THE ISLANDS: NORTHERN GROUP
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 - famous for its black pearls - and the island with the smallest population, SUWARROW where there are just 2 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 the island 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. 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.
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
Above: Pukapuka - closer to Samoa than the Cook Islands capital.
Below: Suwarrow - a real treasure island!
Below: Suwarrow - a real treasure island!
