Arorae or Hope Island is a small, 9.5-square kilometers island attracting the attention of a large number of tourists from various countries every year.

Why is Arorae so interesting for guests?

The symbol of the island is the famous "Arorae Navigational Stones" or Te Atiby-ni-Borau (in translation - stones for traveling). These are nine flat coral slabs, installed vertically. They are located in a very unusual place – on a cape placed above the ocean.

These stones are so ancient (according to some data they were installed in 1000-1300) that many locals do not have an exact answer when and how they appeared). The legends of the Arorae Island tell that these stones have always existed. Why and how they were used, myths and traditions do not explain.

When scientists were examining the stones, they came to the following conclusions: the location of the navigation stones completely repeats the routes of Micronesian sailors. That is why the stones were used as the signs for the ancient conquerors of the ocean.

Not far from these stones is located a "migratory" beach. It appears and disappears several times a year, in certain seasons. According to the legends of the locals, earlier, on a small part of the land were based migratory birds, flying over the ocean to another part of the world to get offspring. Today there are no birds but is a unique natural phenomenon.

There is another interesting fact. The stones of a smaller size, also flat and vertical, can be easily found on the territory of the island. But scientists can explain these ancient monuments: with these signs, the locals divided the parts of the land, coconut groves, fields.

Such a system of land division did not exist on any other islands, being a part of the Gilbert Islands.

Among the Arorae Navigational Stones, there is a special one. It is located far away from other "road" signs, and for 1600 km from this stone there are not any islands or other small land areas. There is a legend that it was a prison for those who broke the local laws. The person was brought to this stone on a boat and left there on a tiny pedestal. If he could return home on his own, it meant the gods forgave him, so the ordinary people also should do it. If he could not survive, then the criminal was sentenced for the committed crime.