The Palmerston Atoll



This is how most of the houses look like

  The Pamerston Atoll, also known as Avarau, which means many passages, is an atoll of the northern Cook Islands, is a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean. The atoll consists of a continuous ring of reef, surrounding a shallow lagoon. It measures about 6 and a half miles east to west, and north and south, by 2.3/4 miles wide. There is no safe anchorage, and ships cannot enter the lagoon.The atoll was discovered on June 16, 1774, by Captain James Cook, on his second voyage to the south Pacific, in the British ships Resolution and Adventure. He named the atoll in honor of Lord Palmerston, one of the Lords of the Admiralty. It has a coral formation and it also has a lagoon that lacks clear passage to the open sea. It is covered with coconut and pandanus groves. Even though there is evidence of a previous occupation by Polynesians, the island was uninhabited when visited by Capt. James Cook in 1774. It sits all by itself far west from the rest of the other islands. With no neighboring islands nearby, Palmerston is a great getaway for those who love nature or who simply want a unique vacation away from business of city life. If you like bird watching and enjoy seeing turtles, dolphins and whales swimming about, then visit the Palmerston Atoll and its very unusual population.

This is a clear view of a beach.

Made up of 30 or so small islands, the Palmerston lagoon is 11 km wide at is broadest point and currently has a population of 52 people. A legendary figure in the history of the Cook Islands, William Marsters married three Maori women, whom he took with him to live on Palmerston. As his family grew many of his children married one another, thus carrying on the Marsters bloodline. William Marsters died in May 1899 and you can visit his gave on Palmerston, located near the home he built. The Palmerston Islands follow the Cook Islands language, which Rarotoga, and many people say there: "Kia orana!" which means "May you live long!" Palmerston has a particularly unique history amongst the Cook Islands relating to the origins of its inhabitants. In 1863, an English ships carpenter named William Marsters arrived from Manuae and settled on this tiny uninhabited island with 3 wives, raising 17 children and 54 grand-children. Today, his descendants are scattered far and wide, and the Marsters name is known in the island of Palmerston. Some of those descendants who remain on the island export fish for an income, and have a strong tradition of welcoming visiting seafarers to their island. It is said that they are all fluent English speakers, with a distinct Gloucestershire accent passed down from their founding forbearer. The total land mass of Palmerston amounts to just one square. The highest point on Palmerston is a sandhill only 20 feet (6 meters) tall that the locals nicknamed “the mountain.”

The island has no airport of air services and there is no safe entry for larger vessels to access, but cruising yachts will find good anchorage in many parts of the lagoon along the western side with depths between 30-50 feet, though it is not an official port of entry so clearance should first be arranged before arrival.
At one point, the population of Palmerston Atoll was 150, but it has declined since most people have moved away to Auckland.