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A rectangular atoll
with a land area the same as Pukapuka,
Rakahanga is the sister island of Manihiki,
26 miles (42 km) to the south. It comprises a lagoon surrounded by two
islands and seven small islets or "motu". It has the
distinction of being the first of the Cook Islands to have a recorded
landing by Europeans. This was on March 2 1606 when two ships from Spain,
the "Capitana" and "Almiranta", under
the command of Pedro Fernandez de Quiros arrived. Their voyage was the
last of the great Spanish voyages of exploration. A Spanish friar, Juan de
Torquemada, was so impressed by the physical attributes of the islanders
that he named it the Island of "Gente Hermosa", the
Island of Beautiful People. Other crew members gave the island names
ranging from Pilgrim to Slaughter. In 1820 Russians named it Grand Duke
Alexander Island and Americans called it Reirson Island and Little Ganges
Island. Other names were Francis Island, Princess Marianne Island and
Alliconga Island. Thankfully, none of these have survived. There are few written accounts of life
on Rakahanga. An Englishman, Julian Dashwood, who went there for a year in
the early 1930s, reported that food was frequently a problem since it
consisted chiefly of coconuts and fish. In his book which he wrote under
the nom-de-plume of Julian Hillas, "South Seas Paradise" he said:
"I spent a year on Rakahanga and put on
18 pounds, which I lost again within six months of leaving. I developed a
marvellous appetite and have never felt better than I did during that
period."
He attributed this mainly
to the fish and coconuts which formed 80 per cent of his diet, as well as
a complete absence of worry in any form. He wrote in 1964:
"Looking back over nearly 30 years, I
still give Rakahanga top rating. If there are places left where a man
can grow old contentedly, it is on some such quiet, drowsy atoll, where
today is forever and tomorrow never comes; where men live and die, feast
and sorrow, while the winds and the waves play over wet sands and
gleaming reefs."
Rakahanga lies 25 miles
(42 km) north of neigbouring Manihiki, Rakahanga is an atoll with a
picturesque, almost totally enclosed lagoon. There is no airport
and access is limited to a three hour ride by small boat (not for the
feint of heart!) from Manihiki or a three day voyage by inter-island boat
from Rarotonga.
There is no regular hotel or guesthouse in Rakahanga, although
accommodation might be arranged with local families.
A number of residents
find regular work in the pearl farm industry in nearby Manihiki. Before
the missionary’s established a base in these islands, the people of
Rakahanga ruled over the people of Manihiki Island. Canoe and sail were
commonly used as a means of linking these islands over a sometime
dangerous currents and unreliable winds.
For some time now, the more fertile soil on
Rakahanga has meant that locals can grow many crops and supplement the
food supplies of their neighbouring island of Manihiki.
For more
information on the islands of the Northern
group, go to:
For
more general information
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