Suwarrow

We went to Suwarrow and caught crabs! Not to worry friends and family, these were not the "scratch your nether regions in mild discomfort" type, but rather the large coconut eating, crush your finger, size of a dinner plate crabs. But more on that later!

Why did we only go to one Cook Island! There are too many places in the world and too little time in this measly lifespan to see them all. One thing remains, we are very glad we chose to visit Suwarrow. As an island it is nothing exceptional. If you have been to the Tuamotus, you have seen similar. What makes the place so special are the caretakers on the island. 

Charlie and Harry are the seasonal caretakers of Suwarrow (a national park) and live there for the entire cruising season. The island has a lot of history. Most famous is the story of Tom Neale (a New Zealander) who gave up civilisation and moved to the island and wrote a book of his accounts. Apparently the story is a lot more rosy than reality may have actually been! But hey, who wants to read a depressing book about paradise right? 

The Cooks are part of New Zealand (protectorate) and as the Kiwi's model many of their systems and processes on their neighbours the Ozzies, there was a tome of paperwork to fill out. Fortunately my trusty scribe was at hand to perform the penmanship while I played gracious host to Charlie and Harry. Usually the guys chill out in a pair of shorts, but when duty calls, on comes the uniform (shirt and shorts, not shoes, longs and lapels). Name tags are clipped on the belt and armed with a significant amount of pen ink they board your boat with broad smiles. $50 USD gets you 2 weeks in beautiful Suwarrow. It used to be called Suvarov after the Russian vessel that landed there way back when, but in '69 it officially became Suwarrow. 

As a welcome, the custodians invited us to a (pre arranged) BBQ ashore later that afternoon with the rest of the yachties. Fish provided by locals and pots of luck by the cruisers. 

What a wonderful start to the Suwarrow adventure. 

We had read up about the place before we landed and knew that the hosts did all sorts of cool stuff with the visiting sailors. Offloading 20litres of gasoline on them and some spare food, we immediately were written into their good books. Charlie offered to take me fishing one of the days (see Wahooo post) which was a unique and entertaining experience. Especially the afterwards part, where Charlie and I hung around the carcass of the butchered wahoo eating sashimi with a piece of fresh coconut and a splash of lime all the while he teased me about my shitty knife work. 

Yachties came ashore and once a fair portion had gathered, we went to feed the sharks. Using the heads and off cuts of the fish, these were thrown out (responsibly) on the windward side of the island. The tide was low and the black and white tips would come in close to feed on the scraps. The odd grey shark would make an admirable attempt to join in but the water level being just too low for comfort, it would slide in on a wave and then scamper out on its belly. The feeding frenzy that ensures with 12 sharks wrestling with a fish head is quite a spectacle. 

On the menu was coconut crab, wahoo steaks on the BBQ, tuna "raw fish" or poisson cru, coconut bread made from the apple of the coconut and a variety of cruiser potluck dishes. 

The coconut bread was interesting. It is made from this kinda fluffy ball that grows inside a germinating coconut (i.e. one that is sprouting). This ball is grated and then with a bit of flour and water, made into "cakes" and fried in oil. Tastes very sweet like it should be on the dessert trolley rather than the dinner table. Very nice though! 

Poisson cru island style was very simple too. Smallish chunks of raw fish are cut. Grate the "meat" of 5 brown coconuts. Using cheese cloth, handfuls of grated coconut are squeezed out into a bowl. This milk is then added to the fish as well as a couple squeezes of fresh lime. It is then left to sit in the fridge for a couple of hours to "cook". 

The coconut crab was enormous and reminded me of snow crab. Legs and claws were beaten to crack the thick carapace. The taste, funnily enough was that of coconut. Very good and worth having again! 

With stomachs full and glasses topped up, Harry and Charlie began their welcoming ceremony by singing and dancing. Local songs were sung and a Cook Island hukka performed to entertain the crowds. A few cruisers sang a few of their own songs. Sally and I did not.

The next day we went with our dutch friends on Pelagie to see the bird colony and to coconut crab island. A large breeding colony of frigates, boobies, terns and tropic birds nested on a little motu (island) not far from the anchorage. Charlie played guide as you are not allowed to go and disturb the birds unescorted. We walked around the island admiring the nests and shoving camera lenses into the mildly annoyed faces of the residents. Many of whom took exception and flew above our heads creating an awful din of what must have been the birdie equivalent of a raised middle finger. 

We had never been so up close and personal with birdlife like that before and were very grateful for the experience. 

Sawarrow bird colony

Baby frigate bird calling us names

Someone call me a Boobie?

Frigate family

Coconut crab island is exactly that. You can barely move without some red / blue monster waving its claws at you telling you to "watch where you walk". After seeing a programme about how these not so little guys dehusk a coconut, I was not keen to be on the receiving end of a friendly little pinch. Charlie's party trick is to climb a coconut tree and grab a few nice sized drinking nuts. With a sharp blade and years of experience, we were soon all standing around slurping from oversized green cups. 

Coconut crab (they are pretty big)

Thirst quenched, we went for a snorkel and admired the pillars that thrust their way towards the light in a canyon of coral. As a nature park, I would have expected to see large fish and many of them, but the Tuamotus still is the winner for species and numbers. 

Not more than about a quarter of a mile away, manta rays come and get cleaned by the local wrasse population. They circle a coral head while little fish eat all the parasites on the large rays. Perfect opportunity to snorkel with them. They are accustomed to humans and don't mind the odd scratch behind the ear. These were some of the largest rays we had seen.

Not all animals want to be your friend, Sally!

Natures dentist

How cool is my camo rash vest!

We were really sorry to leave Suwarrow after a mere 5 days, but a suitable weather window appeared and had to be taken. One of our favourite islands to date and all due to two people's warmth and hospitality. Thanks Charlie and Harry!

Jaws!

Resetting the anchor (40ft) Shot taken from the surface - water was amazing!

Creepy little fish giving me the eyeball!