Rarotonga, Cook Islands

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Written by Ronald Toppe

Statsraad Lehmkuhl visits Rarotonga, Cook Islands 13-15. June 2022.

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June 14 we got this message from the ship:

- We are anchored off beautiful Rarotonga, which is the largest of the Cook Islands. But this time we must probably enjoy the view from the ship. Both before and after departure from Tahiti a few days ago, we carried out routine Covid-testing of everyone on board. When testing at sea Sunday, five cases of Covid-19 were discovered. The five were quickly isolated and only two of them have symptoms. Everyone is in good spirit, despite the isolation. We have tested all close contacts, all turned out negative. All on board will be tested again shortly. We hope we have managed to handle this in a good way this time also - we are starting to get some experience with Covid-19! The mood is otherwise good on board, and last night there was a barbecue on deck.

Due to the covid-outbreak on board, the ship had to be quarantined for anchor off Rarotonga throughout its stay.

Cook islands

Rarotonga is the largest of the Cook Islands, but still fairly small. Only 67 km², just a little bit larger than Manhattan. The 15 islands are an independent state in the Pacific Ocean, associated with New Zealand since 1965. The citizens are citizens of New Zealand, who also take care of foreign policy and defense.

Three quarters of the 17,000 inhabitants of the Cook Islands live on Rarotonga.

Rarotonga from the north. Photo: Creative commons / Thomei08

Low hills

Rarotonga is a volcanic island, formed 2.3 million years ago. There is no volcanic activity on the island now, and weather and wind have reshaped the landscape into low hills connected by sharp ridges.

The highest peak is only 658 meters above sea level.

Densely forested. Photo: Creative commons / Klotz

The inland is densely forested. All the settlements are along the coast, which are surrounded by a coral reef, 30 to 900 meters wide. The reef have several inlets, and it is inside such an opening that the port of Avarua, Avatiu and Ngatangiia are located. Avarua is the largest of them, and capital of the Cook Islands.

The lagoon inside the rest of the reef is shallow, only one and a half meters deep at most.

Titikaveka Beach. The lagoon is shallow. Photo: Creative commons / Robert Engberg

Protectorate

The Cook Islands were populated by people who traveled across the ocean from Tahiti and Samoa in large outrigger canoes. The oldest remains of settlements on Rarotonga are from the year 1000.

The first Europeans came here in the late 18th century. Throughout the 19th century, the island was widely used as a stop for merchant vessels and whaling ships, and Christian mission stations were established there. In the middle of the 19th century, the Europeans built trading posts, and when there were rumors that France was planning to conquer the island, it became a British protectorate in 1888, and annexed by New Zealand in 1901.

Statsraad Lehmkuhl anchored off Rarotonga. Photo: Malin Kvamme

The Cook Islands was named to honor the British captain James Cook. In the 1990 the government planned to change the name to reflect the Polynesian heritage, but the proposals were turned down in a referendum in 1994. But the discussion continued, and a new referendum may be underway.

Orange plantations

The mutineers from Bounty brought orange trees to Rarotonga, and several large orange plantations were established after World War II. The island also exports banana, papaya and vegetables.