Described as “Treasure Island” or as “the most romantic island in the world” by author Robert Louis Stevenson’s wife Fanny, Suwarrow does indeed reflect these descriptive names honestly.
A low-lying coral atoll that is the most southern of the northern Cook Islands, it is reputed to have had Polynesian settlers in prehistoric times. But when the Russian ship Suvorov – reportedly following clouds of birds – landed in 1814, no-one was there. And so the ship – named after General Alexander Suvorov, (who appears as “Suwarrow” in Lord Byron’s epic Don Juan) bequeathed the island its name. With one of the best harbours in the Pacific, the reef encloses a large landlocked lagoon and the pristine islets that form the island are scattered around the rim. At about one and a half times the size of Rarotonga, it is indeed one of the most perfect of the islands in the Pacific however inaccessibility makes it a haven to only the most intrepid. Along with its susceptibility to cyclones which often create waves that sweep right over the atoll.
