TOKELAU
LOCATION
Tokelau is a territory of New Zealand that consists of three tropical coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean. Tokelau was designated as a Non-Self-Governing Territory the United Nations General Assembly by(incomplete). The official name of the country was Tokelau Islands, until 1976. Sometimes Tokelau is referred to by its colonial name of The Union Islands by westerners of the older generation.
GEOGRAPHY
Tokelau comprises three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean between 171° and 173° W longitude and 8° and 10° S latitude, approximately midway between Hawaii and New Zealand. These atolls lie north of Samoa, about 500 km (311 mi) from it. These islands include Atafu, which was at one time known as the Duke of York Group, Nukunonu, also known as the Duke of Clarence Group, and Fakaofo, which was once called Bowditch Island. There are no ports or harbours on these islands and between them they comprise a land area of 10.8 km². The Swains Island (Olohega), under United States control since about 1900 and administered as part of American Samoa since 1925, is culturally, historically, and geographically, but not politically, part of the Tokelau chain.
HISTORY
Tokelau's atolls have been populated by Polynesians for about 1000 years, but it wasn't until the 18th century that 'Tokelau' came to exist. These previously fiercely independent atolls were finally united by a series of wars. When the wars came to an end, Fakaofo had conquered Atafu and Nukunonu, bringing them under the rule of the god(God) Tui Tokelau and creating the first united entity of Tokelau. Soon afterwards, Tokelau came to the attention of English and US ships sailing by and in the middle of the 19th century missionary groups began devoting time to the spiritual wellbeing of the Tokelauans.
Of late, the country has been moving towards self-government in free association with NZ (like the Cook Islands and Niue), but a referendum in February 2006 failed to result in independence for the tiny territory. However, even despite this failed attempt at independence, the government and administration has been progressively based in Tokelau itself in the last decade or so, instead of in NZ and Samoa. Current up-gradation in the infrastructure includes the creation of a reliable telephone system and direct Internet services.
CAPITAL
Tokelau does not have a capital. Each of the atolls has its own administrative center.
CURRENCY
The currency of Tokelau is the New Zealand Dollar (NZD)
LANGUAGES
Tokelauan is the official language of Tokelau. It is an Austronesian language a member of the Samoic family of Polynesian languages. Most people speak some English, thanks to their frequent contact with NZ, and it's taught as a second language in Tokelau's schools.
ECONOMY
Tokelau has the smallest economy of any country in the world. Tokelau has an annual purchasing power of about US$1,000 (€674) per capita. The country is almost wholly reliant on the subsidies it receives from New Zealand. It has annual revenues of less than US$500,000 (€336,995) against expenditures of some US$2.8 million (€1.9 million). The aid from New Zealand helps in making up the deficit. Tokelau annually exports around US$100,000 (€67,400) of stamps, copra and woven and carved handicrafts and imports over US$300,000 (€202,197) of foodstuffs, building materials, and fuel to, and from, New Zealand. The cost of medical and education services is also paid directly by New Zealand. Small-scale enterprises for copra production, wood work, plaited craft goods, stamps, coins, and fishing are part of local industries in the country. Great many Tokelauans have migrated to New Zealand for earning livelihood and support their families in Tokelau through remittances.
GETTING AROUND
Tokelau's name is Polynesian for north wind, and it's one of the most isolated places on earth. It takes 20 hours to sail there from its nearest neighbour, Samoa, and you can forget about flying - there's no airstrip. It's largely due to this remote factor that indigenous culture has been preserved on Tokelau to a far greater degree than elsewhere in the Pacific.
The ships that leave Apia for Tokelau are the only means of inter-island travel. All the three atolls are visited twice on each voyage by these ships. Sailing time is three hours Between Fakaofo and Nukunonu, three hours is the sailing time, and its five hours between Nukunonu and Atafu. The small islands on an atoll are usually traveled using a small aluminum dinghy, or by wading if the tide is low enough. The country has only a handful of vehicles.
CLIMATE AND WHEN TO GO THERE
Sitting just south of the equator, Tokelau is truly tropical, with an average temperature of 28°C and heavy but irregular rainfall. It's at the northern limit of the South Pacific cyclone zone, so tropical storms are rare but certainly not unknown - the most recent was Cyclone Percy in 2005.
Between April to October is the best time to visit Tokelau. During the months lying between November and January, ships are usually full of scholarship students and other Tokelauans living abroad, returning to spend Christmas with their families. The cyclone season lies between March and December and during this time a trip from Samoa could be rough.
WHAT TO DO AND SEE IN TOKELAU
Other than lazing under a palm tree, snorkeling in all those coral reefs rimming the atolls, or persuading an accommodating local to take you fishing, there's not a lot to do in Tokelau. Surprise! Community discos every now and then, as well as weekly bingo, a game of kilikiti are some of the activities that you can participate in. If you can hit the ball into the water with the wonky, which is a three-sided 'bat', you are sure to get a six. Diving in the lagoons, can be a great exciting adventure but you need to take extreme care as there are no lifesavers to rescue you, and the nearest decompression chamber is in Fiji. It is best to ask the locals for advice about the safest diving spots.
The main attractions on all the three atolls of Tokelau are within minutes of each other.
Atafu
Atafu is the smallest and also the most traditional atoll, of Tokelau's three atolls and it is located in the north. The alcohol sales are rationed and there is also a greater reliance on old-style dugout canoes. One of the best attractions to observe on Atafu are the traditional houses and there are more here than on any other atoll because of its supply of building wood, which is called kanava.
Fakaofo
This is the most southern atoll of Tokelau. In the 18th century, during the Tokelau Wars, it dominated the other two atolls. Even till date, Fakaofa still calls itself 'the Chiefly Island'. You will find here, a good example of a traditional village hall, which has a coral slab personifying the ancient Polynesian god Tui Tokelau. It has about 62 islets in all and of the three atolls has the highest population of roughly 600 inhabitants. For such a small place, the existence of three churches to cater to the atoll's Protestant and Catholic inhabitants is remarkable as well.
Nukunonu
The atoll of Nukunonu has 24 islets and is the largest of the three atolls that make up Tokelau. In addition to having the largest lagoon and is blessed with an abundance of pandanus trees for weaving. An extremely pragmatic village hall which basically is a cargo shed, is the most noteworthy main feature on the atoll
WHERE TO STAY
Accommodation must be arranged before you arrive in Tokelau, either with a hotel or local family. On Nukunonu there are only two places to stay, and one place each on Fakaofo and Atafu and all these places very basic facilities. An alternative way to stay would be to camp on the atolls' more remote islets, for which you would need to get permission before you visit though, as all the islands are owned.
In a desperate need to get away from it all? Head off to Tokelau, where there's no capital city, no airport, no harbour, no cars, no banks, no guns and no tourism. There's plenty of islands - 127 of them - fantastic lagoon diving and Polynesian culture at its most untouched.
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