| Muri Lagoon | |
| Pushpin Map: | Cook Islands |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Muri Lagoon in the Cook Islands |
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Cook Islands |
The Muri Lagoon is a lagoon in the district of Ngatangiia on the eastern coast of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. The lagoon is a significant tourist attraction and the largest tourism revenue earner in the Cook Islands,[1] accounting for 25% of tourism bed usage on Rarotonga.[2] In 2015 the Cook Islands government declared the environmental condition of the lagoon a national disaster.[1]
The lagoon is approximately 1km (01miles) wide has a maximum depth of 1.25m (04.1feet).[3] It is bounded on the north by Ngatangiia harbour, and the south by the motu of Taakoka. It contains three small islets or motu. From north to south, the islets are:[3]
The islet of Taakoka (1.3ha) forms the southern boundary of lagoon.
The Avana and Turangi streams both flow into the lagoon.[3] Water circulation is driven by waves breaking across the reef, with outflow through the Ngatangiia Harbour.[4]
The lagoon is heavily polluted, with nitrogen from agricultural runoff and leaking septic tanks leading to the growth of noxious seaweed and decreased water visibility.[5] In 2015 the Cook Islands government declared the environmental condition of the lagoon a national disaster.[1] In 2016 the Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce began a program to scrape algae from the bottom of the lagoon.[6] In 2019 the government proposed a centrally-operated wastewater system to reduce the supply of nutrients.[7]
In December 2020 the lagoon suffered an anoxic event, and local residents were warned to avoid swimming or harvesting seafood from the area.[8]