One outstanding exception to this general rule is a lean rugged leather skinned New Zealander called Tom Thomas Francis Neale to give his full name. It was in June 1945 that Tom Neale then engineer on board the Cook Islands trading schooner Tiare Taporo saw Suwarrow for the first time. Tom was captivated by the peace and solitude of the place. The atoll was then occupied by coast watchers and the vessel stayed three days. Tom had first heard tales of the island over a bottle of whiskey at Captain Andy Thomson's home in Rarotonga when the American author Robert Dean Frisbie enthused over the atoll. Frisbie longed to return but was unable to save enough money to do so. Neale was a realist and knew the Pacific Islands well. He had served as a stoker in the Navy and later spent time in Tahiti Moorea and the Cook Islands. But he had never seen anywhere quite like Suwarrow before. He vowed to return and live there as soon as possible. William Percival New Zealand Gardenia Band 🇨🇰 Kia Orana
