The New Zealand Dollar is the currency used in Cook Islands. Purchasing everyday items in Cook Islands may seem a little more expensive than what you are used to due to the small population and the great expense of airfreight and shipping. 

Here is a guide to average daily costs in Cook Islands that you can expect to pay:

- Three course meal - NZ$ 30
- Plate of local food - NZ$ 5
- Bicycle hire - NZ$ 15/day
- Motor Scooter hire - NZ$ 20/day
- Car and jeep hire - NZ$ 45/day
- Cook Islands drivers license - NZ$ 5.30
- Accommodation ranges from NZ$ 18-40 budget, NZ$ 40-120 mid-range and NZ$ 120-220 top-end
- Meals range from NZ$ 7-15 for budget, NZ$ 15-22 for mid-range and NZ$ 22-35 for top-end.

Warmth and sunshine can be enjoyed the whole year round on the Cook Islands. Extreme weather is rare and sporadic, so the norm is to carry light weight clothing. However, you can keep in mind that the cooler and drier season is from April to November. The warmer and more humid months are from December to March.

Check out our Cook Island Weather page for a six-day Cook Islands weather forecast.

Cook Islands country code is +682 and if you want to call someone from your home country just dial 00 followed by your country code. Operator assistance is available if you have problem using the international direct dialing system.

Telecom Cook Islands which is located in Avarua is the main telecommunications office and it offers a wide range of services ranging from international telephone to internet connection and many more. When in Cook Islands you will only be able to have mobile coverage in Rarotonga and Aitutaki. Residents from New Zealand, Australia and Samoa can use their mobile if they have organised international roaming prior to coming to the Cook Islands, otherwise you can always buy a SIM card to make use of your phone. Please note that internet access is available 24 hours at the Telecom office only, but you can also access the internet at most internet cafes, computer stores and also the post office.

If you need to send a postcard back home, it is important to note that the post office is open only from Monday to Friday and between 8am and 4pm.

The New Zealand Dollar (NZ$) is the currency of the Cook Islands. Notes are available in denominations of $100, $50, $20, $10 and $5. Coins are available in denominations of $2 and $1, and 50, 20, 10 and 5 cents.

You can exchange foreign currency at the airport or in one of the banks in Avarua, where ATMs are now available. All major credit cards are accepted at restaurants and hotels and travellers cheques can be exchanged at larger hotels and some shops. It is important to note that if you are going to use travellers cheques Australian dollars is the preferred currency for these. The opening hours for banks are from 9 am to 3 pm from Monday to Thursday, 9 am to 4 pm on Fridays and some banks are open between 9 am and 12 pm on Saturdays.

To view the current exchange rate for the Cook Islands, check this link to OANDA.com, The Currency Site.

The electrical current in Cook Islands is 240 volts, 50 hertz. As in Australia and New Zealand, the power outlets are three pin. It is recommended that you use a voltage converter for appliances that are of 110 volts.

To view a list of Cook Islands embassies around the world, as well as a list of foreign embassies within Cook Islands, check this link to EmbassyWorld.com.

Capital: Avarua on Rarotonga.   Population: 9,000.
Size: 237 square km (91.5 square miles).
Population: 21,388 (official 2005 estimate).
Population Density: 90.2 per square km.
Cook Islands time zone: GMT -10

To view the current time in Rarotonga, click on this link to TimeAndDate.com.

The official language of the Cook Islands from 2003 and the most widely spoken is the ‘Cook Island Maori' or ‘Maori Kuki Airani'. It is also referred to as ‘Te Reo Ipukarea,' meaning the language of the ‘Ancestral Homeland'. In addition to this, English is universally spoken and understood.

Common Words and Useful Phrases

Good Morning - popongi
Good Night - po manea, po meitaki
Have a nice day - ra manea
Thank you very much - meitaki ma'ata
Good bye - ‘aere ra
‘Kia Orana' - ‘may you live long' can be used as a greeting or a goodbye.

Tourists to the Cook Islands could very well live longer due to 'island time' or the lack of stress experienced here!

An up to date list of public holidays for the Cook Islands can be viewed by clicking on this link to Q++ Studio.

Most of the population of the Cook Islands belongs to the Cook Islands Christian Church, followed by the Roman Catholics. In addition other beliefs such as the Latter Day Saints, Seventh Day Adventists, Assembly of God, Jehovah's witnesses and a few more are also present on this island that is dominated by Christianity.

For travel to the Cook Islands for vacation or holiday purposes, all visitors require a passport which is valid for 6 months or more except for residents of New Zealand and Australia whose passport need to be valid for the duration of their stay. In addition, to ensure entry into the country you should have a return ticket, confirmed accommodation and also enough funds to last for the duration of your stay in the Cook Islands.

If you intend to stay for more than 31 days you will need to apply for a visa, which is available from the Principal Immigration Officer in Rarotonga at a fee. It is important to note that this visa can be extended for up to five months provided you have sufficient funds, a valid passport and return ticket.

It is important to note that if you are travelling for other reasons than the ones listed above you might require a visa and as this changes all the time we recommend that you check the entry requirements at the Cook Islands embassy or consulate.

US citizens that need to renew, add pages, change name, or just get a new US passport, can Apply for a New US Passport here.

The Cook Islands is located to the north east of New Zealand, between French Polynesia and Fiji in the South Pacific Ocean. Click on this link to WorldAtlas.com, to view a map of Cook Islands.

Cook Islands which form part of Polynesia is located 3,500 km northeast of New Zealand and 1,000 km southwest of Tahiti. It comprises of seven coral atolls which are in the Northern part and eight volcanic islands which are in the Southern part of the islands.

If you are looking for the best beaches of the Cook Islands head to Aitutaki which is part of the Southern group of islands. The population of the Cook Islands enjoy the luxury of lovely coral reefs surrounding the island as well as rich fertile soil which is ideal for the vegetation which are predominantly of the tropical and subtropical type.

The first settlers on Cook Islands were the Polynesian people who were migrating to Tahiti in the sixth century A.D. The Spanish followed in the late sixteenth century followed by Captain James Cook a British navigator in the eighteenth century who named the islands Hervey Islands. Further down the track in the nineteenth century the islands were named Cook Islands in honour of Captain James Cook and it first appeared in a published Russian naval chart.

The missionaries arrived on Aitutaki from England in 1821 and this was the introduction of Christianity to the islanders of Cook Islands and this legacy continues on until today. As the French were taking over nearby islands in late 1800, the Cook Islands chiefs requested to become a British protectorate to avoid the invasion of the French. In 1901, they were formally annexed to New Zealand where they remained until 1965, when they were proclaimed their independence as a self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand. Due to this association with New Zealand the Cook Islands residents have automatic rights to New Zealand citizenships and the country's defence is overseen by New Zealand.

Even if the risk of diseases is very minimal on the Cook Islands, we recommend that visitors protect themselves against sunburn and insect bites. We highly recommend that you pack your mosquito repellent when visiting the Cook Islands, to avoid any outbreak of dengue fever which can occur and wear protective clothing at all times. Dengue fever also known as the 'breakbone fever' is transmitted by mosquito bites which occur during daylight hours and it causes severe muscular pains amongst other symptoms. Most patients recover within a few days, but I'm sure these are days that you could have spent touring the islands rather than in a hospital bed.

To be on the safe side it is better for visitors to drink bottle or boiled water in the first few weeks of their arrival, especially in rural areas, even if the locals consider tap water to be safe. Dental and other medical facilities can be found on Rarotonga as well as the hospital, but this is not the case on all the islands and therefore we advise that you take a full medical insurance cover that also includes air evacuation in case of emergencies.

Some vaccinations that are sometimes recommended when visiting the Cook Islands are hepatitis B and tuberculosis. Always check with your local doctor what vaccination you require prior to travelling to the Cook Islands.