Takutea

Takutea is a low sand cay about twenty kilometres northwest of Atiu, uninhabited, held in trust for the people of Atiu since 1950 and managed as a wildlife sanctuary. Seabirds nest on it in numbers, including red-tailed tropicbirds and frigatebirds, and turtles come ashore on the beaches. Coconuts were harvested there periodically in the past. Landing requires permission from the island council and is rarely given.

History

Takutea has never been permanently inhabited. It was first called Areuna, and the explorer Mariri renamed it Taka-ku-tea, my white ku, after catching a white squirrelfish there; the people of Atiu came to collect seabirds and coconuts and held it as tribal land, and when Captain Cook's men landed on 4 April 1777 they found huts but no village. Commander Nicolls of HMS Cormorant declared it under British protection in June 1889, Ngamaru Rongotini Ariki gave it to Edward VII in 1902, a gift overturned in 1938 because he had no right to make it, and in 1905 some 60 per cent of it was planted with coconut palms for copra. In 1950 the Land Court appointed three ariki and four mataiapo as trustees to hold it for the people of Atiu, visits fell away after 1963 laws limited voyages in traditional craft, and it has since been managed as a wildlife sanctuary (Wikipedia, Takutea).

What's there

• The seabird colonies - tropicbirds and frigatebirds nesting on the cay.
• The turtle beaches - the sand the animals come ashore on.
• The trust arrangement - the island held for the people of Atiu by trustees since 1950.
• The uninhabited state - a cay with no permanent population at all.

When to go

May to October is the calmer season for the crossing. Seabirds nest through much of the year. Landing depends on swell and on permission.

Things to know

Landing requires council permission and is rarely granted; most visitors do not get ashore. There is no water, shade or facility on the cay. Swell frequently prevents the crossing.

Nearby

Atiu is southeast, and Mitiaro is east.

Key facts