Pukapuka

In the case of the sparsely populated northern Cook Islands coral atolls of Penhryn, Pukapuka, Manihiki, Rakahanga, and Nassau, island authorities turned away the supply ship “Kwai,” which was carrying critical but perishable supplies.

However, when expressing identity or class membership, ko must be used: Ko tēnei tāku pukapuka "This is my book"; Ko Ōtautahi he tāone i Te Waipounamu "Christchurch is a city in the South Island (of New Zealand)"; Ko koe tōku hoa "You are my friend".

Spanish ships visited the islands in the 16th century; the first written record of contact with the islands came with the sighting of Pukapuka by Spanish sailor Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira in 1595 who called it San Bernardo (Saint Bernard).