Just six of the 15 Cook Islands are in the Northern Group, and they've been described as "the stuff that dreams are made of". They include the largest atoll in the Cooks, PENRHYN - also known as Tongareva - and the island with the smallest population, SUWARROW where there are just two residents (and even then, only in the cyclone off-season)!
PUKAPUKA and its tiny "suburb" of NASSAU are nearer to Samoa than the capital island, Rarotonga in the Southern Group. Pukapuka even has its own language. But don't visit Nassau in July and August, because everyone leaves for two months to join in the annual Constitution Celebrations on Rarotonga.
PUKAPUKA and its tiny "suburb" of NASSAU are nearer to Samoa than the capital island, Rarotonga in the Southern Group. Pukapuka even has its own language. But don't visit Nassau in July and August, because everyone leaves for two months to join in the annual Constitution Celebrations on Rarotonga.
MANIHIKI comprises dozens of small islets surrounding a triangular lagoon, but it's real claim to fame is its stunning black pearls which are farmed in their hundreds of thousands . RAKAHANGA completes the Northern Group, and is just a mile and half wide by three miles long. Both of these islands are so low lying that if climate change continues unabated and sea levels rise even a little, neither island will exist any more.
Above: Pukapuka - closer to Samoa than the Cook Islands capital.
Below: Suwarrow - a real treasure island!
Below: Suwarrow - a real treasure island!
POINTERS TO PARADISE:
RAROTONGA AITUTAKI SITE MAP HOME SURPRISE ME!
OR FIND YOUR OWN PIECE OF PARADISE USING THE MENU ON THE LEFT
RAROTONGA AITUTAKI SITE MAP HOME SURPRISE ME!
OR FIND YOUR OWN PIECE OF PARADISE USING THE MENU ON THE LEFT
Getting to the Northern group islands is the biggest challenge. Manihiki and Penrhyn are five to six hours flying time from Rarotonga and the air fares are horrendously expensive. There are also occassional flights to Pukapuka, but they really are few and far between. The other islands in the north are accessible only by boat with services described as "very occasional". But the determined traveller will be rewarded with an unforgettable experience of unspoiled paradise.