Mauke

Mauke is a low island of raised coral east of Rarotonga, and its best known feature is the church at Ziona: two villages built it together in 1882 and disagreed so completely about the decoration that they finished their own halves separately and put in two doors, and the interior is still divided down the middle in two different styles. Caves in the makatea hold freshwater pools, and Vai Tango is the best known.

History

Tradition says the island was discovered by Uke, and its name means land of Uke. John Williams of the London Missionary Society was the first European to sight it, in 1823, and left the Polynesian preacher Haavi to teach Christianity, and in 1825 Lord Byron of HMS Blonde called it Parry Island, after Sir William Edward Parry. Through the marriage of Ngamaru Rongotini Ariki, ariki of Atiu, Mauke and Mitiaro, to the Rarotongan Makea Takau Ariki, Mauke joined the Kingdom of Rarotonga in 1871; it became a British protectorate in 1888 and part of New Zealand in 1901, and in 1904 the rivalry between followers of the London Missionary Society and the newly arrived Catholic church led to the founding of the coastal village of Kimiangatau (Wikipedia, Mauke).

Highlights

• The divided church - the 1882 building finished in two styles with two doors.
• The cave pools - the freshwater chambers in the makatea, including Vai Tango.
• The makatea - the raised coral platform covering most of the island.
• The coastal beaches - the small sand pockets between the coral outcrops.

When to go

May to October is the drier season. Flights from Rarotonga are infrequent. The cave pools are usable year round.

Good to know

Flights are infrequent and cancellations are common. Accommodation is a handful of small guesthouses. The makatea is sharp and shoes matter everywhere off the roads.

Nearby

Mitiaro is north, and Atiu is west.

Key facts