After six months away to carry out necessary monitoring of sailing vessels to the Cook Islands Suwarrow National Park, veteran park ranger Harry Papa’i and assistant park ranger Maarateina Vakapora have safely returned home to Rarotonga on MV Lady Moana.

Every year, the National Environment Service (NES) sends two park rangers to Suwarrow for six to eight months of the year to protect and manage the environment and wildlife of the island – a designated national park and bird sanctuary since 1978.

They are returned to Rarotonga every November when cyclone season starts.

On May 31 this year, the Suwarrow National Park reopened its maritime borders to visiting international vessels after having been closed since the outbreak of Covid-19.

The couple has been kept extremely busy during this period, monitoring the 152 yachts that called in to Suwarrow, along with the 483 visitors, and carrying out a flora and fauna baseline survey.

“We have been really busy, and it has been a good experience,” said Vakapora.

“We are thankful to Taio Shipping for picking us up, and we brought our boat along with us since we couldn’t get it back to the shelter.”

Both Vakapora and Papa’i are happy to be back on Rarotonga to reunite with their families and reconnect with the outside world.

Yesterday, the couple was looking forward to enjoying a hearty meaty meal and a good rest. The uninhabited island of Suwarrow, its reef, and the six-kilometre area around it are totally protected under Cook Islands law. Yachts require special permission before visiting the island.