Battered Again

Cook Islands in Series of Bad Hurricanes

From Our Own Correspondent

Rarotonga, Feb. 7.

ON March 10, 1943, Rarotonga suffered its worst hurricane for a century.

For three consecutive years previ ously, heavy storms, during the hurricane season, had damaged orange, banana and coconut crops. Each island in the Cook Group suffered in turn.

Now, two further hurricanes have swept the Group, within the past two months.

In mid-December, high winds and heavy seas prevailed at all the islands of the Lower Group, except Rarotonga and Mangaia. An inter-island schooner, with a party of officials (including the Acting Resident Commissioner) making an inspection trip, caught the weather while lying off the island of Atiu, and was blown over 50 miles away. The officials had to spend six days on the island.

Meanwhile, a wireless message from Mitiaro, which was badly hit in March, reported that the island was again stricken and the food position serious- The schooner immediately returned to Mitiaro and the position was alleviated.

Considerable damage was also done at both Manuae, in the Hervey Group, and Aitutaki. Manuae, a privately-leased coconut plantation, lost several hundreds of trees and a large proportion of the crop.

A storm warning was received on January 30, and everything was quickly battened down in readiness. By 9 a.m. on the 31st, a strong northerly wind and high seas had sprung up. The hurricane reached its full force at 1 p.m., swung round from northerly to westerly, and was all over by 5 p.m.

The chief excitement of that day was when a schooner, lying in the exposed Avatiu anchorage, broke her anchor chain and two mooring ropes. With huge waves nouring in through the gap in the reef, the position was critical. A boat put out in the boiling sea and succeeded in makinsr fast additional moorings; but, even so, the situation was only saved by the wind suddenly veering to the west- Only slight damage was actually sus tained by the ship.

RAROTONGA suffered a 60 per cent, setback in the maturing banana crop and a large proportion of the oranges was blown off the trees. Bread fruit were a total loss. Owing to the direction of the wind, only slight dam age to housing occurred. This was mostly wrought by heavy seas on the beach side of the road at Arorangi.

Of the outer islands, Mangaia suffered worst, damage to houses, Government buildings and the dispensary being heavy.

The tiny atoll of Palmerston, which had been reckoned as directly in the path of the storm, escaped without severe damage.

Not within the memory of living man have the Cook Islands suffered such an unfortunate series of hurricanes. The natives believe that there must be some thing seriously wrong with the mission aries’ prayers these days; and that seems as likely an explanation as any.

Lieut—Colonel H, T. Allan is at present enjoying furlough in Sydney. He for merly was a well-known resident of Wau, Ne'w Guinea. He joined the AIF in 1940; saw much service in the Middle East; and, in the past year, he has been on active service in New Guinea, actually within comparatively short distance of his own mining property.