Photo: Cook Islands Tourism/Tayla Beddoes
This is the largest atoll in the Cooks at 11.2 kms (7 miles) wide and 24.1 kms (15 miles) long. It's just 5 metres above sea level at its highest point and the island - just 9 degrees below the equator - is the one most under threat from rising sea levels. Tourism is almost non-existent. The pace of life is very slow and everyone has time to talk. The church is an important part of daily living. Visitors can stay with a local family and fishing and pearl farm trips can be organised locally. Snorkelling and diving in the pristine lagoon are a dream come true experience but watch out for the sharks!
It's neither easy, nor cheap! Air Rarotonga operates on a charter basis only and you need to contact them to find out when and if they are flying. Even then, flights can be cancelled at very short notice if there aren't enough passengers to make the trip viable, or if there's insufficient fuel at Penrhyn to enable the return trip. It takes about five hours to reach the island, and you can expect to pay at least NZ$3,000 for a return trip. Alternatively, you could try getting there by sea, either from Rarotonga or one of the other Northern group islands (assuming you can reach them as well). If you want to explore that possibility, speak to the Harbour Master on Rarotonga for information on sailings, which are few and far between. There are inter-island vessels, if you don't mind very small boats!
Almost half of the southern part of the lagoon between Omoka and Te Tautua has been designated a no fishing zone until December 2025 as part of preparations for a huge celebration. A "ra'ui" - a traditional method of conservation and preservation - has been placed on the area ahead of a homecoming event next year when hundreds of islanders from overseas will join residents for the opening of the Cook Islands Christian Church Mission House. Executive officer Puna Vano said the ra'ui was necessary to make sure there's plenty to feed everyone at the very special occasion and he's hoping it's also a chance for children and grandchildren from overseas to connect with their homeland.
Islanders live in two main villages, each on their own island in the lagoon. Omoka (above) on the Moananui islet is considered the main island and it's home to three quarters of the population. It's where the government, shipping and air service offices are located. The vast airstrip (below) dominates. Tetautua on the Pokere islet in the east is about 10.5 kms (6 miles) away across the lagoon and has around 50 residents. Both villages have an administration building, school, church and Sunday school. Robert Broussard was one of the first outsiders to visit Omaka after Penrhyn was designated as an official port of entry to the Islands and he kindly provided the Omoka picture. There's a good natural harbour and vessels can enter the lagoon through Taruia Passage just above Omoka and tie up at Omoka wharf.
The island has an airfield, thanks to American GIs. About a thousand of them arrived on Penrhyn on 8th November 1942 and stayed until 20th September, 1946. They built a 10,000 foot (3 kms) long runway as part of an alternative supply route from Hawaii through to Australia and New Zealand in case hostilities in the Pacific reached this far east. It's since been shortened to 1700 metres and is in need of an upgrade to a sealed runway. US President Roosevelt's wife, Eleanor flew in briefly in 1944 on a morale boosting tour for the troops.
The runway photo is from a video about Penrhyn by Air Rarotonga. Watch it here
The remains of a crashed B24 Liberator bomber called "Go Gettin' Gal" are evidence of the bygone era. Four engines and a bit of fuselage rust away in the lush landscape...the rest of the plane has been picked over and the metal is often used to patch up the aluminium dinghies which almost everyone seems to own . Much more interesting than what's left though is the true story behind it shared with me exclusively...
Ashley C. Curry from Alabama, USA wrote to tell me that his father was the pilot of the plane And he generously shared some family photos which have never been seen publicly before. Above are his father, Lt. (later Lt. Colonel) Benjamin P Curry, left, with a Mr Campbell who was airport manager on Rarotonga and right standing in front of the ill-fated bomber. The plane itself in all its former glory on Rarotonga is pictured above these. Ashley wrote:
"My father, now deceased, told me that he was on a bombing mission and that the plane received extensive damage from anti-aircraft fire, and that he landed the plane with the crew on board. He sustained minor injury to his ankle, but all survived. He continued his service and piloted another B24 named the 'Shady Lady'. He served throughout the war and returned home when the war was over."
ART FROM THE HEART
Any Sunday on any of the Cook Islands, you can expect to see some of the finest hats in the world, adorning the heads of women on their way to church. Rito (pronounced ree-toe or lee-toe) hats are justly prized and come out also for special occasions such as baptisms and weddings. Penrhyn is the home of what islanders call "art from the heart". None of the patterns is written down...islanders just think of them in their heads. Some of the hats sell for hundreds of New Zealand dollars on Rarotonga. But they're also often given as gifts to honoured guests and family
More about Islands' crafts
SHARK PRACTICES!
The lagoon is teeming with sharks - mostly the black tip species which islanders say won't harm humans. They should know as they dive among them to harvest precious black pearls which are farmed in the warm, clear waters. But it's an indsutry which is struggling in the face of competition from China and the Far East. Manihiki is the main centre for pearl farming
Every three months or so, anticipation sweeps across Penrhyn as a cargo ship arrives. The supplies it brings are essential for survival on this remote island. As well as sacks of rice and sugar, a typical delivery might include building materials, outboard motors, bicycles and refrigerated cartons of beef, chicken and a very special treat...ice cream! . Photo: Tom Robinson
One author* who spent some time on the island in the 1990s, wrote about a type of group date called 'ping pong' where a man and a woman each invites a "team" of four friends to the beach where they then pair off in couples, but I've been assured that no such thing happens. Tom Robinson spent four months on the island while rowing across the Pacific, and he checked this out for me...
"Here they are rather prudish and seem to take commitment quite seriously. Apparently, here it’s very hard to know which young people are seeing each other, as it is sometimes done rather secretly, although I have heard that going to the airport to collect uto (mature coconuts) is something of a common first date"
Click here to read more about Tom's time on the island
*Elliot Smith, Cook Islands Companion. Pacific Publishing Company, Albany, California
Visitors to the island will have to stay with a local family as there's no tourist accommodation. Soa's family is one such host with a three bedroom home in the main village of Omoka. Soatini takes guests fishing and organises tours of his pearl farm