250px, Map of Manihiki Atoll
Manihiki is an atoll in the northern group of the
Cook Islands known informally as the "Island of Pearls". It is located in the
Northern Cook Island chain, approximately north of the capital island of
Rarotonga, making it one of the most remote inhabitations in the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
. Its name has two possible meanings: It is believed that the original name of the island was Manuhiki, or Manuhikitanga inspired by the aboriginal discoverers, ''Manu'' coming from the word Rua Manu (a kind of canoe) and ''Hiki'' meaning ''ashore'', so the literal translation would be ''canoe carried ashore''. The second interpretation is that the original discoverers were from Manihi, an island in
Tuamotus, so the name of the island would mean ''Little Manihi''.
Geography
Manihiki is a roughly triangular-shaped
coral atoll, consisting of approximately 43 islets (''motu'') surrounding a deep, nine kilometer wide lagoon, which is almost completely enclosed by the surrounding reef. The atoll is located on top of an underwater mountain rising from the ocean floor. The inhabitants are divided between the two main islets of
Tauhunu on the west coast (where the government administration is based) and
Tukao in the north, (where
Manihiki Island Airport is located). Each settlement has a school, churches, stores and a few pickup trucks. The total land area is approximately .
The major islands of the atoll (listed starting clockwise from the northernmost point of the atoll) are:
*
Ngake
*
Atimono
*
Motu Hakamaru
*
Porea
*
Te Puka
*
Tauhunu
*
Murihiti
History
Polynesians are believed to have lived on Manihiki since at least 900 or 1000 AD. According to local
folklore
Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
, the atoll was discovered by Huku, a fisherman from
Rarotonga, who noted a shallow area of sea and claimed it as his fishing ground. Later, this area was fished up by
Māui, becoming the atoll of
Rakahanga. Huku then returned and fought Māui for the land he considered to be his. Māui was driven off, but during the struggle part of the new land broke away, becoming the atoll of Manihiki. Another legend says that
Kupe, the explorer of
Aotearoa, came from Manihiki, also known as Fakahotu Nui, or Niiva Nui. His canoe was named by the ancient name of Tukao Village known as Te Matafourua. On his return from Aotearoa he renamed the Marae in the Village of Tukao (Te Matafourua) Te Puna Ruki o Toi Tu Rahui Te Rautea as Te Hono O Kupe Ki Aotea, shortened as Te Marae Hono.
Manihiki was originally used as a food supply by the inhabitants of nearby Rakahanga. Every few years the entire community would make the dangerous inter-atoll crossing, allowing the vacated atoll to restore. While they lived together in a single village on Rakahanga, when on Manihiki, the tribal groupings lived on separate motus under their ariki in separate villages.
It is believed that
Pedro Fernandes de Queirós first sighted the island in 1606 and called it ''Gente Hermosa'' (Beautiful People). However, on 13 October 1822, when it was sighted by the U.S. ship ''Good Hope'' it was named Humphrey Island by Captain Patrickson.
In 1828 the whaleship ''Ganges'' spotted the island and named it Great Ganges Island, as other whaleships named it Liderous, Gland, Sarah Scott and Pescado. Despite repeated renaming by explorers, the island now retains its aboriginal name.
In 1889, a portion of the population opposed missionaries and made an agreement with French colonial authorities stationed in
Tahiti to annex the island. In response a ship was sent, but the missionaries on Manihiki hoisted the British flag, causing the ship to withdraw without sending a landing party.
The island was claimed by the United States under the
Guano Islands Act, but the United States never acted on this claim, and the island was proclaimed a British protectorate by Commander A. C. Clarke, captain of on 9 August 1889. It was placed under the administration of
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
with the rest of the Cook Islands in 1901. Per the 1980
Cook Islands – United States Maritime Boundary Treaty the United States recognized Cook Islands sovereignty over Manihiki and three other islands.
[
In August 1963, a small boat, ''Tearoha'', set sail from Manihiki to Rakahanga for food. On leaving Rakahanga on 15 August 1963, the boat was blown off course in a storm, and eventually came to land again on 17 October 1963, at Erromango in ]Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...
. Four of the seven men on board survived to arrive at Erromango, but one of them died soon after. Teehu Makimare, of Tauhunu village, was later awarded the gold medal of the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand for his leadership and courage in this epic unintended voyage. The story has been told in Barry Wynne's book, ''The Man Who Refused to Die''. The Original Chief (Ariki) is known to be the Whakaheo Ariki. It is believed that the Whaingaitu Ariki title were the family of which were prayer warriors of the Whakaheo. In later years, families have been fighting for positions and titles of the land. It is believed that the first born daughters of the Whakaheo were not to succeed to Ariki, this title was given to the first born son. The title of the first born daughter is known as Whakatapairu.
In 1997 Cyclone Martin devastated Manihiki. Almost every building on the island was destroyed by the storm surge, 10 people were killed, and 10 more persons reported missing and were later declared dead by the Cook Islands Coroner. 360 people were evacuated to Rarotonga, with most never returning. Martin was the deadliest known tropical cyclone to affect the Cook Islands in over a century, after it caused 19 deaths within the Islands.
In February 2009, the mayor of Manihiki, Kora Kora, stated that the world economic crisis had driven up the price of essential goods to such an extent that it was provoking significant emigration to New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. He said that the population of Manihiki at that stage was just 280.
Demographics
Villages
There are two villages: the larger village is Tauhunu which is on the Islet of Tauhunu on the western rim of the atoll. The second village, Tukao and also known in the olden days as Te Matafourua, is at the northern tip of Ngake or Te Paeroa motu, which runs along the northern-eastern side of the atoll. The island is politically controlled by the Island Councils and a Mayor elected every three years by the inhabitants.
Tribes
The atoll is inhabited by two Fakaheo tribes, the Matakeinanga and Tukufare. Each tribe has 7 subtribes or groups:
The languages spoken on the island are Rakahanga-Manihiki and English.
Economy
The economy of Manihiki is dominated by the cultivation of black pearls and there are pearl farms dotted around the lagoon. Tourism provides a secondary source of income, although facilities are rudimentary.
The reef provides excellent swimming and snorkeling among colourful tropical fish and coral, making scuba diving a major attraction for visitors. Visitors are allowed to snorkel or free-dive but not scuba dive without a permit. Visitors can obtain a permit at the administration office either from the Island Secretary or the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor. There is good fishing in the open waters beyond the reef, including catches of Yellow-fin Tuna and Flying fish. Tours of the pearl farms can also be arranged.
Flying time to the island by Air Rarotonga takes about three and a half hours, and there is a flight every 2nd week Thursday from Rarotonga; however, flights are sometimes cancelled due to lack of passengers or lack of fuel at Manihiki.
The Tukao solar farm and Tauhunu solar farm provide 136 kW and 147 kW respectively.
References
External links
Manihiki, information and pictures
*
*
{{Coord, 10, 24, S, 161, 00, W, display=title, source:cawiki
Atolls of the Cook Islands
Pacific islands claimed under the Guano Islands Act
Former regions and territories of the United States
Cook Islands–United States relations
Former disputed islands
Northern Cook Islands