Pukapuka

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This article is about Pukapuka in the Cook Islands. For the coral atoll in French Polynesia, see Puka-Puka.

Pukapuka is a coral atoll in the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Of the inhabited islands in the Cook group, it is one of the most isolated. It is also still known as "Danger Island" and appears on some maps as such. That name originates from 21 June, 1765 when British vessels, "Dolphin" under Commodore John Byron and "Tamer" under Captain Mouat sighted the island. They named it "Island of Danger" because of the high surf which made it too dangerous to land. It was called Isle de la Loutre by Captain Peron of "La Loutre" who sighted it on 3 April, 1796. It should not to be confused with Danger Island of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

664 people inhabit the island today, according to figures from the 2001 census.

The United States of America gave up its land claim to this island in a treaty signed with New Zealand/the Cook Islands on December 3, 1980.

Although the island features a well maintained airstrip, flights are very infrequent as the island is closer to Samoa than to the rest of the Cook Islands. The five hour flight from Rarotonga operates only once every six weeks or so.

Pukapuka is closer to Samoa than it is to the capital island, Rarotonga. It has its own language and customs and other Cook Islanders say its main asset is its “beautiful girls”. Its name derives from the puka tree which is commonplace.

The entire population is said to be descended from just 14 people who survived a catastrophic storm and tidal waves (a tsunami) over 500 years ago. It was given the name Danger Island in 1765 by an English commodore who found himself unable to land because of the heavy seas on the surrounding reef. The name still appears on some maps to this day.

Traditions and culture have remained unchanged for centuries.

The late American writer, Robert Dean Frisbie settled on Pukapuka in 1924 and immortalised the island in the books he wrote about it. He said at the time he was looking for a place beyond the reach of "the faintest echo from the noisy clamour of the civilised world". He found it, and to this day Pukapuka is one of the most untouched and secluded places in the Cook Islands.

The island and nearby Nassau (Cook Islands) were hit by Cyclone Percy in Feb 2005 - the fourth of five cyclones to hit the Cook Islands in five weeks in 2005 - and reconstruction work is still going on. An assessment by the New Zealand Air Force after the cyclone reported that only 10 per of houses on the Island survived intact.