Nurau Hohle

Nurau - Vai Nurau

Useful Information

Location:	Atiu Island. East coast. (-19.9971630767, -158.091725321)
Open:	after appointment. [2022]
Fee:	yes. [2022]
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Nurau Hohle.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1997	under water parts explored by the Australians David Goldie and Paul Tobin.

Description

Nurau Hohle is a strange name, the caves on the Cook Islands are either Ana (cave) or Vai (pool). This is actually both, but we are convinced Hohle is not a Maori word at all. Probably it's the German word Höhle (cave), without the dots on the o. We can only guess that there were once German cavers which gave the cave its name.

And the cave itself is also strange, it contains a cave lake, which is said to be 50 m deep and quite popular among divers. However, diving is only possible with a permission which requires cave diving experience. The cave is a dry passage which is similar to other caves on the island and contains many speleothems. Entrance to the water filled passage is a shaft which leads down to the lower level, which is more or less on sea level and on the level of the karst water table.