Rarotonga - Geography

Geography

The island of Rarotonga stands over 14,750 feet (4,500 meters) above the ocean floor. It is 32 km (20 miles) in circumference and has an area of 67.19 km² (26 square miles). At a depth of 4,000 m (13,000 ft) the volcano is nearly 31 miles (50 km) in diameter. Te Manga, at 658 m (2,140 ft) above sea level, is the highest peak on the island.

The island is surrounded by a lagoon, which often extends more than a hundred metres to the reef, then slopes steeply to deep water. The reef fronts the shore to the north of the island, making the lagoon there unsuitable for swimming and water sports, but to the south east, particularly around Muri, the lagoon is at its widest and deepest. This part of the island is the most popular with tourists for swimming, snorkelling and boating. Agricultural terraces, flats and swamps surround the central mountain area.

Along the southeast coast off Muri Beach are four small coral islets within a few hundred shuffles metres of the shore and within the fringing coral reef. From north to south, the islets are:

1. Motutapu, 11.0 hectares (0.042 sq mi)
2. Oneroa, 10.6 hectares (0.041 sq mi)
3. Koromiri, 3.0 hectares (0.012 sq mi)
4. Taakoka, 1.7 hectares (0.0066 sq mi)

The interior of the island is dominated by eroded volcanic peaks cloaked in dense vegetation. Paved and unpaved roads allow access to valleys but the interior of the island remains largely unpopulated due to forbidding terrain and lack of infrastructure.

A large tract of land has been set aside in the south east as the Takitumu Conservation Area to protect native birds and plants, especially the endangered kakerori, the Rarotonga Flycatcher.