Avarua Explained

Avarua
Settlement Type:	Town
Image Map1:	Rarotaperedistrict.png
Map Caption1:	Districts and tapere of Rarotonga
Coordinates:	-21.2069°N -159.7708°W
Subdivision Type:	Country
Subdivision Name:	Cook Islands
Subdivision Type1:	Island
Subdivision Name1:	Rarotonga
Area Total Km2:	28
Blank Name:	Climate
Blank Info:	Af
Population Total:	4,906
Population As Of:	2016
Timezone1:	CKT
Utc Offset1:	-10:00
Area Code:	+682

Avarua (meaning "Two Harbours" in Cook Islands Māori) is a town and district in the north of the island of Rarotonga, and is the national capital of the Cook Islands.

The town is served by Rarotonga International Airport (IATA Airport Code: RAR) and Avatiu Harbour.

The population of Avarua District is 4,906 (census of 2016).^[1]

Sub-districts

The district of Avarua is subdivided into 19 tapere (traditional sub-districts) out of 54 for Rarotonga,^[2] grouped into 6 Census Districts, listed from west to east. Census figures are not available on the tapere level, but only for the so-called Census Districts,^[3] also listed from west to east:^[4]

1. Nikao-Panama (1,373 inhabitants), covering the taperes of:
   1. Pokoinu,
   2. Nikao (seat of Cook Islands parliament), and
   3. Puapuautu;
2. Avatiu-Ruatonga (951 inhabitants), covering the taperes of:
   1. Areanu,
   2. Kaikaveka,
   3. Atupa,
   4. Avatiu (commercial port), and
   5. Ruatonga;
3. Tutakimoa-Teotue (314 inhabitants), covering the tapere of:
   1. Tutakimoa;
4. Takuvaine-Parekura (786 inhabitants), covering the taperes of:
   1. Tauae
   2. Takuvaine (downtown Avarua, seat of Cook Islands government, with Avarua fishing harbour)
5. Tupapa-Maraerenga (531 inhabitants), covering the taperes of:
   1. Ngatipa, and
   2. Vaikai;
6. Pue-Matavera (1,490 inhabitants), covering the taperes of:
   1. Tapae-I-Uta,
   2. Tapae
   3. Pue,
   4. Punamaia,
   5. Kiikii, and
   6. Tupapa.

Climate

Avarua has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) according to the Köppen climate classification with high temperatures and rainfall throughout the year.^[5] Although there are no true wet or dry seasons, there is a noticeably wetter stretch from December to April.

Sister cities

On 7 June 2024, Prime Minister Mark Brown of the Cook Islands and Tou Travel Ariki, President of the House of Ariki, signed a sister city agreement between Avarua, Rarotonga, and Honolulu, Hawaii.^[6]

External links

• • Photo of Government Radio Station Rarotonga c1950

Notes and References

1. Local Government in the South Pacific Islands. Graham. Hassall. Feue. Tipu. 28 April 2008. Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance. 1. 7–29. 2 May 2017. epress.lib.uts.edu.au. 10.5130/cjlg.v1i0.766. free.
2. Web site: Official Map of Rarotonga . Cook Islands Ministry of justice . 17 December 2020.
3. Web site: Table 6: Rarotonga Total Population by Census Districts and Age Groups . 29 August 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081014193903/http://www.stats.gov.ck/Statistics/CensusSurveys/census06/Cen06-Tab6.pdf . 14 October 2008 .
4. P.H. Curson: "Population Change in the Cook Islands – The 1966 Population Census". In: New Zealand Geographer, Vol. 28, 1972, pp. 51–65, map p.52
5. https://en.climate-data.org/oceania/cook-islands/avarua/avarua-3314/ Climate Avarua
6. Web site: Honolulu signs ‘historic’ sister-city agreements with Rarotonga, Cook Islands . Hawaii News Now . 7 June 2024 .