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The tiny and remote islands in the north are
rarely visited by travellers and support indigenous populations living in
small traditional fishing villages and farming black pearls in the shallow
lagoons. There are six groups of islands in all. Each one is a collection
of tiny flat atolls, most under 20 feet high, forming a circle around a
large central lagoon.
The only guesthouses in the entire group, are
found on Penrhyn and Manihiki, although Air
Rarotonga or Taio Shipping can help in arranging
family stay accommodation. As with all islands in the Cook Islands,
camping is prohibited.
Palmerston is theoritically part of the Southern
Group but it is 310 miles to the north of Rarotonga. It was settled by
Englishman William Marsters in 1863 and its population of 50 are all
descendants from him and his three Polynesian wives. Olde English is still
spoken on the island.
There
are weekly flights to Manihiki, Penrhyn and Pukapuka which all take about
31/2 hours from Rarotonga costing about NZ$800+ one
way.
A cheaper but much slower option (up to five days) is cabin or deck
passage on one of the cargo boats operated by Taoi Shipping.
For
more information on the islands of the
Northern group, go to:
For
more general information
on Cook Islands, go to: |
