PENRHYN ISLAND - COOK ISLANDS

Penrhyn (also called Tongareva, Māngarongaro, Hararanga, and Te Pitaka) is an island in the northern group of the Cook Islands in the south Pacific Ocean. The northernmost island in the group, it is located at 1,365 km (848 mi) north-north-east of the capital island of Rarotonga, 9 degrees south of the equator. Its nearest neighbours are Rakahanga, and Manihiki, approximately 350 kilometres (220 mi) to the southwest. Penrhyn is a roughly circular coral atoll with a circumference of approximately 77 km (48 mi), enclosing a lagoon with an area of 233 square kilometres (90 sq mi). The atoll is atop the highest submarine volcano in the Cook Islands, rising 4,876 metres (15,997 ft) from the ocean floor. The atoll is low-lying, with a maximum elevation of less than 5 metres (16 ft). The total land area is 9.84 square kilometres (3.80 sq mi). The population according to the 2001 census was 351 inhabitants, with a decrease by 2016 to only 226 inhabitants.

Penrhyn's original name was Tongareva. Academic research published by the Cook Islands Library and Museum says this is variously translated as "Tonga floating in space", "Tonga-in-the-skies" and "A way from the South". However, the most commonly used name in English is Penrhyn after the Lady Penrhyn commanded by Captain William Crofton Sever, who passed by the island on 8 August 1788. Penrhyn means "peninsula" in Welsh. Another European name was Bennett Island. Lady Penrhyn was one of a fleet of 11 ships which sailed from the Isle of Wight (off the south coast of the UK) to found the earliest convict colony in Australia. Penrhyn Atoll has two villages. The main village of Omoka, seat of Penrhyn Island Council, is on Moananui Islet, on the western rim of the atoll, north of the airport. The village of Te Tautua is on Pokerekere Islet (also known as Pokerere or Tautua), on the eastern rim.

The first stamps used in Penrhyn were stamps of the Cook Islands. From May 1902 overprinted stamps of New Zealand were used.  In 1920 and 1927, New Zealand produced omnibus issues for the several Cook Islands, each inscribed with the island's name. These were replaced by stamps of the Cook Islands in 1932. Stamp issues for Penrhyn resumed in 1973.

This is one of the gem in my collection. A cover posted directly from Penrhyn Post office, one of the least populated and remote island in the world. The covers posted by David, during his Pacific Islands trip. The cover posted on May 20, 2016 and It reached on June 04,2016. Flights to Penrhyn is once in a month from Rarotonga, and mail services are not very popular too.

This is the post office in Penrhyn Island. 

Mr.David with The Post office staff in Penryhn holding the philatelic covers and postcards. They had a full selection of stamps . All Penryhn,  no Cook Islands stamps. The Postmaster on the left side here , was also the agent for Air Rarotonga and running one of the local shops. You can see she is Wearing the Bluesky shirt which is the operator of the Post Offices in the Cook Islands (now bluesky took over by Vodafone). They do get some Philatelic mail but very little. It depends on the aircraft. All flights up to here are Chartered ones .

A cover from remote island called Penrhyn. This island is the part of Cook Islands. David Langan had informed me, it is very difficult to get postmarked cover from Penrhyn because it is very remote and a few inhabitants. max 3-4 times flights go there in a year and rarely ships. so there won't be no room for philatelic mail. I believe they postmarked from Rarotonga, The main post office with Penrhyn postmark.