Rarotonga
Encyclopedia
Rarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands
, with a population of 14,153 (census
2006), out of the country's total population of 19,569.
The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport
are on Rarotonga. Because it is the most populous island, Cook Islanders may often be referred to as Rarotongan, but they may come from one of the other 14 islands in the group, such as Aitutaki
or Mangaia
. Rarotonga is a very popular tourist destination with many resorts, hotels and motels.
The chief town, Avarua
, on the north coast, is the capital of the Cook Islands.
, at 658 m (2,140 ft) above sea level, is the highest peak on the island.
The island is surrounded by a lagoon
, which often extends more than a hundred metres to the reef
, then slopes 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 metres of the shore and within the fringing coral reef
. From north to south, the islets are:
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 native birds and plants, especially the endangered kakerori, the Rarotonga Flycatcher
.
.
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 many churches open for service on Sunday, and the beautiful a capella singing makes them a must. The pace of life is so relaxed that at night people congregate at the sea wall that skirts the end of the runway and watch the jets land.
significance and serves a small fleet of inter-island 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 road, Ara Tapu, that traces the coast. Three-quarters of Rarotonga are encircled by the ancient inner road, Ara Metua. Approximately 29 km long, this road was constructed in 11th century and for most or all of its whole length was paved with large stone slabs. Along this road are several important marae
, including Arai Te Tonga, the most sacred shrine in Rarotonga. Due to the mountainous interior, there is no road crossing the island. Rarotonga has only two bus routes: Clockwise & Anti-Clockwise. Although they are bus stops, the buses pick up and set down anywhere en route.
Rarotonga International Airport
is the international airport of the Cook Islands with Air Rarotonga
operating inter-island flights: 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
.
In the 2008 film Nim's Island
, Rarotonga is portrayed as a waypoint for fictional adventure writer Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster
) on her journey from San Francisco to a South Pacific island.
Yolanda Vargas Dulche named her novella and heroine after the island, an enigmatic woman with superhuman powers.
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
, with a population of 14,153 (census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
2006), out of the country's total population of 19,569.
The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and international airport
Rarotonga International Airport
Rarotonga International Airport is the Cook Islands' main international gateway, located in the town and district of Avarua, Rarotonga, three kilometers west of the downtown area on the northern coast....
are on Rarotonga. Because it is the most populous island, Cook Islanders may often be referred to as Rarotongan, but they may come from one of the other 14 islands in the group, such as Aitutaki
Aitutaki
Aitutaki, also traditionally known as Araura, Ararau and Utataki, is one of the Cook Islands, north of Rarotonga. It has a population of approximately 2,000. Aitutaki is the second most visited island of the Cook Islands. The capital is Arutanga on the west side.-Geography:Aitutaki is an "almost...
or Mangaia
Mangaia
Mangaia is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga.-Geography:...
. Rarotonga is a very popular tourist destination with many resorts, hotels and motels.
The chief town, Avarua
Avarua
Avarua is a town and district in the north of Rarotonga Island, the national capital of the Cook Islands...
, on the north coast, is the capital of the Cook Islands.
Geography
The island of Rarotonga stands over 14,750 feet (4,500 meters) above the ocean floor. It is 32 km (20 miles) in circumference and has an area of 67.19 km² (26 square miles). At a depth of 4,000 m (13,000 ft) the volcano is nearly 31 miles (50 km) in diameter. Te MangaTe Manga
Te Manga is the highest point of the Cook Islands, a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand, with an altitude of 652 metres .-External links: , Tramping New Zealand....
, at 658 m (2,140 ft) above sea level, is the highest peak on the island.
The island is surrounded by a lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
, which often extends more than a hundred metres to the reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
, then slopes 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
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
islets within a few hundred metres of the shore and within the fringing coral reef
Fringing reef
A fringing reef is one of the three main types of coral reefs recognized by most coral reef scientists. It is distinguished from the other two main types in that it has either an entirely shallow backreef zone or none at all...
. From north to south, the islets are:
- Motutapu, 11 hectare (0.0424712374451789 sq mi)
- Oneroa, 10.6 hectare (0.0409268288108087 sq mi)
- Koromiri, 3 hectare (0.0115830647577761 sq mi)
- Taakoka, 1.7 hectare (0.0065637366960731 sq mi)
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 native birds and plants, especially the endangered kakerori, the Rarotonga Flycatcher
Rarotonga Monarch
The Rarotonga Monarch , also known as the Kakerori, is a species of bird in the Monarchidae family. It is endemic to the Cook Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests...
.
Science
On May 30, 1965, five sounding rockets were launched from Rarotonga for studying a solar eclipseSolar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
.
Subdivisions
Rarotonga is divided into three main districts. Te Au O Tonga on the northern side of the island (Avarua is the capital), Takitumu on the eastern and southern side and Puaikura on the western side.Area attractions
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 (Papua 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 many churches open for service on Sunday, and the beautiful a capella singing makes them a must. The pace of life is so relaxed that at night people congregate at the sea wall that 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 commercialCommerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
significance and serves a small fleet of inter-island and fishing vessels and cargo ships regularly call from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Large cruise ships have to anchor off shore.
Rarotonga is encircled by a main road, Ara Tapu, that traces the coast. Three-quarters of Rarotonga are encircled by the ancient inner road, Ara Metua. Approximately 29 km long, this road was constructed in 11th century and for most or all of its whole length was paved with large stone slabs. Along this road are several important marae
Marae
A marae malae , malae , is a communal or sacred place which serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies...
, including Arai Te Tonga, the most sacred shrine in Rarotonga. Due to the mountainous interior, there is no road crossing the island. Rarotonga has only two bus routes: Clockwise & Anti-Clockwise. Although they are bus stops, the buses pick up and set down anywhere en route.
Rarotonga International Airport
Rarotonga International Airport
Rarotonga International Airport is the Cook Islands' main international gateway, located in the town and district of Avarua, Rarotonga, three kilometers west of the downtown area on the northern coast....
is the international airport of the Cook Islands with Air Rarotonga
Air Rarotonga
Air Rarotonga is an airline based in Rarotonga, Cook Islands and is ‘the airline of the Cook Islands’. It operates inter-island scheduled services throughout the Cook Islands. It also operates chartered flights to French Polynesia, Niue, Samoa and Tonga...
operating inter-island flights: daily flights to Aitutaki, regular flights to Atiu, Mangaia, Mauke and Mitiaro, and occasional flights to the remote Northern Atolls of Manihiki
Manihiki
Manihiki is an island in the Cook Islands known as the Island of Pearls. It is a triangular atoll north of Rarotonga.- History :Polynesians are believed to have lived on Manihiki since at least 900 or 1000 AD. Kupe was the first to explore Aotea Roa. Kupe came from Manihiki, also known as...
, Tongareva (Penrhyn) and Pukapuka
Pukapuka
Pukapuka is a coral atoll in the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean, with three small islets threaded on a reef that encloses a beautifully clear lagoon. It is the most remote island of the Cook Islands, situated about 1140 kilometres northwest of Rarotonga. It is a triangular atoll with three...
.
In the media
- The travel writer Robert Dean FrisbieRobert Dean FrisbieRobert Dean Frisbie was an American writer of travel literature about Polynesia.-Life:...
died on the island, after having lived there only briefly. - The 1995 album FinnFinn (album)Finn is the first album by The Finn Brothers, a music project of New Zealand brothers Tim and Neil Finn.The album was produced by Tchad Blake and the Finn Brothers in Auckland, New Zealand...
by The Finn Brothers ends with the song "Kiss the Road of Rarotonga", which was inspired by a motorcycle accident that Tim FinnTim FinnBrian Timothy "Tim" Finn, OBE is a New Zealand singer and musician. Finn is most known for his music with New Zealand 1970s and 1980s rock group Split Enz, and later for his solo work, a temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowded House and his joint efforts with Neil Finn as the Finn...
had during a visit there. - The U.S. television series Survivor: Cook IslandsSurvivor: Cook IslandsSurvivor: Cook Islands is the thirteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor, having premiered on September 14, 2006...
was filmed on Aitutaki, one of the islands in the southern group. One of the tribes was called Rarotonga (or Raro for short). - A number of feature-length films are linked to Rarotonga: Merry Christmas, Mr. LawrenceMerry Christmas, Mr. LawrenceMerry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is a 1983 film directed by Nagisa Oshima, produced by Jeremy Thomas and starring Jack Thompson, David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yuya Uchida, and Takeshi Kitano.It was written by Oshima and Paul Mayersberg and based on Laurens van der Post's experiences...
, depicting a Japanese POW camp for British prisoners in the island of JavaJavaJava is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
in the year 1942, was filmed here, The Other Side of HeavenThe Other Side of HeavenThe Other Side of Heaven is a 2001 film produced by Academy Award winner Gerald R. Molen and directed by Mitch Davis and stars Christopher Gorham and Anne Hathaway .-Overview:...
, which is set in NiuatoputapuNiuatoputapuFor the 2009 tsunami, see the main article: 2009 Samoa tsunami.Niuatoputapu is an island in the island nation of Tonga, Pacific Ocean. Its name means sacred island. Older European names for the island are Traitors island or Keppel island.Niuatoputapu is located in the north of the country,...
, TongaTongaTonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
, but was filmed in part on Rarotonga, and Johnny Lingo which was set here.
In the 2008 film Nim's Island
Nim's Island
Nim's Island is a 2008 Australian adventure-fantasy film directed by Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin and starring Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, and Gerard Butler. The story is based on the book Nim's Island by Wendy Orr. A young girl, Nim, seeks help from the author of her favorite adventure...
, Rarotonga is portrayed as a waypoint for fictional adventure writer Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
) on her journey from San Francisco to a South Pacific island.
Yolanda Vargas Dulche named her novella and heroine after the island, an enigmatic woman with superhuman powers.
See also
- AuparuAuparuIn the mythology of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, Auparu is a stream, the bathing-place of fairies....
- Kingdom of RarotongaKingdom of RarotongaThe Kingdom of Rarotonga, named after the island of Rarotonga, was an independent kingdom established in the present-day Cook Islands in 1858...
- List of birds of the Cook Islands
- Treaty of RarotongaTreaty of RarotongaThe Treaty of Rarotonga is the common name for the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, which formalizes a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the South Pacific...
- Roman Catholic Diocese of RarotongaRoman Catholic Diocese of RarotongaThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands is a suffragan diocese of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Suva. It was erected as the Prefecture Apostolic of Cook e Mnihiki in 1922, elevated to the Vicariate Apostolic of Cook Islands in 1948 and elevated as the Diocese of Rarotonga...
- Nukutere CollegeNukutere CollegeNukutere College is a Catholic secondary school located in Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. It is the country’s only Catholic secondary school and has an important educational role across the archipelago of islands...
