Northern Group

Suwarrow

This tiny remote atoll, though better known than most others in the group, is only accessible via the infrequent cargo vessels that bring supplies for the two atoll managers – the islands only resident population for half of the year. Otherwise, private cruising yachts are the only other way to visit Suwarrow. The island is the Cooks’ only national park and home to thousands of roosting seabirds, making it a nature lover’s paradise.

No evidence has been found to indicate the island had any pre-European permanent settlement, though voyagers did use it as a place to make camp. Described by the wife of the author Robert Louis Stevenson as “the most romantic island in the world” it received greatest attention through the writings of the New Zealand hermit Tom Neale who lived alone for several years on Suwarrow and penned his experience in An Island to Oneself.

The American writer Robert Dean Frisbie, along with his daughter Florence “Whiskey Johney”, also wrote their accounts of surviving a terrifying cyclone on Suwarrow, in 1942, by lashing themselves to a coconut tree to avoid being swept away by the waves.

Curiously, the islands name stems from the Russian explorer Mikhail Lazarev bestowing it with the title after his ship, the Suvarov.

Pukapuka

Legends tell of the island of Pukapuka rising from the sea with men inside it and of great voyages to the west. Given its history of first being discovered 2000 years ago by Samoan and Tonga voyagers, unlike the Southern Group, which is made up of Society Islanders, those tales of inter-island journeys help to explain the settlers origin. Culturally and linguistically, Pukapuka is more similar to Samoa than any of the other Cook Islands and due to its distance and isolation, its’ people and location have remained alluringly mysterious and romantic to the outside world.

The island was discovered in 1595 by the Spaniard Alvaro de Mendana and over 150 years later, two British ships sighted the island, however owing to the high surf did not attempt to land. Because of this, they called it “Danger Island” a name it is still occasionally referred to as.

The island’s isolation ended in 1994 when an airstrip was built, and telephones arrived in 1999. Only occasional flights are scheduled to Pukapuka every few months and most visitors arrive by boat.

Nassau

Nassau is a small coral cay located 88 kilometers north of Pukapuka and is often amusingly referred to as a “suburb of Pukapuka” by the local population who number around 100. To get there, visitors must first travel to Pukapuka and then make a 3-day journey by boat after making arrangements with the island council. There are no guest houses, so accommodation must be pre-arranged to stay with local families.

Penryhn

The northernmost island in the Cooks group, Penrhyn is about 4 hours flight from Rarotonga, with a weekly air service. Penrhyn’s massive lagoon, one of the largest in the South Pacific at 233 sq. kms. was popular with early whalers and traders because of its three entrances, making it an excellent harbor. Today, around 12% of the Cook Islands cultured pearls are raised within the lagoon.

Along with Black Pearls, popularity for the quality local craftwork made by Penryhn women has spread throughout the islands. They are renown for their skills weaving rito (young coconut fronds) into hats, bags, fans and mats. There are several guesthouses and lodges available to visitors but electricity supply is limited to only certain hours of the day.

Manihiki

Manihiki is commonly referred to as the Pearl Capital of the Cook Islands, due to its sizeable production of cultured Black Pearls. The lucrative industry contributes an estimated 18 million dollars annually to the country’s economy. It is recommended that visitors to this island take a tour of one of the pearl farms, which includes snorkeling down to observe the oysters growing underwater. Harvesting occurs between the months of September and December, when actual pearls are likely to be seen.

Manihikis majestic lagoon is one of the most beautiful in the Pacific, with 40 motu, tiny islands, dotted around its fringe and a number inside the perimeter, each with their own sandy beaches, making it an idyllic haven to relax in.

There are several accommodation options on Manihiki, that include meals, but as with most islands in the northern group, amenities can be quite sparse with intermittent electricity and hot water. Air Rarotonga has a weekly scheduled flight, or the inter-island cargo ship has limited berths.

Rakahnga

Rakahanga is closely tied with its nearby neighbour Manihiki, and was once more populated due to its larger landmass. These days access to the island is made by first travelling to Manihiki then journeying by sea the 44 kilometers south to reach the island.

When the Spanish explorer Fernandez de Quiros discovered the island in 1606 he reported that the women of Rakahanga were of the most exceptional beauty and “if properly dressed, would have advantages over our Spanish women.” A Fransciscan friar on the same ship called Rakahanga the island of Gente Hermosa (Beautiful People).