As the Her Majesty the Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee in London on 6 June, she will be eclipsed by a once in a lifetime phenomenon, the Transit of Venus. Amongst the most rare of predictable astronomical spectacles, with only two occurrences happening eight years apart around every one hundred years, the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and Earth highlighting Venus as a small black disk moving across the face of the Sun.
The Cook Islands in the South Pacific offer perhaps the most perfect perspective to view this spectacle, and with yachts like Big Fish for charter you could make the most of the long bank holiday this June and take a trip to these idyllic Islands off the beaten track.
It is appropriate that Big Fish is currently in Tahiti just over a days sail from the Cook Islands. That was where Captain Cook was in 1769 when he made his calculations and there still a place named Point Venus that commemorates his discoveries
Carmel Beattie, CEO of Cook Island Tourism said, “The Transit of Venus is an amazing natural wonder and the Cook Islands expect to welcome an extra influx of visitors to view this rare phenomenon. We are proud to have this opportunity to showcase the islands and we know that our visitors will find the islands the perfect backdrop for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
For those concerned that they maybe abandoning Her Majesty on such an important occasion and missing out on royal history, the Cooks have their own royal story to tell. The Queen visited the Islands to open Rarotonga Airport in 1974 and Uncle Jake, the ukulele player who welcomed her on arrival, still greets every flight.
The Cook Islands will also be performing at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant at Windsor Castle from 10th – 13th May, offering visitors the chance to watch the dancers and musicians perform as well as learn more about the destination.
Big Fish can be chartered through Tom Debuse at Y.CO