Rakahanga

Rakahanga lies about forty kilometres north of Manihiki and the two were historically worked as one: the same people moved between them by canoe, occupying one while the other's coconuts recovered, a rotation that continued into the twentieth century. The atoll is small, with a nearly enclosed lagoon and a single village. Its population has fallen sharply as people moved to Rarotonga and New Zealand. The rotation between the two atolls was abandoned only in the twentieth century, and older residents still remember families making the crossing by canoe.

Background

People first settled the atoll about 1350 AD, and oral histories trace the original population to just two people. The expedition of Pedro Fernandes de Queirós came upon it on 2 March 1606 and saw some 500 inhabitants gathered on the beach, and Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen called on 8 August 1820 with the ships Vostok and Mirni. Rakahanga has four main islands and seven motus, a land area of 4 square kilometres and a highest point of about 5 metres. It lies 1,111 kilometres south of the equator and 1,248 kilometres from Rarotonga. The 2016 census counted 83 residents, and since 2014 all its electricity has been solar. Islanders speak Rakahanga-Manihiki, a language distinct from Cook Islands Maori.

Source: Wikipedia, "Rakahanga"

What you'll find

• The paired history - the rotation between this atoll and Manihiki by canoe.
• The enclosed lagoon - the nearly closed water at the atoll's centre.
• The single village - the settlement holding the remaining population.
• The coconut groves - the plantations the rotation was worked around.

When to go

May to October is the drier season outside the cyclone months. Cyclone season runs November to April. Access depends on reaching Manihiki first.

Things to know

Getting there means a flight to Manihiki and then a boat, both irregular. The population is small and accommodation is by homestay arrangement. Facilities are minimal.

Nearby

Manihiki is south, and Penrhyn is northeast.

Key facts