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Obverse of 1973 Cook Island Two Dollar Coin
Obverse of 1973 Cook Island Two Dollar Coin

Reverse of 1973 Cook Island Two Dollar Coin
Reverse of 1973 Cook Island Two Dollar Coin

A Brief History of The Cook Islands
The history of human habitation on the Cook Islands dates back to the 6th Century A.D. when Polynesian sailors arrived from Tahiti and founded settlements there.
The first Europeans to spot the islands were the Spanish, who named the Islands San Bernardo (Saint Bernard). British explorer, Captain James Cook visited the Islands in 1773 and 1777, and named them the Hervey Islands.
The Islands were later named the Cook Islands in honour of Captain Cook in around the 1820s.

However, it wasn't until 1888 that the Cook Islands became a protectorate of the British Empire, at the request of local rulers who feared that the French would annex them if the British did not.

In 1901, New Zealand took over the colony, although the Islanders remained British subjects until 1949, when the British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act made them New Zealand Citizens, which they remain to this day.
In 1965, the Cook Islands became fully self-governing, and Albert Henry was elected Prime Minister of the newly independent country. He remained Prime Minister until 1978, when accusations of vote-rigging led to him being forced to resign from office and suffer the rare disgrace of being stripped of his knighthood.

Today, the Cook Islands are an independent nation state in free association with New Zealand. This means that the inhabitants are New Zealand Citizens as well as Cook Island Nationals. Only Defence and some aspects of foreign affairs remain the responsibility of Her Majesty's New Zealand Government.

Cook Island Coins
The Cook Islands do not have their own currency. Instead, they use the New Zealand Dollar.

For Sale and Wanted
If you are interested in coins from The Cook Islands please see our product index:-
Cook Island Coins

Gold Coins
We also have gold coins from The Cook Islands on our taxfreegold website:-
Cook Island Gold Coins



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