Te Ana O Rakanui

Te Ana o Raka


Useful Information

Location: Atiu Island.
South of the airport.
(-19.9718698, -158.11676276)
Open: after appointment.
[2022]
Fee: yes.
[2022]
Classification: SpeleologyKarst cave
Light: none, bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: no
Bibliography: George Szentes (2004): Caves of the Cook Islands, The British Caver Vol. 127 Spring 2005, pp 1-12, 13 color pictures, 1 bw picture, 1 map.
Address: Atiu Information Centre, Main Road, Teenui – between Vodafone and the BCI Bank
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History


Description

Another large cave on Atiu is the Te Ana O Rakanui (Ana = cave in the local language, which is a dialect of the Maori language). The cave was once the homestead of the Rakanui family. It is a complicated maze of corridors and large chambers. Large collapses interrupt the system. The passages are also decorated with spectacular speleothems.

This cave, similar to many other Cook Islands caves, was used as burial place. The remains of some ancient members of the owner's family can still be seen here.


Text from George Szentes (2004): Caves of the Cook Islands, The British Caver Vol. 127 Spring 2005, pp 1-12, 13 color pictures, 1 bw picture, 1 map. With kind permission of the author.

The cave Te Ana O Rakanui (Cave of Rakanui family) is a burial cave, were the ancestors of the Rakanui family were buried. It is also known as Raka’s Burial Cave. The cave is guided by the family, tours must be booked at the Atiu Information Centre. The cave is said to have 15 chambers.