Black Pearl Farms

Manihiki produces some of the finest cultured black pearls in the world. The lagoon floor is covered with oyster baskets and lines suspended at depth, tended by local divers who have refined the seeding and harvesting techniques over generations. Pearl farming is the economic backbone of the atoll — without it, there would be almost no cash income on Manihiki at all.

Visiting a working farm is the most memorable thing you can do here. Arrangements must be made informally through contacts in Tukao or Tauhunu; there is no formal tour operation. Farm owners are generally willing to show visitors the process — the seeding of nucleus beads, the long growing period of two to three years, and the harvesting of the finished pearls. Buying directly from a farmer is possible and significantly cheaper than retail prices in Rarotonga or abroad.

The pearls range in colour from silver-grey to deep black, with overtones of green, pink, and peacock. Quality varies; examining several farms and farmers gives a better sense of the range than any single purchase.

things to do sight
A story
Manihiki pearls owe their colour and lustre to the black-lipped oyster Pinctada margaritifera, which thrives in the cool, nutrient-rich waters flowing through the atoll's passes. Farming began seriously in the 1970s and by the 1990s Manihiki accounted for more than 90 percent of Cook Islands pearl exports. Cyclone Martin in November 1997 devastated the industry — waves swept across the low islets, destroying farms and killing more than a dozen people. The farms slowly rebuilt, though they never fully returned to pre-cyclone levels.