Cook Islands News

"Ah," said Marshall Humphreys, who was showing us through the Anatakitaki Cave on the island of Atiu, "they're getting ready to have breakfast." From the darkness of a cavern a small bird came swooping, followed by another, then another.

The silver $5 coin, which costs $85 , is 99.9 per cent silver. Only 10,000 coins have been minted for the celebrations.

An annular eclipse of the sun - what some are calling a ring of fire eclipse - will take place over Australia and the Pacific Ocean on May 9 or 10, 2013 .

I had just bushwhacked through a dense jungle on an ancient coral reef and crawled into a dimly lit cave behind a silent Polynesian guide named Paul Kura on the tiny island of Atiu in the southern Cook Islands.

Film Raro is an international phenomenon taking place in the idyllic south pacific location of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands during May 2013.

Basaltic lavas erupted at some oceanic intraplate hotspot volcanoes are thought to sample ancient subducted crustal materials.

Bruce Millar and brother John know that when they sell the foundry - if it is kept running - it will be moved from the site.

Dwango Co. kicked off a two-day event Saturday that aims to turn the online world of video-sharing site Nico Nico Douga into physical reality.

High and dry: A Japanese crew uses a drone in making a film on Aitutaki atoll about traditional oceangoing outrigger canoes like this.

But decisive evidence for this phenomenon has proven elusive. New research from a team including Carnegie's Erik Hauri demonstrates that oceanic volcanic rocks contain samples of recycled crust dating back to the Archean era 2.5 billion years ago.

JULES VERNE's characters would never have stuck it out this long. Volcanic rocks found in the south Pacific spent at least 2.45 billion years on a journey into Earth's interior - and back again.

From left: Rachel Connor, Anne Wenzel, Kerry Arch, Matt Soltesz, John Tauffer, Jeremy Joslin and Ken Stein .

The Real Deal Vacation package to the Cook Islands includes airfare from L.A. on Air New Zealand, five nights at the Palm Grove Rarotonga , round-trip airport transfers, early check-in at the hotel, and tropical breakfast daily, from $1,499 per person including all hotel and air taxes and fees.