Rarotonga

Rarotonga (sometimes abbreviated Raro) is the largest and most populous island of the country of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of 67.39 km2 (26.02 sq mi), and is home to 72% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. Avarua, on the north coast, is the location of the Parliament buildings and the capital of the Cook Islands. The country's international airport is also in Avarua, and Rarotonga is a popular tourist destination, with many resorts, hotels and motels. Rarotonga has been populated by a Polynesian people since late in the 1st millennium. Captain John Dibbs, master of the colonial brig Endeavour, is credited as the European discoverer, on 25 July 1823 while transporting the missionary Reverend John Williams.