Manihi, or Paeua, is a coral atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago, part of French Polynesia. It is one of the northernmost of the Tuamotus, located in the King George subgroup. The closest land to Manihi is Ahe Atoll, located 14&nbsp;km to the west. The population is 648 inhabitants (2022 census). Mairie de Manihi<br />* : estimation

History

There are two ancient Polynesian ceremonial platforms constructed of blocks of coral (marae in Tuamotuan) on Manihi. The first recorded Europeans to arrive to Manihi were Dutch explorers Jacob le Maire and Willem Schouten on their 1615–1616 Pacific journey. They called this atoll "Waterland Island". British explorer John Byron, who reached Manihi in June 1765, called the atoll "Prince of Wales Island".

Economy

Manihi Atoll is today home to a great number of pearl farms, and was the site of French Polynesia's first black pearl farm.

There was a five star resort on Manihi, called the Pearl Beach Manihi resort, which has overwater bungalows in the lagoon.

This resort closed in late 2012.

There is one airfield on the atoll, inaugurated in 1994: Manihi Airport. It is located close to Turipaoa and is served by the local airline Air Tahiti.

Administration

left|thumb|Village of Turipaoa.

The commune of Manihi consists of the island Manihi and Ahe, that are both associated communes. The seat of the commune is the village Paeua.

See also

  • Manihi Airport

References

  • Atoll list (in French)
  • le Maire & Schouten
  • John Byron