Cook Islands. Heaven on top of the world

By
MICOL PASSARIELLO
Photography By
Repubblica

At the opposite or nearly so, in the extreme Polynesia, as well as New Zealand, atolls named after the famous British Captain are a mix of peace, hospitality and beauty.

White sand beaches and green volcanic mountains. Fragrance of flowers. Water is heavenly. How heavenly is the vision of this remote area of ​​the world, when it appears the plane window. We are at Cook, New Zealand in the Polynesian islands, in the South Pacific, there where the maps end and the land gives way to dreams. James Cook, landing here in 1773, the Hervey Islands baptized, in homage to a lord of the British Admiralty. It was the beginning of the century after it eden officially took the name of the English captain, Cook. Fifteen islands, 240 kilometers square distributed among the various atolls of the South Seas are the most exotic and fascinating. After a long flight of twenty-three hours, it landed at Rarotonga, in a lush green and wild, between mountains and white strips of land. But the welcome, the kindness, sincere smiles of the locals to strike as soon as they landed. It is a postcard from paradise: women adorned with flowers offer colorful garlands in welcome, while a burly man plays an old local tune on his mandolin. "Kia Orana!" They say, "Welcome."

 

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