now? Kua oti te tārekareka :
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#17327655069444264-515: The economy is supported by foreign aid , largely from New Zealand. China has also contributed foreign aid, which has resulted in, among other projects, the Police Headquarters building. The Cook Islands is expanding its agriculture, mining and fishing sectors, with varying success. Since approximately 1989, the Cook Islands have become a location specialising in so-called asset protection trusts , by which investors shelter assets from
4346-402: The fear of British residents that France might occupy the islands as it already had Tahiti. On 6 September 1900, the islanders' leaders presented a petition asking that the islands (including Niue "if possible") should be annexed as British territory. On 8 and 9 October 1900, seven instruments of cession of Rarotonga and other islands were signed by their chiefs and people. A British Proclamation
4428-522: The house Tē kata nei rātou : They are laughing Kāre au e tanu nei i te pia : I'm not planting any arrowroot Kia vave mai! : be quick ! (don't be long!) Kia viviki mai! : be quick (don't dawdle!) Kia manuia! : good luck! Kia rave ana koe i tēnā ʻangaʻanga : would you do that job Kia tae mai ki te angaʻanga ā te pōpongi Mōnitē : come to work on Monday morning Teia te tātāpaka, kia kai koe : Here's
4510-459: The island Gente Hermosa (Beautiful People). British explorer and naval officer Captain James Cook arrived in 1773 and again in 1777, giving the island of Manuae the name Hervey Island . The Hervey Islands later came to be applied to the entire southern group. The name "Cook Islands", in honour of Cook, first appeared on a Russian naval chart published by Adam Johann von Krusenstern in
4592-529: The island was discovered by Tamayei , a god from Tonga , and settled by ancestors from Tonga. The atoll served as a connecting hub between West and East Polynesia – a role that is reflected in Pukapukan material culture, and language, which is Samoic with a Tokelauan influence. Pukapukan traditions speak of frequent passages to Tuvalu , Tokelau , Niue , Tonga , Rarotonga and Tahiti , and basalt used for many of their adze blades can be geochemically traced to
4674-536: The island, also governed by Pukapuka, is not counted with the inhabited islands in this context). Each council is headed by a mayor. The three Vaka councils of Rarotonga established in 1997 ( Rarotonga Local Government Act 1997 ), also headed by mayors, were abolished in February 2008, despite much controversy. On the lowest level, there are village committees. Nassau , which is governed by Pukapuka , has an island committee (Nassau Island Committee), which advises
4756-425: The islands in 2018, tourism is the country's main industry and leading element of its economy, ahead of offshore banking , pearls, and marine and fruit exports. The Cook Islands comprise 15 islands split between two island groups, which have been called individual names in indigenous languages including Cook Islands Māori and Pukapukan throughout the time they have been inhabited. The first name given by Europeans
4838-574: The islands. However, this situation had changed by the passage of the Cook Islands Act 1915 , which defined the Cooks' area and included all presently included islands. The islands' official name in Cook Islands Māori is Kūki 'Āirani , a transliteration of the English name. The Cook Islands were first settled around AD 1000 by Polynesian people who are thought to have migrated from Tahiti , an island 1,154 kilometres (717 mi) to
4920-580: The leadership of Prime Minister Mark Brown at a ceremony in Washington, DC. In 2024, the Cook Islands' efforts to join the Commonwealth of Nations as a full member were "ongoing" but, despite this, the government was unable to secure an invitation to attend the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa. The Cook Islands Police Service polices its own waters, and shares responsibility for defence with New Zealand, in consultation with
5002-526: The main island of Rarotonga. Artists include painter (and photographer) Mahiriki Tangaroa , sculptors Eruera (Ted) Nia (originally a film maker) and master carver Mike Tavioni , painter (and Polynesian tattoo enthusiast) Upoko'ina Ian George, Aitutakian-born painter Tim Manavaroa Buchanan, Loretta Reynolds, Judith Kunzlé, Joan Gragg , Kay George (who is also known for her fabric designs), Apii Rongo, Varu Samuel, and multi-media, installation and community-project artist Ani O'Neill , all of whom currently live on
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#17327655069445084-612: The main island of Rarotonga. Atiuan-based Andrea Eimke is an artist who works in the medium of tapa and other textiles, and also co-authored the book 'Tivaivai – The Social Fabric of the Cook Islands' with British academic Susanne Kuechler . Many of these artists have studied at university art schools in New Zealand and continue to enjoy close links with the New Zealand art scene. New Zealand-based Cook Islander artists include Michel Tuffery , print-maker David Teata, Richard Shortland Cooper, Nina Oberg Humphries , Sylvia Marsters and Jim Vivieaere . Bergman Gallery (formerly BCA Gallery)
5166-602: The main island of the atoll, and is of uncertain etymology. In modern times, the main island is often called Wale ("Home"). Pukapuka has been given various names by European explorers. Pedro Fernandes de Queirós sighted an island in 1595, likely Pukapuka, and called this San Bernardo. On 21 June 1665 John Byron sighted Pukapuka, calling it Islands of Danger, as he was unable to land due to high surf. A version of this name, Danger Island, became common use in English. French captain Pierre François Péron named
5248-399: The match is over now Most of the preceding examples were taken from Cook Islands Maori Dictionary , by Jasper Buse with Raututi Taringa edited by Bruce Biggs and Rangi Moekaʻa, Auckland, 1995. Like most other Polynesian languages (Tahitian, New Zealand Māori , Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan ...), Cook Islands Māori has two categories of possessives, "a" and "o". Generally, the "a" category
5330-700: The mid 18th century, and when the Yalongo lineage chief Tāwaki boldly took the captain's pipe out of his mouth, he was shot. Thirty years later, Pukapuka was given the name "Isles de la Loutre" (Isles of the Otter) by Pierre François Péron , a French adventurer who was acting as first mate on board the American merchant ship Otter (Captain Ebenezer Dorr) after it was sighted on 3 April 1796. The following day, Péron, Thomas Muir of Huntershill (1765–1799), and
5412-467: The nation's EEZ. Vessels have included a Pacific-class patrol boat , CIPPB Te Kukupa commissioned in May 1989 which received a re-fit in 2015 but was withdrawn from service and replaced by a larger and more capable Guardian-class patrol boat , CIPPB Te Kukupa II , which entered service in 2022. Cook Islands has its own customs regulations. Formerly, male homosexuality was de jure illegal in
5494-551: The northeast of the main island of Rarotonga. The first European contact with the islands took place in 1595 when the Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira sighted the island of Pukapuka , which he named San Bernardo (Saint Bernard). Pedro Fernandes de Queirós , a Portuguese captain at the service of the Spanish Crown , made the first European landing in the islands when he set foot on Rakahanga in 1606, calling
5576-497: The original wood carvings were either spirited away by early European collectors or were burned in large numbers by missionaries. Today, carving is no longer the major art form with the same spiritual and cultural emphasis given to it by the Maori in New Zealand. However, there are continual efforts to interest young people in their heritage and some good work is being turned out under the guidance of older carvers. Atiu, in particular, has
5658-406: The people on the island converted to Christianity. A raid in 1863 by Peruvian slave traders took 145 men and women, of whom only two returned, Kolia and Pilato (Malowutia). The London Missionary Society barque John Williams was wrecked on the western side in May 1864. In 1868 the buccaneer Bully Hayes took about 40 people to go on a labour scheme, but none of them returned home. Pukapuka
5740-452: The population. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints makes up 4.4%. The economy is strongly affected by geography. It is isolated from foreign markets, and has some inadequate infrastructure; it lacks major natural resources except for significant seabed critical minerals, has limited manufacturing and suffers moderately from natural disasters. Tourism provides the economic base that makes up approximately 67.5% of GDP. Additionally,
5822-424: The reach of creditors and legal authorities. According to The New York Times , the Cooks have "laws devised to protect foreigners' assets from legal claims in their home countries", which were apparently crafted specifically to thwart the long arm of American justice; creditors must travel to the Cook Islands and argue their cases under Cooks law, often at prohibitive expense. Unlike other foreign jurisdictions such as
5904-414: The rest of the Cook Islands and transport via Samoa is becoming a preferred option for Pukapukans visiting in organised groups ( tele parties) from New Zealand and Australia . Pukapuka has its own language and customs that are different from those of the rest of the Cook Islands. The entire population is said to be descended from seventeen men, two women and an unknown number of children who survived
5986-449: The southern islands as the "Cook Islands" in his Atlas de l'Ocean Pacifique . The entire territory (including the northern island group) was not known as the "Cook Islands" until after its annexation by New Zealand in the early 20th century. In 1901, the New Zealand parliament passed the Cook and other Islands Government Act , demonstrating that the name "Cook Islands" only referred to some of
6068-414: The uncurled immature fibre of the coconut palm and are of very high quality. The Polynesian equivalent of Panama hats, they are highly valued and are keenly sought by Polynesian visitors from Tahiti. Often, they are decorated with hatbands made of minuscule pupu shells that are painted and stitched on by hand. Although pupu are found on other islands the collection and use of them in decorative work has become
6150-500: The visitors was because Tāwaki had been killed during the ship visit about 30 years previously. Because of Pukapuka's isolation, few vessels visited before 1857 when the London Missionary Society landed teachers from Aitutaki and Rarotonga. Luka Manuae of Aitutaki later wrote an extended account of the first days of contact 5–8 December 1857: No te taeanga o te tuatua a te Atua ki Pukapuka ("The arrival of
6232-411: Was Gente Hermosa (beautiful people) by Spanish explorers to Rakahanga in 1606. The islands as a whole are named after British Captain James Cook , who visited during the 1770s and named Manuae "Hervey Island" after Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol . The southern island group became known as the "Hervey Islands" after this. In the 1820s, Russian Admiral Adam Johann von Krusenstern referred to
6314-484: Was first discovered by Europeans in 1595, when the Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña saw it on the feast day of Saint Bernard and named it San Bernardo . It was sighted again in 1765 by a British Naval expedition under Commodore John Byron , who named it the "Islands of Danger" because of the reefs and the high surf that made it too dangerous to land. The name "Danger Island" still appears on some maps. According to oral tradition, an unknown ship called at Pukapuka in
6396-532: Was hit by Cyclone Percy in February 2005 — a Category Five cyclone that destroyed the taro gardens, brought down thousands of trees, and damaged three-quarters of the houses. From 1856 to 1980, the United States claimed sovereignty over the island under the Guano Islands Act . On 11 June 1980, in connection with establishing the maritime boundary between the Cook Islands and American Samoa ,
6478-536: Was issued, stating that the cessions were accepted and the islands declared parts of Her Britannic Majesty's dominions. However, it did not include Aitutaki . Even though the inhabitants regarded themselves as British subjects, the Crown's title was unclear until the island was formally annexed by that Proclamation. In 1901 the islands were included within the boundaries of the Colony of New Zealand by Order in Council under
6560-510: Was later reported in May 2019 that the proposed name change had been poorly received by the Cook Islands diaspora. As a compromise, it was decided that the English name of the islands would not be altered, but that a new Cook Islands Māori name would be adopted to replace the current name, a transliteration from English. Discussions over the name continued in 2020. On 25 September 2023, the United States recognised Cook Islands sovereignty and established diplomatic relations. The Cook Islands are in
6642-539: Was proclaimed a British protectorate in 1892 and was included in the Cook Islands boundaries under the control of New Zealand in 1901. Three U.S. Navy fliers from the USS ; Enterprise arrived on Pukapuka in February 1942. Harold Dixon, Gene Aldrich, and Tony Pastula survived 34 days on the open ocean in a tiny 4 by 8 foot (1.2 by 2.4 m) raft, beginning their odyssey with no food or water stores and very few tools. They were found by Teleuka Iotua huddled in
6724-587: Was stripped of his knighthood in 1979. He was succeeded by Tom Davis of the Democratic Party who held that position until March 1983. On 13 July 2017, the Cook Islands established Marae Moana , making it become the world's largest protected area by size. In March 2019, it was reported that the Cook Islands had plans to change its name and remove the reference to Captain James Cook in favour of "a title that reflects its 'Polynesian nature ' ". It
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