Its indigenous name, Te Nuku-o-Ngalewu, means "Land of Ngalewu" after the Pukapukan who was put in charge of it.

Elliot Smith, in the Cook Islands Companion (Pacific Publishing Company, Albany, California) describes Nassau as "a small garden of Eden".

Nassau originally belonged to the islanders of nearby Pukapuka and was called Te Nuku-o-Ngalewu which means "Land of Ngalewu" after the Pukapukan who was put in charge of it.

[4] As with Pukapuka, the economy was run communally, with foremen and leaders telling the expedition members what needed to be done, and everyone sharing equally in the proceeds.

A harbour was planned in 2007,[9] and in 2010 a small boat passage and mooring wharf had been dynamited out of the reef top, and a second phase was underway in December 2010.

The environmental impact was small after the initial blasting [10] A tender for the design of an improved harbour was issued in April 2020.

[11] In January 2017 the Taio Shipping vessel MV Moana Nui ran aground on Nassau's reef.

[15] In 2015 a solar / battery power station was installed, replacing diesel generators and allowing 24-hour electricity.