Retired 91热爆 radio and TV reporter and presenter John Roberts from Cheshire has been having a long-distance love affair with the Cook Islands for nearly 40 years. Now, after multiple visits and a wealth of research, he says he wants to ‘share the love’ by way of a new book he’s written called Around the Corner from Nowhere: The Cook Islands Rediscovered.
John describes it as a narrative about all 15 of the islands, rather than a guide book. But there are also fascinating stories and traveller tips which he hopes will interest those who’ve visited, are thinking of visiting or just want to do some armchair travelling to a remote unspoiled country which has been chosen by Lonely Planet as ‘the best place to visit in 2022’.
Down the years John has written and broadcast in the UK, Australia and New Zealand about the Islands, and for 17 years has run his own Cook Islands website (cookislands.org.uk) which gets over a quarter of a million visits a year.
His love affair began in 1982 when, as a young 91热爆 journalist, he read a story in the travel pages of The Sunday Times about the Islands and it completely captured his imagination. But it was another 20 years before he finally made his first visit. And he recalls, in the chapter about the capital island of Rarotonga, the night he arrived.
‘Deep emotions were mixed with an overwhelming desire to see something of this island of my dreams as soon as possible. OK, I admit it; I cried tears of joy and darkness wasn’t going to get in the way of discovery. In fact, it made for a memory to last a lifetime. Strolling along a beach which was deserted and silent apart from the pounding of the Pacific Ocean, the best free show in town was underway. With no light pollution, looking up into the night sky was like seeing the view inside a planetarium. Billions of stars sparkled down as they must have done since the first Polynesians crossed uncharted seas in their canoes to reach these islands more than a thousand years ago.’
The book blends his own first-hand accounts of visits with those shared with him by other travellers and islanders themselves to provide an insight into each and every one of the Cook Islands. Stories of buried treasure, real-life Robinson Crusoes, ghostly fire and the mafia are among the secrets shared through 16 chapters complete with more than 30 photographs. Readers can discover an island populated and owned entirely by the descendants of one Englishman and three of his five ‘wives’, another where buried treasure lies hidden to this day, an island with a church that was literally divided down the centre by a brick wall after a row about interior decoration and another where islanders enjoy a sort of cricket whose games can last for weeks on end and obscene speeches are an essential part of play.
The title of the book comes from a passing remark in a long and insightful article about the Islands in a 1967 edition of National Geographic and John concludes with his 21st century reflection on that writing by way of some personal pondering about the future of the Islands and threats from tourism, climate change and world powers.
John has decided to donate all profits from sales of the book to the Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK. ‘My mother has this terrible illness and this is my way of helping both charities in their important work,’ he explains.
Around the Corner from Nowhere: The Cook Islands Rediscovered is available now through Amazon as a print replica ebook () for £6.99 and a paperback ) for £15.99. Copies can also be bought from John for £12 (plus postage) by emailing author@cookislands.org.uk for payment details.
