Aitutaki,also traditionally known asAraʻuraandUtataki,[3]is the second most-populated island in theCook Islands,afterRarotonga.It is an "almost atoll", with fifteen islets in a lagoon adjacent to the main island. Total land area is 18.05 km2(6.97 sq mi), and the lagoon has an area of between 50 and 74 km2(19 and 29 sq mi). A major tourist destination, Aitutaki is the second most visited island of the Cook Islands archipelago.
 NASApicture of Aitutaki | |
 Aitutaki highlighted in red in the Cook Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Central-Southern Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 18°51′S159°47′W/ 18.85°S 159.79°W |
| Archipelago | Cook Islands |
| Total islands | 15 |
| Area | 18.3[1]km2(7.1 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
| Largest settlement | Arutanga |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1,712[2] |
Aitutaki had a population of 1,712 in 2016.[2]The main village isArutanga(Arutunga) on the west side.
Geography
edit
Aitutaki is sometimes described as an "almostatoll",for it consists of a lagoon within an encircling atoll, with a significant area of high land on one side. It has a maximum elevation of approximately 123 metres (404 ft) with the hill known as Maunga Pu close to its northernmost point. The land area of the atoll is 18.05 km2(6.97 sq mi), of which the main island occupies 16.8 km2(6.5 sq mi).[3]TheOotu Peninsula,protruding east from the main island in a southerly direction along the eastern rim of the reef, takes up 1.75 km2(0.68 sq mi) out of the main island.[4]For thelagoon,area figures between 50 and 74 km2(19 and 29 sq mi) are found.[5][6]Satellite image measurement suggests that the larger figure also includes the reef flat, which is commonly not considered part of a lagoon.[7]
The barrier reef that forms the basis of Aitutaki is roughly the shape of an equilateral triangle with sides 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) in length. The southern edge of the triangle is almost totally below the surface of the ocean, and the eastern side is composed of a string of small islands including Mangere, Akaiami, and Tekopua.
The western side of the atoll contains many of Aitutaki's important features including a boat passage through the barrier reef allowing for anchorage close to shore at Arutanga. Towards the south of the side is a small break in the barrier reef, allowing access for small boats to the lagoon which covers most of the southern part of the triangle. Further to the north is the bulk of the main island. Its fertile volcanic soil provides tropical fruits and vegetables. Two of Aitutaki's 15 islets (motus) are also volcanic. The rest are made of coral.[5]
Aitutaki Airportis located close to the triangle's northern point. The southeastern part of the lagoon near Akaiami used to be used as a landing area forTEALflying boatson the "coral route".[6][8]
History
edit
Polynesiansfirst settled Aitutaki around AD 1225–1430. They maintained voyaging contact over a wide area, for the geochemical source of basalt adze heads found in this island can be traced back to quarries on Samoa to the west and the Society Islands to the east.[9]According to oral tradition, the island was named by Te Erui, who raised it from the ocean after traveling fromAvaiki.[3]Other traditions identify various settlers, including Ru, Te Munakorero, Kai, Ui-tario, andRuatapu.[3]
The first known European contact was with CaptainBlighand the crew ofHMSBountywhen they also arrived in Aitutaki on 11 April 1789, prior to the infamousmutiny.[3]
Aitutaki was the first of the Cook Islands to practiceChristianity,afterLondon Missionary Society(LMS) missionaryJohn Williamsvisited in 1821. The oldest church in the country, theCook Islands Christian Churchin Arutanga, was built byPapeiha(Bora Bora) and Vahapata (Raiatea), two LMS teachers Williams had left behind.
On 8–9 October 1900 seven instruments of cession of Rarotonga and other islands were signed by their chiefs and people; and by a British Proclamation issued at the same time the cessions were accepted, the islands being declared parts of Her Britannic Majesty's dominions.[10]Uniquely, these instruments did not include Aitutaki. It appears that, though the inhabitants of Aitutaki regarded themselves as British subjects, the Crown's title was uncertain, and the island was formally annexed by Proclamation dated 9 October 1900.[11][12]It was the only island in the Cook Islands that was annexed rather than ceded.
In 1942 New Zealand and American forces were stationed on the island. The American engineering firmSverdrup & Parcel,theNew Zealand Ministry of Works,US military personnel and many locals combined to build two airstrips which were completed on 14 November 1942. This airport, and one on the northernmostPenrhyn Island,were to be used as bases by theAlliesduringWorld War II.The first aircraft, an American light bomber, landed on 22 November 1942.[13]When the war ended some of the servicemen remained and married the locals.
During the 1950s Aitutaki's lagoon was used as a stopover forTEAL(Tasman Empire Airways Limited) flying boats on the famous Coral Route. The islet of Akaiami was used as a resting stop for passengers, who often lay about until the aircraft was refueled for two hours.[8]These operations ceased in 1960, and the only reminder are the remains of the purpose-built jetty on Akaiami. The flying boatAranui,which was part of this service, is now on display at theMuseum of Transport and TechnologyinAuckland,New Zealand.
Commercial banana-growing was introduced to the island in the late 1960s, but suffered a rapid decline due to wind damage, low prices, and inadequate shipping.[14]: 184–188 The industry was revived in the late 1970s, but collapsed after New Zealand adoptedRogernomicsand removed privileged market access.[15]A tourism boom began in the early 1990s, with tourist numbers doubling to 10,000 visitors a year in 1994.[16]
On 10–11 February 2010, Aitutaki was hit byCyclone Pat.The high winds of the storm ripped the roofs off of most houses and damaged other buildings including a school and a hospital. At least 60% of houses were damaged. There were no reported deaths but a few minor injuries were reported.[17][18]An Air ForceHerculescargo plane and an army engineering team were provided by New Zealand along with an initial $200,000.[19][20]Cook Island MPTeina Bishopsaid "New Zealand aid should have been sent to the devastated area much sooner".[21]
In June 2010 the island was nominated "the world's most beautiful island" byTony Wheelerthe founder ofLonely Planettravel guide.[22]
The delegates of the 2012Pacific Islands Forum,which had its main venue in Rarotonga, travelled to One Foot Island for a 2-day retreat.[23]
Demographics and settlement
edit| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1906 | 1,162 | — |
| 1916 | 1,302 | +12.0% |
| 1926 | 1,431 | +9.9% |
| 1936 | 1,719 | +20.1% |
| 1951 | 2,396 | +39.4% |
| 1961 | 2,582 | +7.8% |
| 1966 | 2,579 | −0.1% |
| 1976 | 2,423 | −6.0% |
| 1986 | 2,390 | −1.4% |
| 1996 | 2,389 | −0.0% |
| 2001 | 1,946 | −18.5% |
| 2006 | 2,235 | +14.9% |
| 2011 | 2,038 | −8.8% |
| 2016 | 1,941 | −4.8% |
| Source:[24] | ||
The population of Aitutaki was 1,941 in 2016.[24]
Aitutaki is subdivided in 8 districts. The districts are further subdivided into 19tapere(land holdings by tribe lineages).
The eight districts are:[26]
- Amuri (Te Upoko Enua)
- Ureia (Uriuri A Punga)
- Arutanga (Rutanga O Te Toa)
- Reureu (Te Mata O Teerui)
- Nikaupara (Te Maru O Toi)
- Vaipae (Te Vaipaepae O Pau)
- Tautu (Titi Ai Tonga)
- Vaipeka (Te Arekarioi)
The eight districts are subdivided into 19 tapere as follows:
- Amuri District
- Amuri Tapere
- Punganui Tapere
- Anaunga District
- Anaunga Tapere
- Punoa Tapere
- Arutanga District
- Arutanga Tapere
- Reureu Tapere
- Nukunoni Tapere
- Ureia Tapere
- Avanui District
- Avanui Tapere
- Vaipeka Tapere
- Taravao District
- Taravao Tapere
- Vaiau Tapere
- Vaiorea Tapere
- Tautu District
- Mataotane Tapere
- Tautu Tapere
- Vaipae District
- Oako Tapere
- Vaipae Tapere
- Vaitupa District
- Taakarere Tapere
- Vaitupa Tapere
Culture
editSport
editThe most popular sport on Aitutaki isRugby unionandnetball,followed closely byvolleyball.With a population of 2,000 residing on the island and 50,000 overseas, there are four clubs on Aitutaki and eight teams (each club having a first team and a reserve team). The best players on the island play for the Aitutaki island team against their main rivals Rarotonga.
Education
editAraura Collegeis the only secondary school on Aitutaki. The school has the role of teaching approximately 200 students from Year 7 (Form 1) to Year 13 (Form 7).[27]
The island has two government schools and one church school: Araura Primary school, Vaitau Primary School and Tekaaroa Primary School. Tekaaroa Primary School is a private special character school which is the designatedSeventh Day Adventist(SDA) school. Araura Primary is the larger of the primary schools, catering for the mostly populated part of the island and Vaitau Primary caters mostly for the Vaipae and Tautu villages. Tekaaroa Primary School caters for the Seventh Day Adventist children on the island.
Economy
editAitutaki is the second largest tourist destination in the Cook Islands, after Rarotonga, receiving 38,777 visitors in 2018.[27]As a result, tourism dominates the economy, with 36% of the labour force employed in the restaurant and accommodation sector.[27]The government is the next largest employer, employing 21%, with retail and wholesale employing 18% and agriculture, forestry and fishing 6%.[27]
Aitutaki is connected to the rest of the Cook Islands byAitutaki Airportand a port atArutanga.In September 2020 Aitutaki was connected to theManatua One Polynesia Fibre Cable,becoming one of the smallest fibre-connected islands in the world.[28]
Since 2000 Aitutaki has served as a filming location for a variety of TV shows, includingShipwrecked,[29][30]Survivor: Cook Islands,[31]andSurvivorman.
In 2019 a 750 kW solar array was installed as part of a plan to transition the island to100% renewable energy.[32]
Ecology
edit
Flora
editThe flora of Aitutaki is highly modified, and on the main island only a few patches of degraded native forest survive near the airstrip.[33]The main island's ecology can be divided into four zones.[34]The coastal flat is dominated byGuettarda speciosa,coconuts,Hibiscus, Pandanus, andHernandia moerenhoutiana.[34]The slopes are mostlyHibiscus tiliaceusinterspersed withtaropatches. The inland plateau is extensively cultivated, with plantations of coconuts, banana, citrus, and other food plants, as well as assorted introduced decorative shrubs.[34]The high ground on the island was cleared during World War 2 for military installations and now consists of grasses and weedy species.[34]ThemotuhavePemphis acidulascrub on the seaward side, phasing toSurianascrub and coconut forest, with the volcanic islands containing forests ofCalophyllum inophyllumwhich are not found on the othermotu.[35]
Fauna
editAitutaki is home to numerous species of sea- and shorebirds, including thered-tailed tropicbird,white-tailed tropicbird,brown booby,great frigatebird,brown noddy,black noddy,white tern,andPacific reef heron.[36]Land birds include thecommon mynaand theblue lorikeet.[37]The latter were badly affected by Cyclone Pat, losing over 50% of their population and virtually all juveniles.[38]Subfossilremains show thatKuhl's lorikeet,thespotless crake,and an undescribed species ofwhistling duckwere all at one stage extant on Aitutaki before being extirpated.[33]The main island has been designated anImportant Bird Area(IBA) byBirdLife Internationalbecause it supports a population of blue lorikeets.[39][40]
Minor islands of Aitutaki
edit
The main island of Aitutaki occupies the northern part of the atoll, which is roughly triangular in shape. The minor islands form part of the perimeter of thelagoon.All islands, including the main island and its peninsulaOotu,are listed starting clockwise from the northernmost point of the atoll:
| Island | Type | Area | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (ha) | (acre) | |||
| Aitutaki | volcanic main island | 16,800 | 42,000 | |
| Ootu | motupeninsula | 175 | 430 | |
| Akitua | motu | 14.86 | 36.7 | 18°51′00″S159°45′25″W/ 18.85000°S 159.75694°W |
| Angarei | motu | 13.07 | 32.3 | 18°51′25″S159°45′12″W/ 18.85694°S 159.75333°W |
| Ee(Niura) | motu | 29.21 | 72.2 | |
| Mangere | motu | 8.54 | 21.1 | |
| Papau | motu | 5.26 | 13.0 | |
| Tavaerua Iti | motu | 4.12 | 10.2 | |
| Tavaerua | motu | 12.47 | 30.8 | |
| Akaiami | motu | 41.91 | 103.6 | |
| Muritapua | motu | 4.04 | 10.0 | |
| Tekopua | motu | 71.29 | 176.2 | |
| Tapuaetai(One Foot Island) | motu | 5.96 | 14.7 | |
| Tapuaeta cay | sand cay | 0.95 | 2.3 | |
| Motukitiu | motu | 11.47 | 28.3 | |
| Moturakau | volcanic | 3.86 | 9.5 | |
| Rapota | volcanic | 3.1 | 7.7 | |
| Maina | sand cay | 16.96 | 41.9 | |
| Aitutaki Atoll | near-atoll | 18,050 | 44,600 | |
Tapuaetai(One Foot Island), a small islet in the south-east of the lagoon, is often said to be the most important attraction. It is regarded as providing the visitor with the best views of the Aitutaki lagoon and, depending on the tide, one is able to walk on a sandbank a decent distance away from Tapuaetai. The trip to this island is the most frequented trip available on Aitutaki. One Foot Island was awarded "Australasia's Leading Beach" at the World Travel Awards held in Sydney in June 2008.[41]
Ootu Peninsula is of coral formation, but attached to the main volcanic island, thus a peninsula. If it were an island, it would be the largest of the minor islands. Ootu Peninsula does belong totapereand district ofVaitupa.The minor islands are not allocated to any districts or tapere, but they do form part of the largerconstituencies.
All minor islets, except Akitua and Maina, are part ofVaipae–TautuConstituency. Akitua is part ofAmuri–UreiaConstituency, as is Ootu Peninsula, just north of Akitua. Maina is part ofArutanga–Reureu–NikauparaConstituency. The main island is equally divided among the three constituencies Arutanga-Reureu-Nikaupara (southwest), Vaipae-Tautu (southeast), and Amuri-Ureia (north).
References
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- ^Barott, KL; Caselle, JE; Dinsdale, EA; Friedlander, AM; Maragos, JE; Obura, D; Rohwer, FL; Sandin, SA; Smith, JE; Zgliczynski, B (2010)."The lagoon at Caroline/Millennium atoll, Republic of Kiribati: natural history of a nearly pristine ecosystem".PLoS One.5(6): e10950.Bibcode:2010PLoSO...510950B.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0010950.PMC2880600.PMID20539746.
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- ^"Commonwealth and Colonial Law"byKenneth Roberts-Wray,London, Stevens, 1966. P. 891
- ^"Commonwealth and Colonial Law" by Kenneth Roberts-Wray, London, Stevens, 1966. P. 761
- ^N.Z. Parliamentary Pp., A1 (1900)
- ^Chris Taylor (23 November 2017)."Aitutaki airport marks 75th year".Cook Islands News.Retrieved16 February2021.
- ^Taylor, C. N. (1981).Agricultural Change in the Cook Islands; Studies in the Human Ecology of a Pacific Microstate(PDF)(PhD). University of Canterbury.Retrieved16 February2021.
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- ^Simon Louisson (17 April 1994)."Falling coconut the only peril".Canberra Times.p. 23.Retrieved24 July2021– via National Library of Australia.
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- ^Reuters,18 June 2010,"Travel Picks: Top places to wed and survive a breakup",Miral Fahmy (ed.); accessed 29 January 2011.
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- ^"Constitution Amendment (No 11) Act 1982".paclii.org.Retrieved2 May2017.
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- ^abcd"Island Profile: Aitutaki"(PDF).Ministry of Finance and Economic management.Retrieved16 February2021.
- ^"Fibre switch-over: Surf's up in Aitutaki".Pacific Online. 1 September 2020.Retrieved16 February2021.
- ^"Reality show filmed in CI".Cook Islands News. 21 May 2011.Retrieved16 February2021.
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- ^"Survivor reality TV programme to be filmed in Cook Islands".RNZ.18 May 2006.Retrieved16 February2021.
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- ^abcdStoddart, David R. (1975)."Mainland vegetation of Aitutaki"(PDF).Atoll Research Bulletin.190:117–122.Retrieved16 February2021.
- ^Stoddart, David R. (1975)."Reef islands of Aitutaki"(PDF).Atoll Research Bulletin.190:59–72.Retrieved16 February2021.
- ^Peter Child (1981)."Birdlife of Aitutaki, Cook Islands"(PDF).Notornis.28:29–34.Retrieved16 February2021.
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- ^Kimberley Jennings (2011)."Cyclone Survival (Blue Lorikeet)".PsittaScene.Vol. 23, no. 1. p. 8.Retrieved16 February2021.
- ^"Aitutaki".BirdLife Data Zone.BirdLife International. 2021.Retrieved7 March2021.
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- ^"Australasia's Leading Beach 2008".World Travel Awards.Retrieved4 August2020.
External links
edit
- Cook Islands website – Aitutaki
- Aitutaki website by a long term resident
- Aitutaki Photo Gallery
- "Aitutaki – One of the World's favourite islands..."Archived5 August 2014 at theWayback Machine,Air Rarotonga
- An open access archive collection of index cards of plant and animal names of the Cook Islands atKaipuleohoneincludesinformation on Aitutaki.