North Islands Attractions
The islands in the northern group (total area 28sq.km/17sq.mi) are Penrhyn, Rakahanga, Manihiki, Pukapuka, Suwarrow, Palmerston and Nassau.
These atolls consist of narrow elongated reef islands (motus), reaching a maximum height of 3-6m above sea level, set round a central lagoon. Some of the motus were once larger, as old beach defenses and cliff lines show, but have been partly destroyed by tidal waves resulting from hurricanes (as, for example, in 1942). On the seaward side the beaches have been raised by the shingle and boulders thrown up by the surf and by beach defenses; on the lagoon side they fall away gently. The concave coastline of many atolls is the result of displacements of the reef and submarine faults. The gaps in the atoll are mostly narrow and very shallow. There are anchorages for larger vessels within the lagoon only on Penrhyn and Suwarrow. The islands receive necessary supplies from Rarotonga in small vessels that call several times a year and on their return voyage carry the islands' produce, mainly coconuts and copra.
The larger buildings on the islands (churches, administrative offices, schools) are built of coralline limestone, which offers protection against the storm tides that can sweep over these low islands. Other buildings are mainly of wood and roofed with corrugated iron or palm leaves. The Polynesians still prefer the traditional method of construction, adapted to the climate, using pandanus wood and leaves. Rainwater is collected in large cisterns to meet local needs. Apart from rats and mice there are no wild animals on the islands. Pigs and poultry are kept for domestic consumption. Large numbers of seabirds nest on most of the islands, particularly on Suwarrow. Outside the reefs there are good fishing grounds.
These atolls consist of narrow elongated reef islands (motus), reaching a maximum height of 3-6m above sea level, set round a central lagoon. Some of the motus were once larger, as old beach defenses and cliff lines show, but have been partly destroyed by tidal waves resulting from hurricanes (as, for example, in 1942). On the seaward side the beaches have been raised by the shingle and boulders thrown up by the surf and by beach defenses; on the lagoon side they fall away gently. The concave coastline of many atolls is the result of displacements of the reef and submarine faults. The gaps in the atoll are mostly narrow and very shallow. There are anchorages for larger vessels within the lagoon only on Penrhyn and Suwarrow. The islands receive necessary supplies from Rarotonga in small vessels that call several times a year and on their return voyage carry the islands' produce, mainly coconuts and copra.
The larger buildings on the islands (churches, administrative offices, schools) are built of coralline limestone, which offers protection against the storm tides that can sweep over these low islands. Other buildings are mainly of wood and roofed with corrugated iron or palm leaves. The Polynesians still prefer the traditional method of construction, adapted to the climate, using pandanus wood and leaves. Rainwater is collected in large cisterns to meet local needs. Apart from rats and mice there are no wild animals on the islands. Pigs and poultry are kept for domestic consumption. Large numbers of seabirds nest on most of the islands, particularly on Suwarrow. Outside the reefs there are good fishing grounds.
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Nassau
The oval sand island of Nassau (1.2sq.km/.74sq.mi) is covered by chains of dunes up to 9m/29.5ft high and surrounded by a broad reef platform ranging in width between 90/295 and 130m/426ft, which makes landing on the island extremely dangerous. The island has large coconut plantations, and in the swampy depressions between the dunes taro is grown. There are a number of springs of fresh water. The land on Nassau is worked from the neighboring island of Pukapuka.
Palmerston
Palmerston (2sq.km/1.2sq.mi) is an irregularly shaped atoll with 35 motus. The shallow lagoon is surrounded by a continuous reef with no passages of any depth. Only one of the motus is permanently inhabited. Many buildings in the neat little village were built with timber from shipwrecks. In addition to public buildings such as the church and the radio station there are rainwater tanks for collecting the community's water supply. The lagoon is shallow and suitable only for small outboard motorboats and canoes.
Penrhyn
Penrhyn is the largest atoll in the Cook Islands, with an area of 9.8sq.km/6.07sq.mi. There are three passages through the reef, which has two motus of some size on the southwest side and numerous smaller ones to the north, east and south. Near the western passage through the reef is Omoka village, the chief place on the islands, with public buildings and administrative offices. Tautua village, the second-largest settlement, lies 14km from Omoka on the opposite side of the lagoon.
Rakahanga
Rakahanga (4.04sq.km/2.5sq.mi) is square in form. There are only shallow passages through the surrounding reef. The long and relatively broad reef islands have been broken up into smaller motus only near the gaps in the reef. There are broad sandy beaches on the northeastern shore of the atoll; elsewhere the beaches are of shingle, sometimes very coarse. The only village with shops is to the southwest.
Suwarrow
This atoll has the form of an irregular circle. Its small size (0.4sq.km/.24sq.mi) and few motus are the result of the destruction caused by violent whirlwinds within the last hundred years. The atoll was uninhabited until the mid-1960s, when an Englishman named T Neal settled here and lived as a hermit for more than 10 years. The population has now risen to 10.
