Avarua facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Avarua
|
|
|---|---|
|
Town
|
|
     Top: Cook Islands National Auditorium; Middle: Para O Tane Palace, CICC Church; Bottom: Cook Islands National Museum, University of the South Pacific
|
|
_map.png)
Location of Avarua (star)
|
|
Districts and tapere of Rarotonga
|
|
| Country | Cook Islands |
| Island | Rarotonga |
| Area | |
| • Total | 28 km2 (11 sq mi) |
| Population
(2016)
|
|
| • Total | 4,906 |
| Time zone | UTC-10:00 (CKT) |
| Area code(s) | +682 |
| Climate | Af |
Avarua is the capital city of the Cook Islands. It is a town and district located on the northern side of Rarotonga, which is the largest island in the Cook Islands. The name "Avarua" means "Two Harbours" in the Cook Islands Māori language.
Avarua is an important hub for the Cook Islands. It has the Rarotonga International Airport (RAR), which connects the islands to the rest of the world. It also has Avatiu Harbour, a busy port for ships. In 2016, about 4,906 people lived in the Avarua District.
Parts of Avarua
The district of Avarua is divided into smaller traditional areas called tapere. There are 19 tapere within Avarua, out of 54 on the whole island of Rarotonga. These tapere are grouped into six larger areas called Census Districts.
Some important areas within Avarua include:
- Nikao: This is where the Cook Islands parliament building is located.
- Avatiu: This area is home to the main commercial port, where goods arrive and depart.
- Takuvaine: This is the downtown part of Avarua. It's where the Cook Islands government offices are, and it also has a fishing harbour.
Weather in Avarua
Avarua has a tropical rainforest climate. This means it is warm and rainy all year round. There isn't a big difference between wet and dry seasons, but it tends to rain more from December to April.
| Climate data for Avarua | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.8 (83.8) |
29.1 (84.4) |
29.1 (84.4) |
28.3 (82.9) |
26.4 (79.5) |
25.3 (77.5) |
24.6 (76.3) |
24.9 (76.8) |
25.6 (78.1) |
26.3 (79.3) |
27.2 (81.0) |
28.0 (82.4) |
27.0 (80.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.9 (78.6) |
26.2 (79.2) |
26.2 (79.2) |
25.4 (77.7) |
23.7 (74.7) |
22.7 (72.9) |
22.0 (71.6) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.7 (72.9) |
23.5 (74.3) |
24.4 (75.9) |
25.2 (77.4) |
24.2 (75.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.1 (73.6) |
23.4 (74.1) |
23.3 (73.9) |
22.5 (72.5) |
21.0 (69.8) |
20.1 (68.2) |
19.4 (66.9) |
19.7 (67.5) |
19.9 (67.8) |
20.7 (69.3) |
21.7 (71.1) |
22.4 (72.3) |
21.4 (70.6) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 256 (10.1) |
229 (9.0) |
219 (8.6) |
246 (9.7) |
199 (7.8) |
128 (5.0) |
112 (4.4) |
141 (5.6) |
138 (5.4) |
121 (4.8) |
171 (6.7) |
246 (9.7) |
2,206 (86.8) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org | |||||||||||||
Sister Cities
A "sister city" agreement is when two cities in different countries decide to become partners. They often share culture and learn from each other. On June 7, 2024, Avarua became a sister city with Honolulu, Hawaii. This agreement was signed by Prime Minister Mark Brown and Tou Travel Ariki, who is a leader in the Cook Islands.
