Rarotonga
| Rarotonga | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Waters | Pacific Ocean | |
| Archipelago | Cook Islands | |
| Geographical location | 21 ° 15 ′ S , 159 ° 45 ′ W | |
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| length | 11 km | |
| width | 7 km | |
| surface | 67.1 km² | |
| Highest elevation |
Te Manga 652 m |
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| Residents | 10,572 (2011) 158 inhabitants / km² |
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| main place | Avarua | |
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Rarotonga (formerly Oruruti Island , Roxburgh Island or Armstrong's Island ) is the most densely populated island and with an area of around 67 km² the largest of the 15 Cook Islands in the South Pacific . The archipelago now forms the independent territory of the Cook Islands, which is in free association with New Zealand .
geography
Rarotonga is a typical Pacific volcanic island with a central mountain range, the peaks of which rise to over 600 m. The steep mountains form a watershed and rivers have carved deep valleys that are bordered by rugged rock ridges. From the air, the oval island has some resemblance to Tahiti-Nui , but is significantly smaller at 11 × 7 km in diameter. The basaltic rocks are 1.1 to 3.64 million years old.
The highest point is the Te Manga with 652 meters. The mountain region is densely overgrown with tropical vegetation and is only accessible in places by unpaved roads and footpaths.
The coastal plain is narrow, with a width of a few hundred meters up to 2 kilometers. The island is surrounded by an almost closed fringing reef, which includes a turquoise lagoon with only six passages, some of which are only partially passable. In the south the lagoon is somewhat wider and includes four small motu overgrown with palm trees . These are from north to south:
- Motutapu
- Oneroa
- Koromiri
- Taakoka
and to the northwest, at the airport, is the tiny one within the lagoon
- Matutoa.
All settlements and the agricultural areas are located in the narrow coastal strip. Typical for the landscape of the coastal region are alternating cultivated areas, fallow land and cultivated tree plantings with mango , breadfruit , citrus fruits and the Tahitian chestnut ( Inocarpus fagifer ). Yams and taro are also grown , mainly in the moist and fertile side valleys. The very common coconut palm is the basis for a small copra production.
The climate is tropical, hot and humid with only slightly distinct seasons and relatively constant temperatures of around 25 ° C. The rainiest months are January to April. The rain showers are usually heavy, but never last long.
Rarotonga is located in the cyclone- stricken region of the Pacific. In 2005, from February to March, five cyclones roamed the island. The cyclone "Meena" caused property damage in the millions.
According to a 2011 census , Rarotonga has 10,572 inhabitants. That is 73.6 percent of the total population of the Cook Islands. Like all the islands in the archipelago, Rarotonga is suffering from depopulation. Compared to 2006, the population decreased by 793 people. Young, educated Cookislanders aim to emigrate to New Zealand or Australia because of better career prospects.
Avarua
Avarua , the capital of the Cook Islands, is on the north coast. The settlement with around 2000 inhabitants, however, gives the impression of a tranquil village. Only a few buildings remain from the original colonial architecture . Sober functional buildings that are framed by a lot of tropical green dominate. Avarua has only one main road that continues as the coastal ring road around the island. The 31 kilometer long road opens up all other settlements. The public bus runs on it, the only public transport that runs alternately around the entire island to the right and left every hour, stopping at the request of the passengers.
At Avarua there are two artificially deepened, navigable passages in the coral reef , so that two ports, a small cargo port and a fishing port, could be created.
flora
The flora of the coastal region has been completely transformed over the centuries of human habitation. The undeveloped and cultivated areas are mainly covered by low and bushy secondary forest and matted fern thickets , dominated by Dicranopteris linearis . A relatively undisturbed mountain rainforest rises above the lowland vegetation, which has been damaged by multiple slash and burns , and can be divided into three vegetation zones.
Homalium forests
This form of forest covers the steep slopes and is dominated by the up to 20 m high species Homalium acuminatum , whose close-standing trunks support a dense, almost closed canopy. In between, some Elaeocarpus species and Canthium barbatum (synonym: Cyclophyllum barbatum ) grow . The giant liana Entada phaseoloides is also common.
Fagraea-Fitchia forests
The sharp rock ridges at medium heights are dominated by two low-growing trees: Fagraea berteroana (perfume tree) and the splendid red blooming Fitchia speciosa . Their extensive root systems give them a firm hold on the rocky ground despite the thin humus cover.
Metrosideros forests
Metrosideros forests ( ironwoods ) are widespread in the high altitudes of the Polynesian islands . On Rarotonga they occur on the steep slopes at over 400 m. A low growth form, up to about 8 m, of the species Metrosideros collina is dominant . Low growing Weinmannia and Pittosporum ( sticky seeds ) are also common.
The orchid species habenaria amplifolia is endemic to Rarotonga .
fauna
All the mammals on Rarotonga were introduced by humans, the Pacific rat by the first Polynesian settlers and pigs, horses, goats and other domestic animals later by the Europeans.
Insects and land snails are found on indigenous land animals. Among the birds, the endemic fruit pigeon Ptilinopus rarotongensis and the Rarotonga monarch ( Pomarea dimidiata ) are interesting.
history
According to legend, the god Tonga-iti found the island of Rarotonga floating in the ocean and his wife Ari caught it with an anchor. Ari dived deep into the sea and attached the foundations to the sea floor. Tonga-iti then gave it the name Nuku Tere, which means the floating island.
The missionary John Williams describes the following story, which he had heard from an old man: The island was once a southern appendage of Raiatea . The islanders built a gigantic drum, which two priests brought to the Marae Taputapuatea as a gift for the god of war Oro . However, the residents of Raiatea killed the two priests. This angered Oro so much that he split off Rarotonga and moved it along with its inhabitants to the south. It was also John Williams who spread the name Rarotonga, which is of Polynesian origin, in Europe.
When the initial settlement took place is controversial. It probably came from Tonga and Samoa around 200 BC. The New Zealand archaeologist Geoffrey Irwin says that the southern Cook Islands were settled as early as 700 BC. Chr. If one believes the orally handed down genealogies, there were two more waves of settlement from Raiatea and the Manua Islands .
First, the colonists settled in the coastal plain. With increasing population density, however, the settlements also grew up the valleys. The Australian archaeologist Peter Bellwood has demonstrated this using the example of the Maungaroa Valley in western Rarotonga. He was able to secure artfully laid out terraces for the taro cultivation and in the lower valley area stone structures and paving as well as remains of stone cult platforms that suggest a village.
Politically, Rarotonga was divided into three tribal areas or districts, Takitumu in the east, Te Au o Tonga (or Avarua) in the north and Puaikura (or Arorangi) in the west, which were in constant feud with each other, the cause of countless tribal wars.
It is possible that Rarotonga was sighted by the mutineers of the Bounty as early as 1789 . After the mutiny that occurred near Tofua , Fletcher Christian first sailed southwest to Tubuai Island , which is part of the Austral Archipelago. On the way there he sighted an island that "Jenny", one of the Tahitian women of the mutineers, called "Purutea". Whether it was Rarotonga or Mangaia or another island in the Cook Archipelago can no longer be traced.
Rarotonga was discovered for Europe in 1813 by Theodore Walker, captain of the schooner Endeavor . However, he did not go ashore. The first Europeans to set foot on Rarotonga were the crew of the schooner Cumberland a year later. The discovery of the island is an exciting and adventurous story:
On August 29, 1813, a mutiny had occurred on the brig Daphne near the Palliser Islands , in which the tyrannical captain Michael Fodger and three other crew members were murdered by Polynesian pearl divers who Fodger had recruited on Tahiti and the Tuamotus. Involved in the murder was also a Laskare called Amile, the Fodger previously on the island of Anaa had gleaned. Six Europeans got away with their lives and the mutineers sailed with the Daphne and the prisoners to Tahiti. In Matavai Bay they met the Endeavor , who was engaged in the salt meat trade between Tahiti and Australia under Captain Theodore Walker. One of the European hostages on the Daphne jumped overboard and called for help. Walker suspended an armed command, but the mutineers managed to escape. However, Amile was caught. Walker did not hesitate long and let him hang on the mast of the Endeavor . On November 9, 1813, the Endeavor returned to Sydney and Captain Walker had to answer for the arbitrary execution there.
When the evidence was taken, Walker presented his log . There was an entry that the Endeavor sailed from Tahiti at the end of July 1813 and passed close to a previously unknown island - as we know today, the Rarotonga - on its way via Moorea to Sydney. Walker had observed the island through the telescope and found that it was thickly overgrown with what he assumed was valuable sandalwood . The island seemed untouched.
Magistrate D'Arcy Wentworth, the coroner in charge of solving the case, had made a careful note of the passage in the logbook and the position of the island. While Walker awaited his trial, Wentworth founded the Sandal Wood Company with businessmen Garnham Blaxcell, Alexander Riley, William Campbell and his son William Charles Wentworth to exploit "Walker's Island". Blaxcell was the owner of the schooner Cumberland. Under the command of Captain Phillip Goodenough, the Cumberland sailed from Port Jackson on January 18, 1814 . On board were William Wentworth, as head of the company, and Goodenough's mistress, Anne Butcher. With a stopover in New Zealand, the Cumberland arrived off Rarotonga in May 1814. Two attempts to land at Ngatangiia failed; the residents proved to be too hostile. It was not until the third attempt, near present-day Avarua, that a peaceful agreement could be reached with the islanders, who let themselves be hired as workers for gifts. Goodenough did not find a single sandalwood tree, but in order not to return empty he had noni trees ( Morinda citrifolia ) felled, the roots of which provided a yellow dye for textiles. On August 12, 1814, the mood suddenly changed for unknown reasons. Allegedly, the Europeans stole the coconuts of the local ariki (chief) and took them away. When several crew members landed with Wentworth, they were suddenly attacked and Corporal John Crocker received a fatal blow. At the same time, other crew members were attacked in the same way elsewhere and three men and Anne Butcher were killed and eaten. On October 20, 1814, the Cumberland returned to Port Jackson. The company made no profit for those involved and Blaxcell's company went bankrupt shortly afterwards.
Since Rarotonga was apparently inhabited by "murderous cannibals " and no sandalwood could be found there, the island fell into oblivion. Whenever a ship passed the island, it was given a new name, for example: "Oruruti Island" (Captain William Henry), "Roxburgh Island" (Captain White of the Medway ) or "Armstrong's Island" on American nautical charts. The tribal rivalries of the islanders continued until the Makea tribe - in the north of Rarotonga - was able to prevail as primus inter pares .
In 1821 John Williams , a missionary from the London Missionary Society (LMS), landed on Aitutaki and converted the islanders with the help of preachers from Tahiti in a very short time. Papaiha , a lay preacher from Raiatea, came to Rarotonga from Aitutaki in 1823 . He was extremely successful and was able to convince all residents of the Christian faith within a year. John Williams returned to Great Britain in 1834, translated the New Testament into the language of Rarotonga and had it printed in London. With the mission, tribal rivalries ceased and trade with Australia, New Zealand and Europe began again.
As a result, traders and whalers reached Rarotonga. They brought firearms and alcohol with them, although the missionaries tried to prevent the less godly adventurers from settling. As everywhere in the Pacific, the Europeans spread infectious diseases against which the islanders had not developed any antibodies. Several epidemics reduced the population by more than half within 20 years.
In 1843 the French had annexed the Society Islands and the Catholic Order of the Picpusiens began their missionary work in the South Pacific, watched with suspicion by the Anglican LMS. Their missionaries warned the Ariki of Rarotonga against the expansionist efforts of the French, so that the highest Ariki, Makea Takau, turned to the British authorities in 1865 and sought protection. But it was not until 1888 that the British protectorate was formally declared over the southern group of the Cook Islands. Rarotonga became the main island and administrative center of the colony.
Transport and tourism
Rarotonga has a good tourist infrastructure. The accommodations range from private quarters to luxury hotels.
The runway of the "Rarotonga International Airport" allows the landing of wide-body aircraft. The scheduled air traffic is mainly carried out by Air New Zealand . The Islands Rarotonga and Aitutaki are common in South Pacific cruises driven.
The Union Steam Ship Company used to operate a port railway on Rarotonga. From 1992 to 2015, the lawyer and railroad fanatic Tim Arnold, who lives on Rarotonga, owned a Polish steam locomotive No. 1741 of the Px48 series .
Attractions
The main attraction in Avarua is the "Queen Makeas Palace", the former residence of the Queen. The buildings were renovated in the early 1990s after a cyclone caused severe damage. The palace is located in a lush, tropical garden with bright red flowering flamboyant trees. The interior cannot be visited as the buildings are still inhabited by the Queen's descendants.
Opposite is the Protestant church built in 1835 by the first missionaries. The American writer Robert Dean Frisbie , who has published numerous books on the South Seas, is buried in the picturesque cemetery next door . There is also the grave of the first Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Albert Henry, whose life-size bust, always adorned with a fresh wreath of flowers, wears the original glasses that he wore during his lifetime.
Not far from the cemetery, a little further inland, there is a small museum with a remarkable collection of Māori art and two original outrigger canoes .
A tour of the island by bus offers views of the sea and the mountains, the local passengers, who sometimes transport adventurous loads, are also of interest.
The old “Ara Metua” road runs parallel to the modern ring road, mostly at the foot of the hills. It has not been preserved throughout and today only opens up a few plantations. Originally the 5 to 6 m wide road was paved with basalt or coral blocks for two thirds of its length. At the side of the road you can occasionally see stone seats on which the ancients waited for travelers to hear the latest news. For hikers or cyclists, it still offers interesting views today.
In the northeast, not far from the old street, is the “Arai te tonga”, a stone cult platform built 800 years ago. The once most important place of worship on the island, which belonged to the powerful Makea tribe, is still sacred to the residents today. The Ariki, the (now democratically elected) Māori chiefs of the island, are still ceremonially introduced into their office here. The platform is shaded by mighty Barringtonia trees, which, according to legend, were planted personally by Tangiia, the founding father of Tahiti.
In the east of the island, behind a breakthrough in the coral reef, lies the old port “Ngatangiia”. According to tradition, the first settlers from Polynesia landed here. One of the numerous legends about the settlement of New Zealand says that 14 canoes ( waka ) are said to have set out from here in 1350 AD to settle the island of New Zealand, 3,000 kilometers away. The Cook Islands could be the fabled Hawaiki in New Zealand's myths. A replica of a large war canoe for the Pacific Art Festival in 1992 was meant to be a reminder.
Muri Beach is only a few kilometers away. The fine white sand beach, the blue lagoon and the view of the four palm-covered Motus make all South Sea dreams come true. The sailing club and most of the island's tourist hotels are also located here. Rarotonga's most beautiful sandy beaches stretch from here to the picturesque village of Titikaveka in the south.
Near the airport in the northwest, there is a large, black monolith ( Blackrock ) on the beach , around which many legends have grown up. From here, the souls of the dead are supposed to begin their last journey westward across the sea to the legendary land of Avaiki or Hawaiki , the origin of all Māori.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Valérie Clouard & Alain Bonneville: Ages of seamounts, islands and plateaus on the Pacific plate . In: Foulger, GR, Natland, JH, Presnall, DC, and Anderson, DL, (eds.): Plates, plumes, and paradigms, Geological Society of America Special Paper No. 388
- ↑ Cook Islands Census 2011 [1]
- ^ Peter Mueller-Dombois, Frederic Raymond Fosberg: Vegetation of the Tropical Pacific Islands . Springer, New York 1998, ISBN 978-0-387-98285-4 , Eastern Polynesia, pp. 392-394 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-1-4419-8686-3 (English).
- ^ Peter H. Buck: Arts and Crafts of the Cook Islands, Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bulletin 179, Honolulu, 1944
- ^ John Williams: A Narrative of Missionary Enterprises in the South Sea Islands with Remarks on the Natural History of the Islands, Origin Languages, Traditions and Usages of the Inhabitants, London, 1838
- ↑ Patrick V. Kirch: On the Road of the Winds - An Archaeological History of the Pacific Islands before European Contact , Berkeley 2000, p. 230
- ^ Geoffrey Irwin: The Prehistoric Exploration and Colonization of the Pacific, Cambridge 1992
- ↑ Peter Bellwood: Archeology on Rarotonga and Aitutaki, Cook Islands: A preliminary report , In: Journal of the Polynesian Society , Vol. 78, No. 4, 1969, pp. 517-530 ( online )
- ^ A b Henry Evans Maude & Marjorie Tuainekore Crocombe: Rarotongan Sandalwood - The Visit of Goodenough to Rarotonga in 1814 ; The Journal of Polynesian Society, Volume 71 (1) 1962, pp. 32-56
- ↑ Caroline Alexander: Die Bounty , Berlin 2004, p. 26
- ↑ Alphons MJ Kloosterman: Discoverers of the Cook Islands and the Names they Gave ; Cook Islands Library and Museum Bulletin 1, 1976
- ^ The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, Saturday, November 13, 1813
- ^ The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, Saturday, October 22, 1814
- ↑ Information Collected by the Navy Department Relating to Islands, Reefs, Shoals, etc., in the Pacific Ocean and South Seas, and showing the Expediency of an Exploring Expedition in that Ocean and those Seas by the Navy ; Documents Legislative and Executive of the Congress of the United States, Volume 4; Washington 1861
- ^ John Williams: A Narrative of Missionary Enterprises in the South Sea Islands with Remarks on the Natural History of the Islands, Origin Languages, Traditions and Usages of the Inhabitants, London, 1838
- ↑ Robert Briechle: Rarotonga. In: The Westconn Manifest - The Monthly Newsletter of the Western Connecticut Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. Edition March 2005, p. 4.
- ↑ Unexpected Journey December 29, 2014
- ↑ Stephenson Percy Smith : Arai-te-tonga, the ancient marae at Rarotonga ; Journal of the Polynesian Society, Volume 12, Issue 4, December 1903, pp. 218-220
