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This article is about the town in the Cook Islands. For the genus of spiders, see Avarua (spider).

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.

Avarua
Town
Top: Cook Islands National Auditorium; Middle: Para O Tane Palace, CICC Church; Bottom: Cook Islands National Museum, University of the South Pacific

Location of Avarua (star)

Districts and tapere of Rarotonga
Coordinates: 21°12′25″S 159°46′15″W / 21.20694°S 159.77083°W / -21.20694; -159.77083
CountryCook Islands
IslandRarotonga
Area

 • Total28 km2 (11 sq mi)
Population

 (2016)
 • Total4,906
Time zoneUTC-10:00 (CKT)
Area code+682
ClimateAf

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.

Climate data for Avarua
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)28.8
(83.8)		29.1
(84.4)		29.1
(84.4)		28.3
(82.9)		26.4
(79.5)		25.3
(77.5)		24.6
(76.3)		24.9
(76.8)		25.6
(78.1)		26.3
(79.3)		27.2
(81.0)		28.0
(82.4)		27.0
(80.5)
Daily mean °C (°F)25.9
(78.6)		26.2
(79.2)		26.2
(79.2)		25.4
(77.7)		23.7
(74.7)		22.7
(72.9)		22.0
(71.6)		22.3
(72.1)		22.7
(72.9)		23.5
(74.3)		24.4
(75.9)		25.2
(77.4)		24.2
(75.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)23.1
(73.6)		23.4
(74.1)		23.3
(73.9)		22.5
(72.5)		21.0
(69.8)		20.1
(68.2)		19.4
(66.9)		19.7
(67.5)		19.9
(67.8)		20.7
(69.3)		21.7
(71.1)		22.4
(72.3)		21.4
(70.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches)256
(10.1)		229
(9.0)		219
(8.6)		246
(9.7)		199
(7.8)		128
(5.0)		112
(4.4)		141
(5.6)		138
(5.4)		121
(4.8)		171
(6.7)		246
(9.7)		2,206
(86.8)
Source: Climate-Data.org[5]

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]

References

  1. ^ Hassall, Graham; Tipu, Feue (28 April 2008). “Local Government in the South Pacific Islands”. Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance (1): 7–29. doi:10.5130/cjlg.v1i0.766. Retrieved 2 May 2017 – via epress.lib.uts.edu.au.
  2. ^ “Official Map of Rarotonga”. Cook Islands Ministry of justice. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  3. ^ “Table 6: Rarotonga Total Population by Census Districts and Age Groups” (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 29 August 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. ^ a b Climate Avarua, Climate-Data.org
  6. ^ “Honolulu signs ‘historic’ sister-city agreements with Rarotonga, Cook Islands”. Hawaii News Now. 7 June 2024.

Source: en.wikipedia.org