Plaque unveiled at Maui's Rock [1]
Thursday, May 4, 2017 - 17:36. Updated on Thursday, May 4, 2017 - 17:51.
A plaque was unveiled at Maui's Rock (also thought to be a tsunami rock) at Kala'au, Tongatapu on Tuesday, 2 May to raise awareness on the significance of the site.
Mr Nikai said he was delighted to visit the rock and touch it.
Recognising this site is related to raising awarness and building a society resilient to natural disasters, in which Mr Nikai had pushed efforts to adopt November 5, as World Tsunami Awareness Day by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
Researchers have hypothesized that this large coral boulder, which may possibly be the largest tsunami rock in the world, was brought 100m inland from the surrounding reefs by a massive tsunami that hit Tonga, thousands years ago.
In Tongan legend, the massive stone recounts the story of a demi-god Maui Kisikisi who was so angered when woken by the crowing of his father’s rooster that he tried to kill it. The frightened rooster escaped 'Eua to Tongatapu but Maui Kisikisi kept hurling the rocks at it, and where this boulder landed, the largest, would be the one that slaughtered the rooster.
Attending the unveiling of the plaque were Fekita 'Utoikamanu Tourism CEO, ‘Aisake Eke Tongatapu 5 People’s Representative to Parliament, Manu’atu as town officer for Kala’au and the delegation from Japan.