From Peru to Vanuatu: Australian seaman bestowed Cook Island name on unique voyage

A seaman from Brisbane, Australia has returned from a unique voyage across the Pacific in a row boat crossing from Peru to Vanuatu.

The trip took a total of 256 days covering 7,500 nautical miles, with a few stops in American Samoa and the Cook Islands. Robinson says he took on the challenge to be the youngest person to row a boat across the Pacific.

“It was a dream I had from when I was 14 years old, and on that stage I was here in Brisbane on the river, rowing, fishing, sailing. At that moment I was really interested in the islands of the Pacific and their cultures.

“So I formed this dream, this fantasy to row a boat across the Pacific ocean and to stop and meet people along the way.

“Ten years later that dream has become a reality.”

Robinson says his first stop in the Cook Islands was an accident, as he was trying to land in the Marquesas in French Polynesia but was blown off course.

After 160 days, Robinson recalls the moment he spotted a tiny atoll.

“It was just this most amazing, wonderful feeling that I was going to reach land and put my feet on land for the first time in so long.

“It was just the most amazing surreal feeling, 160 days at sea there’d been nothing, no people, no land. And now I’m seeing this beautiful lagoon, like paradise.”

“As I got closer to the island, this aluminum work boat came out with all these happy smiling people on board. They said ‘hello’ and ‘welcome to our island Penrhyn’.”

Locals of Tongareva greeting Tom on arrival.

The Aussie sailor had landed on Penrhyn Island (Tongareva) in the Northern Group of the Cook Islands, where he would call home for the next four months. He speaks of getting involved in the “island life” attending church all week, fishing, camping, feasting and singing.

He says when he went ashore, a local from Tongareva island bestowed him with a unique name.

“That first moment after I stepped ashore, one of the men of the village shook my hand and said ‘Tom, welcome to our island of Tongareva’.

“There’s something I must tell you now, that’s the fact you’re no longer Tom Robinson, you are now ‘Mahuta Hoihoi Ausaga' which in our language means the warrior that traveled from afar.

“So welcome to Tongareva, Mahuta.”

Reflecting on his trip to the Pacific, Robinson says he learnt a lot about the value of community and hospitality from the Pacific people.

“Coming from Brisbane where everything’s fast paced, to come into this beautiful community where people look out for each other, a lot of time for their family and for God.

“For me it was so surreal to come to this place where a job wasn’t the most important thing, or an income. It was your family and God.

“The people of Tongareva were so selfless, they would always look ou for each other. It was always this community coming together. That’s something that will stick with me for the rest of my life.”

Read more about Tom's voyage on his website: Tom Robinson (tomrobinsonboats.com)

Watch the full interview on PMN Cooks: