Manihiki, Cook Islands Northern Group

According to many, Manihiki is the most beautiful of the Cook Islands. It comprises 40 tiny islets encircling a lagoon two and a half miles (4km) wide. This completely enclosed body of water is the source of the island's greatest asset - black pearls.

Like its sister island of RAKAHANGA 18 miles north, Manihiki sits on top of an underwater mountain which rises 13,000 feet (4,000 m) from the ocean floor. But the island itself is flat and only a few feet above sea level. Polynesians are believed to have lived on Manihiki since at least 1500 AD. It was discovered by Europeans on October 13 1822 when the US ship "Good Hope" sighted it. Its commander, Captain Patrickson, named it Humphrey Island. It's 665 miles north north west of RAROTONGA.

Pearl Farming

Pearl farming, centred at Manihiki atoll, is based on cultivating the black-lip pearl oyster. Cultured pearls are a vital export for the Cook Islands.

A survey for the Ministry of Marine Resources in Rarotonga in the year 2000 calculated 1.5 million oysters were being cultivated. This survey also recorded 111 farms with a total of 690 culture lines and 424 spat collection lines. The total length of these farm lines was 160 kilometers, with the farms themselves covering seven square kilometres. A quarter of a million black pearls were being produced each.

The industry is at low ebb at the moment and has been overtaken by fishing as the Islands' main revenue earner after tourism. But the government is taking action to revive the industry.

A pearl farm...and its products

On the first day of the hurricane season of November 1997, cyclone Martin smashed huge waves through the villages and lagoon of Manihiki. Twenty people died. Some evidence of that day still remains - pieces of boats, tyres, trees and even fridges lie on the bottom of the lagoon.

The isolation of Manihiki seems even greater on a day like the one when this picture was taken at the island airstrip.

The beauty that is Manihiki

Population 351
2.1 sq mls/5.4 sq. kms

BEAUTY...AND ISOLATION

The fantastic pictures above were taken by Andrea Richichi, a scientist at the European Southern Observatory in Germany who, like me, enjoys travelling for the sake of it. I am grateful for his permission to reuse them on this site. Click on any picture for a larger version in a new window or tab.
Read Andrea's personal account of his visit to the Cook Islands