Tikehau

Tikehau (meaning Peaceful Landing in Tuamotuan) or Porutu-kai is a coral atoll in the Palliser Islands group, part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. It is included in the commune of Rangiroa.

Geography

Tikehau is located 340 km northeast of Tahiti in the Tuamotu Islands. The nearest atoll, Rangiroa, lies only 12 km to the east. Mataiva, the westernmost atoll of the same group, is located 35 km to the west.

The atoll's oval-shaped lagoon is 27 km long and 19 km wide with a lagoon area of about 461 km². The atoll is made up of two major islands and numerous islets. The Northeastern quarter of the atoll is a single, mostly uninhabited island. The whole atoll is surrounded by an almost continuous coral reef. There is a single pass deep and wide enough for navigation in and out of the lagoon: Tuheiava Pass is located on the Western shore. The islands and islets are covered with coconut palms. The main village is called Tuherahera.

History

The first recorded European to arrive to Tikehau was the Russian mariner Otto von Kotzebue. He called this atoll Krusenstern Island, after Russian explorer Adam Johann von Krusenstern; this name was later given to other islands as well. The Wilkes Expedition passed by this atoll on 9 September 1839.