Island of Pearls
Northern Cook Islands, Cook Islands
This beautiful atoll is the cultured black pearl capital of the Cook Islands, producing pearls that become centrepieces for fine jewellery worn by women and men worldwide. Locals use small outboard boats to travel between villages, or to their pearl farms set up on small coral outcrops.
Background
Manihiki sits atop an underwater mountain rising 4000 m above the ocean floor. Its stunning 4 km-wide lagoon is laced with 40 tiny motu (islets), which are strung along the reef.
The island was traditionally a food source for the islanders of nearby Rakahanga. When food ran out the entire population crossed the 42 kms of open sea in canoes and stayed until Rakahanga replenished its natural resources. This voyaging resulted in frequent loss of lives and was discontinued at the insistence of missionaries in 1852. Thereafter, the population has been divided between the two islands.