South Pacific | Cook Islands

South Pacific

The magical, mesmerizing islands of the South Pacific. Located within the heart of these historical and culturally-rich islands are the alluring Cook Islands, which is in virtually the same position south of the equator as Hawaii is north.

Cook Islands

Like an elegant string of black pearls for which they are famous, the Cook Islands spread throughout these rich, warm waters in the heart of the South Pacific. Fifteen magical, diverse islands cover an area of over 850,000 square miles (2.2 million sq. km) just west of Tahiti. The two most populous islands are Rarotonga and Aitutaki.

Official Language of the Cook Islands is English and Cook Islands Maori. The currency is New Zealand Dollar.

Legal system of the Cook Islands reflects that of New Zealand and most other British common law jurisdictions. The court system in the Cook Islands begins with the High Court and final right of appeal is made to the Privy Council in London.

The offshore centre was established in 1981 initially targeting markets in Australasia and driven by merchant banking transactions. In 1989 the Cook Islands became the first country to introduce asset protection laws and it remains the leading jurisdiction for asset protection trust. The offshore trust industry now dominates the picturesque financial centre.