The Cook Islands is a small chain of fifteen islands located in the South Pacific Ocean. This island-country consists of a total land area of about 93 miles. The islands, which are northeast of New Zealand between French Polynesia and Fiji, are spread out over 1,367,016 million square miles of ocean. The islands are divided by region into the Southern Cook and Northern Cook Islands. These regions are further divided into three groups of islands.
1.The High Cook Islands in the south consist of Aitutaki, Atiu, Manaia, Mauke, and Rarotonga.
2.The Low Cook islands in the south include Manuae, Mitiaro, and Takutea.
3.The Northern Cook Islands are made up of Manihiki, Nassau, Palmerston Island, Penrhyn Island, Pukapuka, Rakahanga, and Suwarrow.
Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson, the wife of the author of the famous book Treasure Island, proclaimed that Suwarrow was "the most romantic island in the world.” The entire island of Suwarrow, which is about 808 miles south of the equator and 513 miles northwest of Rarotonga, was established as a national park (NP) in 1978 to protect the unique mixture of marine and bird life that make the island their home.
Suwarrow NP is the largest national park in the Cook Islands. The tiny island that has a total landmass of 0.25 mile is an important seabird-breeding site for not only the Cook Islands but also the entire region and the world. Eleven species of birds breed in Suwarrow NP, which is uninhabited and remote.
Suwarrow National Park is also known for its abundant marine life. Because the island is uninhabited, the marine environment is unexploited at the present time. It is a wild place in which an array of marine life such as green turtles and coconut crabs live and breed without the threat of human intervention. In addition, the Humpback whale visits Suwarrow’s ocean.
Throughout the centuries, Suwarrow NP has had some infamous human visitors including German raiders who used the island as a hideout during World War I. In more recent years, New Zealander Tom Neale lived a solitary life on the island three separate times and a total of 16 years between 1952 and 1977. His internationally best selling book, An Island to Oneself, introduced Suwarrow to the world.
Unfortunately, the ecosystem of Suwarrow NP faces a deadly threat: ship rats. The growth of this rat population must be controlled because it could kill the island’s seabird population or accelerate its existing decline. In 2003, environmentalists attempted to eradicate the rat population; however, there is no evidence that they were successful.
Caretakers maintain the island except for during cyclone season. Their presence on the island helps to prevent people and other influences from destroying the fragile ecosystem of the island.
Since Suwarrow NP is quite remote, one can only visit the island by sailing there on a private yacht or joining a chartered expedition.