He and a handful of survivors were captured by the islanders and became embroiled in their internal wars. Lamont obtained three wives during the course of his year on the atoll before being rescued. Today, Penrhyn is enjoying the fruits of its booming black pearl industry. Accommodation is available at Tarakore. There are regular flights via Air Rarotonga to Penrhyn each Saturday from Rarotonga with a brief stop at Aitutaki.
Flight time is four hours.
There is no continuous history of Polynesian habitation and therefore no traditional Polynesian name for the island. The crew found the island to be uninhabited. However, Europeans were certainly in residence over the previous several hundred years because Suwarrow is a true treasure island on which chests of coins have been found. The atoll has one of the best harbors in the Pacific. Cyclones have often created waves which sweep right over the atoll since its small component of land is extremely low-lying.