Suwarrow – by Gary

 

Another Pacific atoll, this one with a peculiar name, on account of the Russians arriving first, aboard the Suvorov in 1814.

It's about 60% inhabited, although that's a temporal indication rather that a spatial one, i.e. for much of the year the atoll is uninhabited, but during the yachtie season the Cook Island Government installs a ranger (his wife sometimes comes too) to keep us bums under control.

The islands has seen other human occupants.  Archaeology indicates Polynesians once lived here - but not for hundreds of years.  After them came various other, most especially Tom Neale an odd-ball Kiwi who lived on the atoll for a total of 16 years, with only the birds and the coconut crabs for company.  Not my cup of tea - but he apparently had amazing self-sufficient wilderness survival skills.

As always human occupation comes at great ecological cost –  between them they left rats, mossies, flies and European wasps, and I'm sure lots of other things.  To the credit of the Cook Island Government, with some generous outside assistance, they are doing their best to look after the place.  It is a protected area, a rat eradication program has been put in place and the ranger tightly controls the activities of visiting yachties – not so much fun for us, but good for the atoll.  Overall I think its good but many of my fellow yachties are unimpressed.

Coming ashore, one is confronted with the yachtie rules! Prominent signs on sticks is a pretty proud tradition with most park services around the world.  Did somebody mention wilderness?

The ranger, Harry, and his wife.  They do an eight month stint on the island, being removed for the cyclone season.  Harry says about 150 yachts are currently coming through each season – wow, that a lot of us!

Tom Neale's memorial.

Harry's house right, with what is left of Tom's house on the right.

It's a very pretty spot, but the anchorage didn't feel safe;  friends had had a very terrible experience with bad weather and poor holding here just a couple of weeks prior – so after just two nights rest we up-ed anchor and left.

A booby hitched a ride part of the way to US Samoa with us!

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