Sponsors and Partners of Suwarrow Trip
About this Voyage
Te Ipukarea Society (TIS) is a proactive non-government environment organisation (NGO) in the Cook Islands, formed in 1996 to help look after our heritage.
One of our key areas of work is in invasive species. Our main focus at the moment is a rat eradication project in Suwarrow Atoll, the Cook Islands’ first and only National Park and acknowledged globally as an important bird area.
We have worked for a number of years on this, culminating in a 2018 campaign which we hoped would be the end of the rats on Suwarrow. However, on a monitoring trip earlier this year, we found there was a remnant population of rats remaining on one of the small islets around Suwarrow’s lagoon. This islet is home to breeding seabirds, including red tailed tropic birds, booby birds, and frigate birds.
We believe it is urgent to deal with this rat population as soon as possible, as they are prolific breeders and numbers will increase exponentially in a short time. They will then likely spread to adjacent islets, affecting more vulnerable bird nesting sites.
This means we need to travel north to Suwarrow as soon as the cyclone season is over, in May 2022. We have obtained costings for materials and transport on the Cook Islands traditional voyaging canoe, Marumaru Atua, to take a team to Suwarrow to do the work for 2 weeks. This is the most cost effective means of transport and also has a very small carbon footprint.
The Crew - Made up of CIVS, Te Ipukarea Society and Te Puna Marama
Voyage Updates
Blog 14 – Suwarrow Voyage – Te Ipukarea Society – Rat Baiting Programme
Kia orana tatau Departure day today from Palmerston to Rarotonga.We have spent a couple of days/nights on the vaka outside of palmerstons reef waiting for
Blog 13 – Suwarrow Voyage – Te Ipukarea Society – Rat Baiting Programme
Blog 13 – Jun 28, 2022 – Ana Tiraa – Te Ipukarea Society – TIS Due to the rough seas and the expectation that
Blog 12 – Suwarrow Voyage – Te Ipukarea Society – Rat Baiting Programme
Blog 12 Course diversion – Jun 25, 2022, 10:17 AM – 17′ 22.787, 162′ 43.219 DAY 3 on the water since Suwarrow. Course diversion…what
Blog 11 – Suwarrow Voyage – Te Ipukarea Society – Rat Baiting Programme
22/06/2022 – Blog 11 – Alanna Smith – Te Ipukarea Society – TIS Kia Orana Tatau And just like that our time on Suwarrow for
Blog 10 – Suwarrow Voyage – Te Ipukarea Society – Rat Baiting Programme
THE FINAL COUNT DOWN We are now about to enjoy our last sunset meal, without anyone needing to sub out on the oe, or
Blog 9 – Suwarrow Voyage – Te Ipukarea Society – Rat Baiting Programme
THE WAITING GAME One of the biggest learnings, in my time with Vaka, is the art of patients. Whether it is the crew, preparation at
Blog 8 – Suwarrow Voyage – Te Ipukarea Society – Rat Baiting Programme
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER MEMORY MADE. Today is Sunday, which means rest day for the crew on watch, as well as those enjoying land. We had
Blog 7 – Suwarrow Voyage – Te Ipukarea Society – Rat Baiting Programme
Day 11 away from the comforts of home, currently outside Anchorage Island, at 1700hrs. Since being in Suwarrow, the concept of time has, for the
Blog 6 – Suwarrow Voyage – Te Ipukarea Society – Rat Baiting Programme
LIVING THE HIGH LIFE! At least half of the crew from this trip are staying on Anchorage Island, well the other half are rostered on
Blog 5 – Suwarrow Voyage – Te Ipukarea Society – Rat Baiting Programme
Blog 5 – 15 June 2022 WE ARE ALIVE AND WELL! After spending 3 nights on Motu Tou, one of the many motu of
Blog 4 – Suwarrow Voyage – Te Ipukarea Society – Rat Baiting Programme
Mystery Blog Writer – Blog 4 – Jun 11, 2022Photo cred. Sei Photography After a hectic night of wind and rain-filled squalls, we were reminded of
Blog 2 – Suwarrow Voyage – Te Ipukarea Society – Rat Baiting Programme
Blog 2 – Enere Koteka – CIVS Crew #GRATEFUL – Celebrated his bday on the vaka Never would I have ever thought that I
Blog 1 – Suwarrow Voyage – Te Ipukarea Society – Rat Baiting Programme
Blog 1 from Yesterday – From Pounamu Tipiwai-Chambers – CIVS Crew Eo koko! After what seemed like a month-long build-up, we have finally left