10/10/09 - 18.02.84S 163.11.53W - Palmerston
Flying Cloud
Julian Nichols
Tue 13 Oct 2009 21:26
But this morning a beautiful day dawned and we reached Palmerston.
The island consists of 6 sandy islets along the reef surrounding the lagoon. One of the islands is inhabited, and there is no real pass into the lagoon.
The inhabitants are 3 families, all descended from William Marsters, a Lancashireman who settled here with 3 wives in 1862! He fathered 26 children, divided the islands into sections for each of the 3 families and established strict rules on intermarriage. The island is part of the Cook Islands.
Palmerston Atol.
The water is incredibly clear, and the reef drops off to 100m plus within 25m of the surf. A quick snorkel around the boat found us this magnificent turtle.
After clearing customs, Edward Marsters was assigned to us to help us explore the Island and meet the locals. Edward is 4th generation.
Edward gave us a tour of the island (it doesn't take long as there are less than 50 current inhabitants, including around 20 kids). Below you can see the school and there sports area.
The classroom is open air.....
The old man and his decendants are buried near the main street. In the background is his original house.
The main street is not long, but has the most fantastic view!
And then it was back to Edwards house for a ping pong championship and some nice fresh coconut juice.