‘We were very blessed’: in the Cook Islands, pandemic proved a welcome respite from tourists

Florence Syme-Buchanan on Muri Beach, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Some Cook Islanders enjoyed the return to an earlier lifestyle after borders were closed in the Covid-19 pandemic. Photograph: Melanie Cooper/The Guardian

Florence Syme-Buchanan on Muri Beach, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Some Cook Islanders enjoyed the return to an earlier lifestyle after borders were closed in the Covid-19 pandemic. Photograph: Melanie Cooper/The Guardian

source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/20/we-were-very-blessed-in-the-cook-islands-pandemic-proved-a-welcome-respite-from-tourists