With a population of 10,572, Rarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, an island country in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand. Captain John Dibbs, master of the colonial brig Endeavour, is credited as the European discoverer on 25 August 1823, while transporting the missionary Rev. John Williams. The chief town, Avarua, on the north coast, is the capital of the Cook Islands. It is a very popular tourist destination with many resorts, hotels and motels. It is 32km in circumference, and is surrounded by a lagoon. The interior of the island is dominated by eroded volcanic peaks cloaked in dense vegetation.
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