The Cook Islands are considered an unspoiled and secluded tropical paradise. Its population is less than 100,000 and is most years has more tourists than residents. The islands name comes from Captain Cook, an English explorer who visited the islands in 1773 and 1777. It became a British protectorate in 1848. It was quickly associated with New Zealand and today citizens of the Cook Islands have New Zealand citizenship. Although the islands are a self-governing country, New Zealand is responsible for its foreign affairs and defense. Both New Zealand dollars and Cook Island are used.

Beach View of Cook Islands
Source: Pixabay

The Cook Island Dollar

There have been 2 series of banknotes since it was established in 1987. The banknotes are highly collectable due to the unusual nature of their designs, the denominations and the number of tourists that visit there. More recently, there has been an increase in collectability due to the popularity of the movie Moana and the similarity of the images on the banknote to those in the movie.

The first series is called “Ina and the Shark”. The theme is based on a local story about Ina the Fairy Voyager. In this story, Ina does ride a shark, which is the main theme on the front of the $3, 10 and 20 dollar notes. The $20 (P-5) is very attractive and tropical in its coloring. In addition to having Ina and the Shark on the front, the reverse shows a conch shell, a turtle and a local drum.

Cook Islands – Aitutakis 3 Dollars | 1992 | P-6 |
Source: Banknote World

In 1992, a commemorative $3 for the 6th Festival of Pacific Arts. The banknote is the same as the 1987 version but has an overprint of the festival and the dates. These notes are quite rare.

Cook Islands 10 – 50 Dollar 3 Piece Set | 1992 | P-8-10 |
Source: Banknote World

Cook Islands issued its second series in 1992. This series looks more like real banknotes and less like novelties. They also added a $50 to encourage actual use in commerce. This series called “Church and Archipelagos) shows worshippers at a church on the front. The reverse shows two islanders with a canoe. There is also a Mangala kingfisher and a sea turtle image. The denominations are differentiated by the color.

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