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Atiu
is the third largest of the
15 Cook Islands, with a land area
of 27 square
kilometers
and a population of about 950 Cook Islands
Maori and a handful of expatriate residents.
Atiu
is a delightful little island surrounded by a number of beautiful, secluded
beaches and a raised coral reef called
"makatea," overgrown by an
enchanted tropical rain forest and riddled with caves. Atiu is the home of one
of the best coffees in the world: the
Atiu
Coffee.
The Atiu Coffee Factory
organizes a
guided tour through one of its coffee plantations. You can visit the processing
and roasting plant. The tour ends with a coffee tasting session at the
Atiu Fibre
Arts Sudio Cafe and Gallery.
Atiu's area is about half that of Rarotonga's. The low swampy land consists of
taro plantations, marshes and a lake, Te Roto. This fertile area also grows
bananas, citrus fruits, paw paws, breadfruit, and coconuts. The ancient name of
the island was Enuamanu, meaning the island of insects and animals. The Atiuans
understand it as meaning there were no previous inhabitants. The Atiuans call
themselves 'worms of Enuamanu' because they were born on Atiu and hope to be
buried there. The Atiuans were a fierce, warrior people and before the arrival
of the missionaries busied themselves with making war on their neighbors on
Mauke
and Mitiaro,
slaughtering and eating significant numbers of them.
Captain Cook sighted the island on March 31, 1777, and made tentative contact
with some of the people over the next few days. In common with most islands in
the southern group, Atiu has only a small, shallow lagoon. It compensates,
however, with many picturesque, sandy beaches. As is usual with the makatea
islands of the southern group, the fossilized coral limestone abounds with caves
filled with stalactites and stalagmites. One in particular, the Anatakitaki
Cave, is inhabited by tiny kopeka birds that navigate in the dark using
sonar, like bats.
Male visitors can enjoy the esoteric delights of the "tumunu" or bush
beer party. Technically illegal and banned ever since the missionaries descended
on these beautiful islands, the tumunu is a hangover (in more senses than
one) from the old-time kava ceremonies so detested by the missionaries, where drinking for hours was a
favorite pastime. However, they have survived, and "invitations" can be arranged
for visiting enthusiasts.
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