Those words of welcome hail from the Cook Islands, a laid-back South Pacific ... You’re not going to find much in the way of shopping here, although there are islander-style crafts, plus pareaus ...

The ships are the latest and largest indicators that deep-sea mining companies have arrived in the Cook Islands. They came bearing gifts and promises of prosperity, progress, and knowledge.

The 15 volcanic islands and coral atolls of the Cook Islands are scattered over 1.9 sq km of the southern Pacific Ocean, between Tonga to the west and French Polynesia to the east. Its economy ...