Nassau

At just 1.3 sq km Nassau is one of the smallest of the Cook Islands. With a population of just 100 people, this tiny island was once part of the Pukapuka Atoll. Some 88 km southeast of Pukapuka and 1324 km from Rarotonga, this small island is not an atoll like the rest of the Northern Group; rather it is a coral cay, some 500m long.

There is only one village on Nassau and most of the people here are farmers, growing coconuts and taro. Governed by the island council of Pukapuka, if you want to visit Nassau, you will need permission to get here. Additionally, you will need to make living and transportation arrangements as well as hire a local guide, who can show you are around. There are no guesthouses on Nassau, so you will also have to live with a local family. To get in touch with anyone on Nassau, you will need to use a high frequency radio link from Telecom.

Known as Motu Ngaongao or lonely island, Nassau was uninhabited in the 1800’s when the first Europeans visited here. In 1835, an American whaler the Nassau stopped here, giving this island its name. By and large unpopulated for extended periods of time, a few people came to stay here in the 1940’s, when the Pukapuka chiefs claimed Nassau.