Host Community Information
Few places in the world are as scenic as the tropical Cook Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The unspoiled landscapes of these volcanic islands range from craggy mountains and lush interior jungles to white-sand beaches swept by turquoise waters. The nation consist of 15 individual islands, scattered over approximately 850,000 square miles. Rarotonga is the youngest and largest island, and the administrative center of the Cook Islands.
Costal coconut plantations, beaches, villages and small hotels fringe Rarotonga. Travel over the tropical hillsides and discover a tangle of rainforest, and very often, a cloud caught by the highest peak.
Around the central mountains are agricultural terraces and flats encircled by swamps where taro is cultivated.
The island stands 14,750 feet (4500m) above the ocean floor and is 20 miles (32k) in circumference. At a depth of 13,000 feet (4000m) the volcano is approximately 31 miles (50k) in diameter. The highest peak on Rarotonga measures 2140 feet (658m) above sea level. This tropical paradise is surrounded by a lagoon, which extends several hundred yards to the reef which slopes steeply to deep water.
