Love islands
With their powder soft sand beaches, swaying coconut palms and laid back living, the remote Cook Islands are a little slice of paradise waiting to be explored
by JASMINE PERRY
They could almost be called the Cook-a-nut Islands. That's how prevalent coconuts are on this archipelago halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. The trees fringe the islands' picture-perfect beaches, and the coconuts themselves work their way into much of the delicious food from the omnipresent ika mata tuna dish to a mouthwatering range of drinks.
The height of a typical coconut tree (12 metres) is the limit for any building across the islands, unless special consent is sought from the government prior to construction. The effect is that the blue skies that the Cook Islands offer aplenty are seldom interrupted - and there is little to obscure views of the swathes of coconut trees themselves.