Anatakitaki Cave

Anatakitaki is a cave in Atiu's makatea, the raised coral platform that rings the island, and it is home to the kopeka, the Atiu swiftlet, a bird found nowhere else that nests in the dark and finds its way by a clicking echolocation that can be heard as you go in. The walk to the cave crosses sharp coral through bush, and the chambers inside hold stalactites and a pool.

Background

Anatakitaki, also called the Cave of the Kopekas, lies in the northeast of Atiu. This karst cave, 1 km long, was formed by solution and branches into many side chambers and passages, with formations of every kind along its length. A freshwater lake lies at its base, joined to the Pacific by the Tiroto Tunnel, which can be waded until its last stretch goes fully underwater. The swiftlets roost here in vast numbers and never land outside the cave. Roots, mostly from banyan trees, reach down to its deepest parts.

Source: Wikipedia, "Anatakitaki Cave"

The landscape

• The kopeka - the swiftlet found only on Atiu, navigating by audible clicks.
• The dark chambers - the sections where the birds nest beyond the light.
• The formations - stalactites and a pool in the deeper parts.
• The makatea walk - the route across sharp raised coral to reach the cave.

When to go

May to October is the drier season. Tours run daily on arrangement. The cave is cool inside year round.

Before you go

The walk in crosses sharp coral and proper shoes are essential. Guides are required and tours must be booked. The cave is dark and involves some scrambling.

Nearby

Lake Tiroto is nearby, and Atiu's villages are inland.

Key facts