Manihiki
| Manihiki | ||
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| Waters | Pacific Ocean | |
| archipelago | Cook Islands | |
| Geographical location | 10 ° 24 ′ S , 161 ° 0 ′ W | |
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| Number of islands | 40 | |
| Main island | Tokerau | |
| Land area | 5.4 km² | |
| Lagoon area | approx. 20 km² | |
| Residents | 239 (2011) | |
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Manihiki is an atoll in the Cook Islands known as the "Island of Pearls". The approximately triangular atoll is 1,160 km north of Rarotonga and about 44 km south of the neighboring atoll Rakahanga .
history
The Polynesians are believed to have lived on the island since at least 1500. For the Europeans, it was only discovered on October 13, 1822 by the US ship Good Hope and christened on Humphrey Island by Captain Patrickson . The United States then raised territorial claims on the island, which they ceded to New Zealand in 1980.
From 1854 Manihiki was visited and proselytized by missionaries from the London Missionary Society .
Geography and tourism
Manihiki is the top of an underwater mountain that rises 4,000 m above the sea floor. The 4 km wide lagoon is surrounded by 40 tiny reef islands ( Motus ) with a total of 5.4 km². The reef is good for swimming and snorkeling.
The island is considered to be one of the best diving spots in the region. Permission must be obtained in the village of Tauhunu . The open sea is good for fishing, and bonitos are found among other things . The island is known for its black pearls ; There are several pearl farms in the lagoon. The largest farm holds 250,000 pearl mussels. Tours are organized to the farms, where you can learn about the culture methods and watch the mussels being released for breeding. Tauhunu on the west coast is known for its pearl carvers and the Fare Ariki - one of the few old buildings that survived Cyclone Martin in November 1997.
The island can be reached in a four-hour flight every two weeks, on Tuesdays from Rarotonga.
population
The inhabitants speak rakahanga-manihiki . The administrative center is Tauhunu, the second village on the island is Tukao. In the 2001 census, the island had 515 inhabitants.
Web links
- Manihiki, information and pictures (English)
