Manuae
Encyclopedia
Manuae is an uninhabited atoll
in the southern group of the Cook Islands
, 100 kilometres south-east of Aitutaki
. It is administratively part of Aitutaki, but does not belong to any district or tapere
of Aitutaki. It is, however, part of Arutanga-Reureu-Nikaupara Constituency.
Manuae is a true atoll sitting on the peak of a submerged volcano which descends 4000 meters to the ocean bed. It comprises two horseshoe-shaped islets, Manuae to the west and Te Au O Tu to the east, with a total area of 6.17 km²on either side of a lagoon about 7 km x 4 km. Manuae has an area of 2.1 km², and Te Au O TU of 3.9 km². The lagoon is 13 km² in size, shallow and subject to large shifting sand banks. A coral reef surrounds the atoll and there is no passage through the reef.
The island is a marine park and is an important breeding ground for seabirds and marine turtles in the Central Pacific. The offshore waters of Manuae are good fishing grounds.
Captain James Cook sighted Manuae on 23 September 1773, the first of the Cook Islands he voyaged to. Initially he named it Sandwich Island but changed it to Hervey Island in honor of Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol
, then a Lord of the Admiralty when he decided instead give the name of "Sandwich Islands" to the Hawaiian Islands
. This name was later corrupted to Hervey's Island, or Hervey's Isle, and later applied to the entire southern group, as the Hervey Islands. This name remained popular until 1824 when the islands were renamed the Cook Islands by the Russian cartographer von Krusenstern
, in honor of Capt. Cook who had died in 1779.
In April/May 1965 the population briefly increased to 120 when the island was visited by six expeditions (from Australia, N.Z., Japan, U.K., U.S.A. and U.S.S.R.) to observe the total solar eclipse of 1965 May 30.
Norwegian author Erlend Loe
writes humorously about an expedition to Manuae in his 1999 novel "L
".
The island once supported a small copra
industry with a settlement established next to the small reef passage less than one kilometer northeast of Turakino, the westernmost point of the atoll. The passage, at the sea entrance, is less than 4 metres wide and in a swell is exceedingly dangerous without local knowledge.
The island has an airfield (dirt airstrip barely visible) that has been out of use for several years.
Fishermen from Aitutaki occasionally organise trips to Manuae. All regulations applicable to Aitutaki, apply to Manuae as well.
The population peaked with 32 at the 1956 census, but twenty years later the island was abandoned:
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
in the southern group of the Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
, 100 kilometres south-east of Aitutaki
Aitutaki
Aitutaki, also traditionally known as Araura, Ararau and Utataki, is one of the Cook Islands, north of Rarotonga. It has a population of approximately 2,000. Aitutaki is the second most visited island of the Cook Islands. The capital is Arutanga on the west side.-Geography:Aitutaki is an "almost...
. It is administratively part of Aitutaki, but does not belong to any district or tapere
Tapere
A tapere or sub-district is a low level of traditional land subdivision on five of the Lower Cook Islands , comparable to the ahupua'a of the main Hawaiian Islands. Among the populated raised islands, only Mitiaro is not subdivided into tapere...
of Aitutaki. It is, however, part of Arutanga-Reureu-Nikaupara Constituency.
Manuae is a true atoll sitting on the peak of a submerged volcano which descends 4000 meters to the ocean bed. It comprises two horseshoe-shaped islets, Manuae to the west and Te Au O Tu to the east, with a total area of 6.17 km²on either side of a lagoon about 7 km x 4 km. Manuae has an area of 2.1 km², and Te Au O TU of 3.9 km². The lagoon is 13 km² in size, shallow and subject to large shifting sand banks. A coral reef surrounds the atoll and there is no passage through the reef.
The island is a marine park and is an important breeding ground for seabirds and marine turtles in the Central Pacific. The offshore waters of Manuae are good fishing grounds.
Captain James Cook sighted Manuae on 23 September 1773, the first of the Cook Islands he voyaged to. Initially he named it Sandwich Island but changed it to Hervey Island in honor of Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol
Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol
Augustus John Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, PC was a British admiral and politician.-Naval career:As a young man, he entered the Navy, where his promotion was rapid...
, then a Lord of the Admiralty when he decided instead give the name of "Sandwich Islands" to the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
. This name was later corrupted to Hervey's Island, or Hervey's Isle, and later applied to the entire southern group, as the Hervey Islands. This name remained popular until 1824 when the islands were renamed the Cook Islands by the Russian cartographer von Krusenstern
Adam Johann von Krusenstern
Adam Johann Ritter von Krusenstern , was an admiral and explorer, who led the first Russian circumnavigation of the globe.- Life :...
, in honor of Capt. Cook who had died in 1779.
In April/May 1965 the population briefly increased to 120 when the island was visited by six expeditions (from Australia, N.Z., Japan, U.K., U.S.A. and U.S.S.R.) to observe the total solar eclipse of 1965 May 30.
Norwegian author Erlend Loe
Erlend Loe
Erlend Loe is a Norwegian novelist and screenwriter. He has gained popularity in Scandinavia with his humorous and sometimes naïve novels, although his stories have become darker in tone, moving towards a more satirical criticism of modern Norwegian society.-Biography:Erlend Loe worked at a...
writes humorously about an expedition to Manuae in his 1999 novel "L
L (novel)
L is a novel written by the Norwegian writer Erlend Loe. It is about a group of young men who go on an expedition to the small island Manuae in the Pacific Ocean. It was published in 1999, and was a big success.-Plot:...
".
The island once supported a small copra
Copra
Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. Coconut oil extracted from it has made copra an important agricultural commodity for many coconut-producing countries. It also yields coconut cake which is mainly used as feed for livestock.-Production:...
industry with a settlement established next to the small reef passage less than one kilometer northeast of Turakino, the westernmost point of the atoll. The passage, at the sea entrance, is less than 4 metres wide and in a swell is exceedingly dangerous without local knowledge.
The island has an airfield (dirt airstrip barely visible) that has been out of use for several years.
Fishermen from Aitutaki occasionally organise trips to Manuae. All regulations applicable to Aitutaki, apply to Manuae as well.
The population peaked with 32 at the 1956 census, but twenty years later the island was abandoned:
- 1956: 32
- 1961: 18
- 1966: 16
- 1971: 2
- 1976: -