Avatiu, Rarotonga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Kingdom of Rarotonga, (Cook Islands Maori: Mātāmuatanga Rarotonga) named
after the island of Rarotonga, was an independent kingdom established in the
present-day Cook Islands in 1858. In 1888 it became a protectorate of the
United Kingdom by its own request, and in 1893 the name was changed to the
Cook Islands Federation.

Rarotonga is the most populous island in a group of islands known as the
Cook Islands, with a population of 14,153 (census 2006).

Cook Islands' Parliament buildings, as well as the international airport,
are located on Rarotonga. Because it is the most populous island, Cook
Islanders may be referred to as Rarotongan, but they may in fact come from
one of the other 15 islands in the group, such as Aitutaki or Mangaia.
Rarotonga is also a very popular tourist destination with many resorts,
hotels and motels. The chief town, Avarua, on the north coast, is also the
capital of the Cook Islands.

Geography

The island of Rarotonga stands over 14,750 feet (4,500 meters) above the
ocean floor. The island is 20 miles (32 km) in circumference and has an area
of 26 square miles (67.19 km²). At a depth of 13,000 ft (4,000 m), the
volcano is nearly 31 miles (50 km) in diameter. Te Manga, at 2,140 ft (658
m) above sea level, is the highest peak on the island.

The island is surrounded by a lagoon, which often extends more than a
hundred yards (meters) to the reef, then sloping steeply to deep water. The
reef fronts the shore to the north of the island, making the lagoon there
unsuitable for swimming and water sports, but to the south east,
particularly around Muri, the lagoon is at its widest and deepest. This part
of the island is the most popular with tourists for swimming, snorkelling
and boating. Agricultural terraces, flats, and swamps surround the central
mountain area.

Along the southeast coast, off Muri Beach are four small coral islets within
a few hundred meters of the shore, within the fringing coral reef, listed
from north to south with their areas in hectares:

1. Mo tutapu 11.0
2. Oneroa 10.6
3. Koromiri 3.0
4. Taakoka 1.7

The interior of the island is dominated by eroded volcanic peaks cloaked in
dense vegetation. Paved and unpaved roads allow access to valleys but the
interior of the island remains largely unpopulated due to forbidding terrain
and lack of infrastructure.

A large tract of land has been set aside in the south east as the Takitumu
Conservation Area to protect the islands' native birds and plants,
especially the endangered Kakerori, the Rarotonga Flycatcher.

Science

On May 30, 1965, five sounding rockets were launched from Rarotonga for
studying a solar eclipse.

Subdivisions

Rarotonga is divided into five districts. Avarua constitutes the large north
district.

Places of interest

Palm-studded white sandy beaches fringe most of the island, and there is a
popular cross-island walk that connects Avatiu valley with the south side of
the island. This walk passes Te Rua Manga, the prominent needle-shaped rock
visible from the air and some coastal areas. Hikes can also be taken to
Raemaru, or flat-top mountain. Other stops should include Wigmore Falls and
the ancient marae, Arai te Tonga.

Popular island activities include snorkeling, scuba diving, bike riding,
horse back riding, hiking, deep-sea fishing, boat tours, scenic flights,
restaurants, dancing, island shows, squash, tennis, zipping around on mopeds
and sleeping on the beach. There are also many churches open for service on
Sunday, and the beautiful a capella singing alone makes them a must. The
pace of life is so relaxed at night people congregate at the sea wall which
skirts the end of the runway and watch the jets land.

Transport

There are three harbours, Avatiu, Avarua and Avana of which only Avatiu
harbour is of any commercial significance. Avatiu harbour serves a small
fleet of inter-islands and fishing vessels and cargo ships regularly call
from New Zealand. Large cruise ships have to anchor off shore.

Rarotonga is encircled by a main "ring" road that traces the coast. In
places there is also a secondary ring road slightly further inland. Due to
the mountainous interior, there is no road crossing the island. Rarotonga
only has two bus routes: Clockwise & Anti-Clockwise. Although they have bus
stops, the bus drivers drive around picking up anyone they see and dropping
them off when the passengers want them to.

Rarotonga International Airport is the main hub of inter-island
transportation with daily flights to Aitutaki, regular flights to Atiu,
Mangaia, Mauke and Mitiaro and occasional flights to the remote Northern
Atolls of Manihiki, Tongareva (Penrhyn) and Pukapuka all operated by the
local Airline Air Rarotonga.