The Complete Travel Guide to Manuae

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How to Get to Manuae

Manuae is the most difficult of the Southern Cook Islands to visit, and perhaps the most challenging of all the Cook Islands. Even the locals rarely use the rich fishing grounds surrounding the coral atoll, especially given the challenges of its very narrow entry passage into the lagoon, which requires the calmest of sea conditions to navigate.

Those who are determined can arrange a visit to Manuae by contacting the indigenous owners via their website, manuae.org. You’ll need an experienced local boat operator who knows the atoll well, has a well-equipped motorboat with appropriate safety equipment, and can spare a day for the journey there and back.

The 101 km (63 mi) crossing from Aitutaki to Manuae takes approximately three to four hours in each direction.

Private yachts can admire the islands from offshore, but will have difficulty getting onto land. Find out more about visiting the Cook Islands by yacht in our Sailing Guide to Rarotonga & the Cook Islands: Tips for Yachting in the Cook Islands.

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The History of Manuae

Dating back to the earliest known social history of Manuae, there is a disagreement between Atiu and Aitutaki on who settled the atoll first. One story is of two Atiuan brothers and their Aitutakian wives being first. Meanwhile, Aitutakians believe the island was first discovered by the Polynesian explorer and one of the high chiefs of Rarotonga and Aitutaki, Ruatapu.

Ruatapu was said to have named the island “Manu Enua”, meaning “Bird Island”. His son, Tupui, was thought to have then called the atoll “Te-Au-O-Tupui,” meaning “The Kingdom of Tupui.” The slightly shortened version of this name has stuck for the eastern motu to this day.

European Discovery of Manuae

Manuae’s European claim to fame is that it was the first island in the Cook Islands to be spotted by Captain James Cook, who sailed past the island in 1773, calling it “Sandwich Island”. He then changed its name to “Hervey Island” after he named the Hawaiian Islands the “Sandwich Islands” instead.

On Cook’s 1777 voyage, he stopped at Manuae and spoke with the island’s inhabitants, and through his Tahitian interpreter, Omai, discovered that the island was at that time under the control of Atiu.

In 1823, the missionary who introduced Christianity to the Cook Islands, John Williams, visited the island to find 60 inhabitants. Soon after, these inhabitants killed a group of Aitutakians gathering copra, which in turn, resulted in a raid that wiped out the island’s population. Those who survived were taken back to Aitutaki by missionaries.

Throughout the 1800s, Europeans made temporary homes on the island, most notably William Marsters, who later moved to (and populated) the island of Palmerston with his three wives. You can learn more about that story in The Complete Travel Guide to Palmerston.

Prisoners, Casinos and Protection

In the late 1890s and early 1900s, Manuae was used as a penal colony until about 1915. After that, a small settlement was established next to the reef passage on the northern point of the Manuae motu to start a copra industry. However, the settlement was abandoned in the mid-1960s after copra prices plummeted.

In the early 1980s, a small airstrip was constructed on the island as part of plans to develop the island into an exclusive resort with a casino. Thankfully, this didn’t come to fruition.

The Proprietors of Manuae Incorporated (PMI) was established by court order in 1983 to represent the descendants of the original indigenous population. The PMI committee members are elected regularly by these landowning descendants.

In October 2022, the PMI established the not-for-profit Manuae Enua Conservation Trust (MECT) to represent the interests of landowners in managing Manuae for conservation and sustainable development. Only landowners and their descendants can be trustees.

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Top 3 Things to Do on Manuae

Simply making it to this island is an achievement in itself and something you can tick off your “bucket list”. If you’re one of the very lucky few to visit this atoll, then you can expect experiences such as…

1. Seeing the ultra-rare bristle-thighed curlew – During the summer months, the world’s most endangered long-distance flyer makes the arduous journey from Alaska to Manuae every year.
2. Snorkelling and diving – Needless to say, a trip to Manuae needs to come with snorkel or dive gear at the ready, as the turtle sanctuary and coral have been left to thrive, untouched for decades.
3. Fishing – Although Manuae is too far a fishing ground for most Aitutakians, your local guide to the island will no doubt take the opportunity to angle for the abundance of bounty around the atoll.

See more typical Cook Islands experiences in the 101 Best Things to Do in the Cook Islands: The Ultimate List.