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The first European to see the island appears to have been Cap- 

 tain John Cook who visited it on June 20, 1774. Cook and some of his 

 men, including Forster the botanist, attempted to land at two differ- 

 ent places along the western coast of the island, as is recorded in 

 his account of the visit. He was met with strong armed opposition 

 by the natives and consequently was compelled to retire without 

 exploring the island or collecting natural history specimens. Be- 

 cause of the violent resistance offered by the natives. Cook gave it 

 the name of Savage Island and by this name it appears on some 

 maps. The natives, however, do not like the name Cook gave their 

 island but prefer the native name of Nine which is said to have 

 been derived from niit, the Polynesian name for the coconut. 



Most of the larger habitable islands of Polynesia are volcanic in 

 origin thus offering a diversity of elevation as well as other topo- 

 graphic features including streams, ravines, etc., commonly fa- 

 vorable for abundant plant and animal life. Niue, on the contrary, 

 is unique in that it is of the raised coral type of island. It has 

 been formed by the elevation of an original coral reef which was 

 nearly as large as the present island. The elevation was quite uni- 

 form so that the top of the island at present is nearly level or suffi- 

 ciently so that differences can scarcely be noted without instru- 

 ments. There is a slight dip toward the center of the island sug- 

 gesting that the reef was originally of the atoll type. Following the 

 initial uplift a new reef varying from about one hundred to four 

 hundred or more meters in width developed around the raised part 

 of the island. Eventually the entire island experienced an addi- 

 tional elevation with the new reef now forming a shelf or terrace 

 about the original island. The total elevation of the island at 

 present is between 65 and 70 meters at its highest point. The edge 

 of the outer terrace ends at the sea with, for the most part, abrupt 

 and precipitous cliff's often 20 or more meters high. A new coral 

 reef, over which at high tide the waves dash against the rocky 

 cliffs, is now forming about the island. Perhaps the island has 

 experienced other elevations but these two, at least, are apparent 

 to the geologically inexperienced eyes of a botanist. The geological 

 history of Niue should prove of great interest to students of the 

 raised-coral type of island. 



During the centuries since the first elevation of the island, the 

 coral has been undergoing decomposition and change. Naturally, 



