The Cook Islands

Bora Bora

Sunday 21^st. September.  An email arrives on the “Puddle Jumpers” web page for which we have joined for our Pacific crossing, from Bob McDavitt, the New Zealand weather guru, saying a Tuesday departure from Tahiti to Tonga is recommended due to a front passing over the Cook Islands and then Tahiti. We are heading for the Cook Islands, so we will wait a little longer here in Bora Bora.

Bora Bora Yacht Club

Monday afternoon arrives and Alec is ready to leave. By 1500 we have raised the anchor and are motoring out through the reef. Destination, Rarotonga, the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands.

Leaving Bora Bora

Once through the reef we raise the sails and are on our way. Winds are east north east at 15-20kts. Seas 1-1.5mts. All is good. Just on dawn the following morning, we run into the tail of Bob’s frontal system. The wind has now gone around to the south east at 25kts with breaking seas. There are some squalls about. We reef down and spend the next 24 hours with things a little more uncomfortable than we had hoped for. The following morning the system has passed and the seas have dropped, so we are able to raise the full ‘main again.

By midday Friday we have covered 552nm and are Med-moored in Avatiu Harbour, Rarotonga. This is the commercial harbour for the Island, and there is no other place one can go. Not a wonderful anchorage, but we were soon to discover that the Island definitely was worth the discomfort we endured in the harbour. There was a lot of surging coming off the concrete dock which meant one has to tie up quite a distance off to avoid being pushed into the concrete wall. Then you need to use your dinghy to get ashore. The first few days was difficult, but we discovered that taking our dinghy into the fishing harbour just around the corner within the main harbour, made life much easier.

Avatiu Harbour

The Cook Islands fall into two geographic groupings. The northern group which is made up of seven atolls, and the southern group which is made up of eight islands or atolls. They cover approximately 850,000 square miles of ocean with a land area of about only 93 square miles.

Shamal in Avatiu Harbour

Again these islands have a long history. It is believed the Polynesian people first migrated here from French Polynesia around 14,000 years ago. Then from here in Rarotonga’s Muri Lagoon some set out in their ocean-going canoes for New Zealand.  In 1595 from Peru the Spaniard Don Alvaro de Mendana y Nehru found Pukapuka in the northern group. Around 1606 another Spaniard, again with an unpronounceable name, turn up on Rakahanga in the northern group. Captain James Cook explored the area in both 1773 and 1779, only ever setting foot on Palmerston Atoll in the southern group. It is believed the first European to visit Rarotonga was Captain Philip Goodenough on his ship the “Cumberland” in 1814. He spent time here looking for sandalwood. Then in 1823 the missionary John Williams arrived, and within a year Christianity had taken had taken a firm hold. Again, unfortunately the missionaries also brought in whooping cough, measles, smallpox and influenza, causing a dramatic decline to the local population.

Failed Sheraton Resort

In 1888 the Cook Islands became a British protectorate.  In 1901 the islands were annexed to New Zealand and at this time became known as the Cook Islands. Then in 1965 they became internally self-governing. Since that time the country has made a series of bad investments leaving the country with huge debts. One of these was the failed Sheraton resort on Rarotonga’s south coast. As many islanders carry New Zealand passports, many have left and moved on to New Zealand and Australia. Today their population is greater outside the islands.

South Coast

Today tourism is the major industry. The population is between 13,000-15,000 people, and they have around 130,000-140,000 tourists a year.  Rarotonga is certainly a beautiful island to visit, and so close for New Zealanders and Australians. There are now flights from the States which drop into Rarotonga on their way to New Zealand.

Lunch stop view Muri Lagoon

From what we saw, Rarotonga is a little gem in the South Pacific. It is clean and tidy. The fast food restaurants have not made in-roads here, leaving the locals to set up their own takeaways and cafés. There are no real high-rise hotels, again leaving the locals running lovely beach front apartments and villas.

Ancient canoes' stone circle

Out came our bikes, and we spent one whole day cycling the 34ks around the island, stopping for morning tea, lunch, and drinks at different locations. Lunch stop was on the picturesque Muri Lagoon on the south coast, where the great ocean-going canoes set off for New Zealand. There is a stone circle and plaques commemorating the seven canoes that completed that journey. We looked out at the entrance to the lagoon, and the lovely palm-covered motu. You could see the colourful fish darting about in the turquoise waters. Our last stop was the famous Trader Jacks, on the north coast with its panoramic sea views, for cold drinks!

Alec, cross island walk

Ann, cross island walk

Another day we decided to do the cross-island walk. This is a three to four hour hike from the north to the south coast via the Needle – Te Rua Manga. One ambles up a road, which turns into a very pretty  bush track, which turns into a scramble up a rugged steep path where you are now holding on to the roots of trees and anything else to stop yourself sliding off the track. I decided a hike part way up the Needle was not necessary, so waited at the top with a couple of rosters (yes the feathered kind) for company, while the others risked life and limb for a better view up what looked like a mountainous climb up sheer rock with a chain to help one stay on the cliff face. The going down the other side was just as interesting. We had to cross an area where there had been a slip, follow a narrow ridge again with tree roots for hand holds, and cross streams. Tons of fun. We then had well-earned drinks at a lovely café on the beach before catching the local bus back.

The Needle

Punanga Nui Markets

Just along the dock from where we were moored, were the Punanga Nui Markets. Come Saturday morning the market place was a hive of activity, with the locals bringing anything and everything to sell. To date it has to be the best market we have come across in the South Pacific. Fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh fish, barbecue snacks of all kinds. Waffles, crêpes, ice-cream, fresh juices and coffee. Clothing, shoes and souvenirs of all kinds.

Punanga Nui Markets

We made it into the local newspaper during our stay here. There were celebrations on the main Warf to commemorate the 30^th anniversary of the Police Patrol Boat. There is SHAMAL in the background of the photo.

Can you See Shamal

After nearly a week in a Rarotonga, sadly we have to think about moving on. It is Thursday afternoon and a man comes along the dock. He calls out to us, asking by chance if our next port is Palmerston Atoll. When we reply yes, he then asks if he can come with us. The week before we arrived into port, one of the Supply Vessels to the outer Islands, which carry both cargo and passengers, had very sadly lost a seven year old boy who had fallen overboard. All three Supply Vessels were now impounded in port while being checked for safety requirements. This meant no means of this man returning home. Also the Supply Vessel to Palmerton, even when running, was not very frequent, and the atoll has no air-strip. We told him we would have to check it out with the authorities, so come back tomorrow evening. The following morning we visit the Harbour Master’s office and tell them we would like to leave mid-day Saturday. (We want to have another visit to the Saturday Markets) He asks if we would carry a package for the Medical Clinic on Palmerston.  No problem we say. We explain about taking a passenger, a young man returning to his wife and family. The office says as long as he is a local, that it is no problem. We proceed with our clearance. Our passenger, Will, is ecstatic that we will take him. We later find out that he was ill about three months back, and hitched a ride on a yacht heading for Niue Island, then got a flight to Auckland, New Zealand for treatment, where he is originally from.

Loading Medical Supplies

Later on the Friday a small truck pulls up at the dock. Not with a package, but five boxes of medical supplies. They all fit into the starboard cabin. We have decided Will should sleep up in the saloon. He has explained he will be carrying some cargo if that is OK. Saturday morning after our visit to the markets, Will arrives. Some cargo! Not sure how many boxes came aboard, or of their weight, but SHAMAL was sitting much lower in the water. Will is building a house, and the cargo included nails, a nail gun etc etc etc. Then there was food stuffs etc etc etc. Then, another relative shows up asking if there is room for a couple more boxes. Ok, then that is it.

Palmerston Atoll

Unfortunately Will has developed a migraine. We send him down to our cabin so he can sleep it off. This will be a two and a half day sail. The sea conditions are not perfect and Will now has sea” sickness. We just leave him to sleep. We want to arrive at Palmerton in daylight so we can pick up a mooring buoy and unload the packages in daylight. Alec decides we will motor sail the last bit in order to arrive in time.

Eddie, our boatman

Just after 1800 we pick up the mooring. Will had radioed ahead and organized for the boys to meet us in their alloy boat to take their supplies and Will ashore. We will wait until the morning. Arthur, the local administrative officer, tells us when we arrive we are sitting extremely low in the water, and once unloaded says we had carried at least a ton of supplies with us!

As I said, one picks up a mooring buoy outside the reef. You are sitting in around 30-40mts of water. A little too deep to drop anchor. You are also advised to attach to the mooring with two lines, for safety, and drop your anchor about 10mts. The anchor is if you should drag, hopefully it will grab before you reach the reef. A number of years back, a boat arrived and only attached one line and did not drop his anchor like advised. His mooring line chafed through during the night and he ended up loosing his boat on the reef. The locals advise him knowing their own sea conditions. It pays to listen to them. We had steady trade winds the whole time we were there and sat comfortably behind the shelter of the reef. Should our mooring lines break, we would have drifted out to sea, and not onto the reef.

Beautiful Palmerston

Cleaning the Parrot Fish

The following morning the alloy tender with Eddie at the helm, arrives to take us into the lagoon and onto Palmerton. That is quite some ride, and we understood clearly why they don’t want yachties taking their own tenders in. For a start just finding the narrow entrance is nearly impossible. Then one really needs local knowledge to know ones way around the coral bommies. Again the colours inside of the waters are beautiful. Turquoise through to sapphire blue depending on the depth. Colourful fish are darting all over the place, and yes the odd reef shark. Here their main source of income comes from the parrot fish which are in abundance. This is one of the few places in the tropics where there is no ciguatera poisoning as the locals keep their lagoon pristine clean, not allowing waste in it.

William Marsters Grave

Marsters original home

Once ashore we are introduced to Will’s extended family who are just delightful. Everyone is so grateful for the supplies we have brought. The supply ship only calls about twice a year, and it is on their return trip from visiting the other Cook Islands that the parrot fish, which have been caught and frozen, are sent on the ship back to Rarotonga.

The Church

Will gives us a tour of the island explaining its history and how they run things. Captain Cook first visited the atoll in 1774, but did not land until his 1777 visit. It was uninhabited at that time, but he did find some ancient graves. The Atoll was then left untouched for 80 years, when in 1863 a British merchant by the name of John Brander, whom then owned the island, hired William Master’s as  caretaker and to plant and harvest coconuts. Masters, an Englishman, arrived with his three Polynesian wives. He had to build everything from scratch using shipwrecked timber and driftwood. The home he built for his family is still standing today. Later a church and school and more houses were built. In 1888 John Brander died, and William Marsters laid claim to the island. This was granted to him.

Palmerston

Before William Marsters died, he divided each of the six motu which sit around the edge of the atoll, between his three wives families. So each atoll is divided into thirds.

On our tour of the Island, Will takes us to the site where he and his wife are building their home. It is on a beautiful white sandy beach overlooking the lagoon. A section most people would die for, and also be beyond the cost for most people. Here Will has been given the section by the family.

The School

We visit the school whose head teacher is an Australian woman. Later we drink green tea with her on her veranda. She has another teacher from the island helping her, and at this present time they have 11 students. We meet the nurse, who is from Papua New Guinea. Again she thanks us for bringing the medical supplies.

We are shown their power station. It is run by a couple of hundred solar panels with a back-up diesel generator should there be too many cloudy days. This was donated by New Zealand, who can also run it remotely by computer for them.

The Power Station

Next we go into the main village area. We see William Marsters plot in one of the cemeteries, along with the original home he built. The church, and the spare water storage facility which has just been upgraded by the Cook Islands Government. This water is for the use of the whole island should they run out from their own personal tanks.

We lastly visit the new cyclone shelter donated by the Japanese government. They have been building these shelters on most of the outer Cook Islands.

The Cyclone Shelter

As one wanders around this tiny island it is hard to visual that you are on a tiny speck of land in the middle of the South Pacific. Small roads crisscross the Island through rich tropical forest . Where these roads meet is a street light. They grow most of their own fruit and vegetables. Chicken fish and pork are their meats. They have all become excellent maintenance men, being able to fix anything.

Machineary

On the machinery side we saw one bulldozer, one digger, one JCB, and a tractor and trailer unit. Also some have their own quad bikes. I tell you these people are well set up. The island is immaculately  clean and tidy. They truly take pride of the place.

When yachties arrive, they are brought onto the island and graciously looked after. A beautiful lunch is provided each day by your host family.  You are free to wander around and swim in the lagoon. It is always nice for the yachties to “give back” to their hosts. It was a pleasure to leave some gifts behind. We were also given some parrot fish fillets which were delicious.

Street light

Then like all these wonderful places we visit, it all too soon comes time to leave. The trade winds are still in our favour so we must move on. Eddie and Will take us back to SHAMAL on our last evening. Eddie will return in the morning to release the mooring line from the second buoy he tied us to. We were quite safe on one, but he tied us to another for extra security. We were not going anywhere.

On our stay there we did develop a water leak under the galley sink. One of the plastic hose joiners had perish causing water to leak onto the shelves below. Thank goodness we were on board at the time as we could have had the whole water tank empty into the galley. Alec made temporary repairs. This did mean we had to shut the water off and only turn it on when needed. It is surprising how often you go to a tap to use it. I ended up filling a bucket and using that. At least it was a fresh water leak. A salt water one would have been far worse.

Water storage tanks

The following morning Eddie arrives to untie us and we are on our way. Farewell to Palmerton Atoll.

 

This is the Admiral and Commander signing out from another posting.

 

 

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