Biology Reference
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cars. Growing in isolated spots on these heads were little fist-sized corals,
apparently started by larvae that had settled out of the plankton. I saw
some fish swimming around these stark reefs, but not in the abundance
typical of a healthy, living reef.
I asked the crash crew divers what had caused this massive die-o¤,
but they didn't know. They'd come to Rarotonga fairly recently from
New Zealand to work at the new jet airport, and whatever killed the
coral had happened before they arrived. To this day I have no idea what
caused the die-o¤. Theories abound, including pollution from agri-
cultural chemical runo¤, typhoon damage, or upwelling of deep, cold
water, but these are all just guesses. The coral will eventually grow back,
but it may take centuries before it reaches the massive size of some of
those dead brain corals.
The steady rain eased up a bit on my last day, and I took advantage
of the lull to rent a car and drive around the island. I found a historical
marker which proclaimed that at that very spot many hundreds of years
ago seven oceangoing canoes of the “Great Fleet,” led by master navi-
gator Kupe, had embarked on an epic migration southward to Aotearoa,
“land of the long white cloud.” It was an incredibly risky gamble. Who
knew if the new home to which they headed even existed? Without the
use of a compass, they navigated by deciphering the prevailing waves and
clouds and reading the paths of the stars and of migratory seabirds.
Those pioneering people became known as the New Zealand Maoris,
the first settlers of that island nation. Some in Polynesia dispute this
story and say the Maoris came from elsewhere in the South Pacific,
but the Cook Islanders firmly believe they came from Rarotonga. What
were the circumstances leading to that heroic voyage? Was their island
becoming overpopulated, its resources depleted and the land no longer
able to support the numbers of people? It's interesting to speculate on
their motivations, and one must surely marvel at their skill and en-
durance to survive such a journey.
My short time on this beautiful island over, I caught the Qantas
flight to Hawaii and then home. I would love to revisit Rarotonga be-
fore it becomes changed too much by the spreading influence of West-
ern civilization.
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