Suwarrow

Scream spent 12 glorious days at Suwarrow in the Cook Islands. Suwarrow (once spelled Suvarov) is an atoll occupied entirely by a national park. The nearest settlement is over 200km away, and the park has only two seasonal staff and two buildings. Suwarrow is completely inaccessible except by private vessels. The two rangers are dropped off by "the police boat" in March with supplies, and are left to themselves until November when that boat returns to pick them up.

For 2010 park rangers are James and Apii. They are the friendliest people I have ever met. They act more like resort concierges than anything else. They lead tours of the islands, snorkel and dive trips. They host pot luck dinners where they supply lots of fish. They taught us to catch coconut crabs, and hosted a feast afterwards. They even taught me to make coconut pancakes. We miss them.

The atoll itself is spectacular. The water is so clear, the coral is healthy, and the is a better variety of fish than most places. The islets, or motus, are small, but still large enough to get lost on. The beaches are sandy. The anchorage is good, particularly at the north end.

Suwarrow is our favourite place from our trip so far.