Suwarrow Island, sometimes known as Suvarov, is a self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean. It is one of the northern Cook Islands. It is a coral atoll with 25 islands, with Anchorage Island being the most significant. It was discovered in 1814 by the commercial ship Suvorov of the Russian-American Company. It was acquired by Britain in 1889 and placed under the New Zealand administration in 1901. No reliable anchorages exist. The 0.2 square miles (0.4 square kilometers) atoll, which is now a bird sanctuary, has a total land area. There is no ongoing habitation.
Suwarrow, which was once inhabited by Polynesians, was uninhabited on September 17, 1814, when it was found by the Russian-American Company ship Suvorov, which is said to have followed clouds of birds to the atoll.
The Russian commander Alexander Suvorov, who portrays Suwarrow in Lord Byron's epic poem Don Juan and Alaric Alexander Watts' alliterative poem The Siege of Belgrade, was the inspiration for the ship's naming.
Since then, it has only sporadically been occupied. The spelling of the atoll has also been recorded as Souvorow, Souwaroff, and Souworoff. The official spelling used by New Zealand is suwarrow.
A Boat Inside The Suvorov Island But Suvorov's riches don't only reside there. The term Motu Tou, which refers to one of the westernmost islands in this atoll, comes from the abundance of herbs, bushes, and beach heliotrope that grows there.
The bigger islands are densely covered in tou. With thousands of them continually flying and swooping in the sky above, it is also one of the most significant nesting places for 10 species of seabirds.
The Masked Booby, one of the largest in the species, is the most spectacular of the 80,000 sooty terns that nest here. Around 400 Red-Tailed Tropicbirds (or 3% of all Red-Tailed Tropicbirds) breed here, and Gull Islet is home to at least 9% of the world's Lesser Frigate bird population. Ornithologists will find this to be a paradise.
Suvarov is only accessible from the first of June to the first of November every year. Visits at earlier or later times are not allowed. Visits to Suwarrow are not subject to prior approval. To find out whether the ranger needs anything transported to the atoll for him, phone the environment office in Avarua before leaving.
There is just one entrance to the 60-mile-long lagoon, and it is rather small. You should only approach the lagoon during the day. With coral heads on each side, the approach takes a dogleg to the right.
Depending on the tide, a 2-3 knot cross-current from port to starboard complicates the approach further, therefore it may be better to schedule an entrance at high or low water.
It is best to turn slightly to port and pass outside the south reef once you have passed through the pass because the current can be quite swift between the south reef and anchorage island, with some overfalls.
After you have passed through the pass, charts will show "south reef" ahead and slightly to starboard. South Reef may be circled pretty closely; around 30 meters off the reef will put you in deep water. The entry seems to be accurately depicted on both the Navionics and C-Map charts.
The 0.2 square miles (0.4 square kilometers) atoll, which is now a bird sanctuary, has a total land area. There is no ongoing habitation.
A private yacht or the exceedingly uncommon cargo ship from Rarotonga are the only ways to get to Suwarrow.
The Suvorov island is under the Cook Islands control and a self-governing island nation in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand.
Suwarrow, also known as Suvorov, Suvarou, or Suvarov, is a small coral atoll in the Pacific Ocean's Cook Islands. It is located 825 kilometers northwest of Rarotonga, from whence it is managed, and roughly 1,300 kilometers south of the equator.
Anchorage Island has a caretaker. The island may only be reached via private yacht or organized excursion from Rarotonga.