TERAINA (WASHINGTON) ATOLL
Planned Field Station

(photos circa 1981)
 

Introduction to the TERAINA (WASHINGTON) ATOLL Planned Field Station

Introduction

Teraina (Washington) atoll is a tiny speck of land, and northernmost of the Line Islands in the Republic of Kiribati, although Palmyra, a U.S. possession in the Line Islands, is 120 miles northwest.  Referring to the chart in the left margin, it is just over three miles long by about one mile wide and, contrary to typical atolls, lacks a salt water lagoon.  Instead, it has a fresh water lake at the eastern end, into which Venice like canals feed runoff from the copra plantation strands covering the island.   It receives copious amounts of rainfall, as the rainfall rates rise with latitude north of the equator; thus it receives more than Tabuaeran (Fanning), which receives more than Kiritimati (Christmas).  Accordingly, it is verdant, densely wooded, has peat bogs, and has ample fresh water year-round.  However, owing in part to its lack of a lagoon, it lacks a safe anchorage, although one can attempt to land on the leeward side of the island, which typically is on the western and southern shorelines.  Upon arrival on the island one is instantly reminded of the old television program Gilligan's Island, except for the fact that there are several hundred friendly Kiribatese islanders there to greet you.

Geography

Owing to its lack of a safe anchorage, most people that would visit it in the future no doubt would arrive by air and land at the tiny coral gravel airstrip on the northern coastline by the shore.  This airstrip was built by Dr. Martin J. Vitousek, PhD, in order to provide reliable transportation to the island in support the operation of meteorological data collection stations he had installed there.  Building the airstrip became a community event, and was accomplished largely with manual labor.  Referring to the photograph in the left margin, a normal reaction of a passenger about to land on the strip when circling around to a final approach is to proclaim, "We are going to try to land there!"  However, owing to the steady northeasterly trades, and east-west orientation of the strip, it works!  In that photograph one can see in the distance some of the peat bogs in the interior of the island, and the rooftops of buildings at the western tip.  Referring to the aerial photograph of the lake in the left margin, one can see the eastern end of the island, fresh water lake, and a bit of the canals.  Also in the left margin is a high altitude photograph of the village at the western tip, which is most interesting as one can also clearly see the way that the northeasterly swells wrap around the tip of the island, which can make anchorage difficult and rough even on the leeward side of the island.   There is an interior road running the length of the island which is primarily used to transport copra from the lagoon to the drying racks, and it can be seen at the photograph in the left margin together with some islanders that were riding on a wagon towed by the only vehicle on the island, a tractor.  The Venice like canals, however, were created not for pleasure but practicality, as they are used to transport copra out from the copra strands over boggy ground which would not support a dirt road, and they lead to the fresh water lagoon from which the cross-island road terminates, and which can be seen in the photograph in the left margin.  Notwithstanding the poor anchorage, however, one can anchor if one is not too close to the shore and someone remains on watch, as can be seen in the photograph in the left margin of a yacht at anchor along the southern shore and visited by dolphins.

Proposed Field Station

Teraina (Washington) is an atoll that is probably unlike any other atoll in the world owing to its high rainfall rate, fresh water lake and lack of a lagoon, the replacement of almost all its indigenous vegetation with coconut palms, and archaeological evidence of past settlement by Pacific Islanders.  Accordingly, there is much to learn about the atoll and its environment, as well as its islanders, some of whom were Polynesians brought to it from Manihiki atoll in the late 1800s as plantation workers.  Therefore an Atoll Institute field station is warranted on scientific grounds, as well as being able to presumably provide needed and valuable support and services to the islanders.  Additionally, while there is little for tourists to do in the conventional sense, the island has a great appeal and allure for visitors that almost defies description - it is small enough to walk around, quaint, and welcoming.  In fact, for someone who wants to do absolutely nothing, it is probably the perfect spot on Earth.  On the other hand, owing to its small size and population, anything more than a handful of visitors would be disruptive and destroy the features of it which make it appealing.  Accordingly, it is felt that as part of the field station a handful of tourist villas could, and perhaps should, be erected in order to facilitate overnight stays by some visitors.  However, for most visitors a daytime visit of a few hours would be sufficient in order to see the island end to end, visit the lagoon and canals, and eat lunch.  For more learned visitors, the trip could include a visit to the copra plantation headquarters, and a small museum of sorts could be erected to instruct visitors about its history and unique features.

History

An interesting history of Teraina (Washington) through 1941 was given by Edwin H. Bryan, Jr., as a curator of the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, which is excerpted in the left margin.  Very little has changed since it was written.  It is understood that the population now numbers about 600 souls, the copra plantation continues to operate, and it was purchased by the Kiribati government around 1981. 

Prediction about the Future

In the last 125 years so little has changed on the atoll as regards the operation of the copra plantation, the lifestyle of the islanders, and the physical environment, that upon arrival it feels as if one has stepped out of a time capsule, and this is surely one of the greatest attributes to behold.  There is little doubt that in another 125 years life would exist much as it has, but for sea level rise.  Tragically, however, in the process of assessing and ranking atolls worthy of reclamation it seems rather unlikely that Teraina (Washington) will be amongst the few that will manage to make the cut.   Owing to its small size, poor reef structure, and lack of an interior lagoon, to name a few factors, it is very likely that it will eventually be abandoned, overtopped, and then return to being a sandy reef.  This makes it all the more precious now as a destination for people concerned about the future of atoll peoples and environments, who recognize the need to document as much as possible about them while it is possible, and will help these efforts by being a visitor in support of their economies.

Copyright © 2006, Atoll Institute, all rights reserved.      info@atollinstitute.org