Economy & Resources
During World War II, a substantial airstrip was built, which is still used today although flights to the atoll are not regular.
A large passage in the lagoon allows inter-island ships to enter the lagoon, and the island has become popular as a stopover for yachts crossing the Pacific from Panama to New Zealand. The inter-island Taio shipping company visits the island approximately every three months.
The locally produced Rito hats, woven from coconut fibre, are considered the finest in the whole South Pacific. The fibre is from young coconut leaves which are stripped, boiled and dried resulting in a fine white leaf. Called rito weaving, the traditional items woven are Sunday church fans, small baskets and hats, the hats being a copy of the ones the sailors wore.
Read more about this topic: Penrhyn (atoll)
Famous quotes containing the words economy and/or resources:
“Wise men read very sharply all your private history in your look and gait and behavior. The whole economy of nature is bent on expression. The tell-tale body is all tongues. Men are like Geneva watches with crystal faces which expose the whole movement.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“How many inner resources one needs to tolerate a life of leisure without fatigue”
—Natalie Clifford Barney (1876–1972)