Minerva Reef is a natural phenomenon and a true wonder of the world. Located 800nm from New Zealand, 250nm from Tonga, and 450nm from Fiji – it is situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Minerva Reef is made up of the South atoll and the North atoll. During high tide both reefs disappear giving you the illusion of being anchored in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Many cruisers make it a priority to stop at one of the two reefs as they traverse between New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga. Very few people can claim that they’ve made this stop so it is a huge honor to experience it.
Minerva Reef was named after the whaler Minerva which was wrecked in 1829 on South Minerva reef. Unfortunately, the reef has claimed many shipwreck victims over the years. One famous wreck in 1962 called Tuaikapeau was even turned into a documentary depicting the victim’s survival on the reef for over three months.
These two atolls have been the center of much dispute between Tonga and Fiji. Both of whom have laid claim to the reef. As of now, Tonga claims ownership even though no living souls inhabit the land. Makes sense as the reef (or land) disappears every 12 hours during high tide.
Geography of Minerva
Minerva Reef is a limestone base made of uplifted coral formations on the top of a dormant volcano. During high tide, only a few pieces of the reef are visible. During low tide, much of the reef is clearly visible forming a figure 8 (south) and a circle (north).
South Minerva
Coming from New Zealand we approach South Minerva first. This atoll looks like two circular rings interconnected like a figure eight.
The west circle is only accessible by dinghy (see red arrow). We explore a bit here then head back before low low tide. The water is spectacular.
When we arrived, there was one boat here. By the end of the day 2 more boats arrived. But this is a huge lagoon and we were spread apart. The next morning the 3 boats left and we were alone in this beautiful location.
The lagoon has crystal clear blue water. However, the anchorage is pretty deep 18-30m which makes it hard to see the bottom. The diameter of this atoll is about 4.8km. We can clearly see the reef all around us during low tide.
We take Sweetie out to explore the reef. Even though we are hundreds of miles from the very cold NZ, I sill find myself shivering and did not want to get in the water. But we did take the dinghy all the way up to the reef and managed a great look around.
We find one of the two lights on South Minerva, although she is not working any longer.
North Minerva
North Minerva reef is almost a complete circle. On the NW corner there is a pass that allows vessels to enter the lagoon. This reef is about 6.8km in diameter and is a little more popular than its sister in the south. This pass and lagoon are easier to navigate and more pleasant to anchor in.
Another wreck occurred here on this atoll called the wreck of the Comonderry which is now a good snorkeling site. This was a steel ship which had a colorful history before she ran aground in 1969.
We snorkel around the bow and stern and find tons of wildlife in and around the sunken ship parts and pieces.
A beautiful sunset to make you smile.
Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind live events. We visited North and South Minerva around mid-July. If you are wondering how we got here, please read “Voyage: New Zealand to Minerva.”
In our last blog we shared our voyage from NZ to Minerva – did you read about those adventures?
