Rarotonga (Cook Islands) - Dancing Festival at Rarotonga - The Ngati-Arua Tribe of Atiu Island - The Cook Island people are closely related to the Maori, in fact, their language is almost identical, and these stalwart warriors are descendants of Kahukura, a well-known figure in Maori history - 10/8/1907 - Original Newspaper Clipping, published in The New Zealand Graphic #331539 - Rarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 10,572 (census 2011), - Captain John Dibbs, master of the colonial brig Endeavour, is credited as the European discoverer on 25 July 1823 - The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport are on Rarotonga. Because - Cook Islanders may often be referred to as Rarotongan, - The chief town, Avarua, on the north coast, is the capital of the Cook Islands. - The volcanic island of Rarotonga stands over 14,750 feet (4,500 meters) above the ocean floor. - It is 32 km (20 miles) in circumference and has an area of 67.19 km2 (26 square miles). - At a depth of 4,000 m (13,000 ft) the volcano is nearly 50 km (31 miles) in diameter. - Te Manga, at 658 m (2,140 ft) above sea level, is the highest peak on the island. - The island is surrounded by a lagoon, which often extends more than a hundred metres to the reef, then slopes steeply to deep water. Wikipedia