TAKE ME HOME
I'M FREE
23
Island Craft Build a Ukulele Tourism Branding Air Rarotonga Pilots From Humble Beginnings
Island Music An Experience Not to Miss
www.escapemagazine.travel
One unforgettable Day “The view of the island from the plane was just spectacular.”
“I think we’d all forgotten how to relax, the cruise fixed that.”
“This tour was the highlight of our trip. We loved every minute of it.”
Flights depart daily (except Sundays) from Rarotonga Airport at 8.00am. Returns 5.30pm.
LM/SD 2023017
“Once they found the fish the boys snorkelled for hours.”
For more information see our hotel tour desk or call our reservations centre (7 days) on 22-888.
www.airraro.com
Aitutaki Cruising, swimming, snorkelling, relaxing over a barbequed lunch of freshly caught fish as you explore Aitutaki’s beautiful lagoon. A I R R A R O T O N G A’ S DAY T O U R I N C L U D E S : • Aitutaki island tour T H E VA K A C RU I S E • Island hopping • Delicious barbequed lunch served on-board • Complimentary towels and snorkelling equipment • Bathroom facilities • Round trip airfares from Rarotonga FFROM RO M $493 $459 PPER E R PERSON PERSON
CONTENTS Issue 23 July 2016
12
Up front
Tour of the Cook Islands
6
Introduction
11
An introduction to the Cook Islands
8
Contributors to this issue
22
Rarotonga
68
Aitutaki
78
Atiu
Features
42
82 Our South Pacific Home – Southern & Northern Group Islands
36 Meet the Pilots of Air Rarotonga Journalist Rachel Reeves talks to past and present pilots of Air Rarotonga and finds out what they went through and what makes Air Rarotonga special to them.
Regulars
42 Island Craft – Carving a Place in Cook Islands History Jess Cramp talks with Fletcher Melvin about the history of one of the oldest companies in the Cook Islands.
12 Art Scene Our writer Joan Gragg shares her experience of learning to play the ukulele.
48 From Humble Beginnings From the island of Palmerston to the highest position in Cook Islands society. A discussion with Tom Marsters, Queen’s Representative.
16 Book Worms A review of topical authors and their books.
56 Building a Ukulele Kirby Morejohn describes his experience building a ukulele and shares the stories of ukulele builders in Rarotonga.
20 Raro Rhythm Meet Henry Taripo born in Auckland to Cook Island parents and introduced to music at an early age recounts his early years in the music industry. Now a regular player on Rarotonga.
60 Cook Island Tourism Rebranding Cook Islands Tourism tells Rachel Reeves the reasons they went through a rebranding of their advertising to attract tourists to this little bit of paradise. 74 White Gloves and Cargo Nets Before there was an international airport in Rarotonga the only way out was by sea. Thomas Koteka tells us of his early trip to school in Auckland on the Moana Roa. 88 Raui in the 21st Century A raui is a ban on access or taking from an area for a set period of time. Discover how important the use of raui is to conservation.
18 What’s in Store? Taking a look in shop windows.
28
Island Cuisine We visit local restaurants.
62 Great Places to Stay A guide to some of Rarotonga’s best accommodation. 86 Culturally Significant Plants and Animals In this issue find out what is special about the pig/puaka and the breadfruit/kuru. 92 ‘The Bond’ Entertainment Guide The inside story on the best clubs, island shows and nightlife. 96
What’s On? A calendar of events and holidays.
Front Cover: The Availables – Tiko Photo: Noel Bartley
4 • ESCAPE
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EDITOR'S Note Kia Orana,
publisher RD Pacific Publishing Limited editors Margaret and Steve Woulfe design Christina Thiele | Ultimo Group Auckland, New Zealand printed in Korea Tara TPS Ltd Seoul, Korea advertising director Margaret Woulfe regular contributors Rachel Reeves Glenda Tuaine Joan Gragg Jess Cramp Kirby Morejohn advertising sales rarotonga Steve Woulfe Phone: (682) 23449 or 57298 Email: advertise@escape.co.ck distribution rarotonga (682) 57298 or email advertise@escape.co.ck distribution aitutaki Annie Bishop Phone: (682) 31009 Email: bishopcruz@aitutaki.net.ck Escape is published bi-annually by RD Pacific Publishing Limited P.O. Box 3010, Rarotonga, Cook Islands Email: advertise@escape.co.ck All contents of ESCAPE magazine are copyright of RD Pacific Publishing Limited. Any reproduction of any part of this magazine without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Over the past 5 years after many visits to Rarotonga we decided it was the piece of paradise we wanted to live in. After a lot of searching we were lucky enough to find that Noel Bartley the previous owner of Escape was looking to start enjoying his life on Rarotonga a bit more and we grabbed the opportunity to buy the magazine. We decided that the only way to really succeed was to move here lock, stock and barrel and live in Rarotonga. So we sold most of our stuff (we did bring a few personal bits with us), put our house on the market and arrived here in January 2016, which was when we took over from Noel. With Noels help and guidance this is our first issue and we give thanks to Noel and his wife Katrina for his help and her understanding. Noel’s hard work and dedication over the years to both the magazine and tourism in the Cook Islands was finally recognised at the 2016 Air New Zealand Tourism awards when South Pacific Publishing was awarded the Air New Zealand Tourism Industry Support Award for 2016. This was one of the top awards to be awarded. Some of the other winners on the night were: Air New Zealand Supreme Award and Tourism Attractions Award – Te Vari Nui Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award – Vara Hunter BCI Destination Wedding Planners – Muri Beach Club Pitt Media Group Customer Care Award – Moorings Café BSP Hotels and Resorts Award – Pacific Resort Aitutaki. Congratulations to all of the winners on the night and to Air New Zealand for their continued sponsorship and support of the tourism awards. In this issue on page 36 read the feature by Rachel Reeves about the pilots of Air Rarotonga and why they find the airline so attractive and hard to leave. On page 48 Rachel gives us an insight into the life of the Queens Representative or QR as he is commonly known in the Islands. Jess Cramp talks to Fletcher Melvin on page 42 about Island Craft, a company that started back in 1943 and is still run by the same family. With music such an integral part of Cook Islands life we find out how you make your own ukulele and a little about the music scene on Rarotonga. So finally a big thanks to all advertisers and contributors in this issue for your continued support, and especially you the readers for visiting this little piece of paradise. Kia Manuia Margaret & Steve Woulfe PS. In April 2017 the South East Asia Veterans Association Inc. (“SEAVA”) is holding a reunion for all past and present military and non-military personnel and their families who served in South East Asia between 1972 and 1989. This reunion is to coincide with Anzac Day 2017 in the Cook Islands. For more information, contact SEAVA on www.seava.co.nz. Further information will be in the next issue.
6 • ESCAPE
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CONTRIBUTORS Rachel Reeves Born and raised in California, Rachel Michele Teana Reeves has Atiu roots on her father's side. She moved to Rarotonga when she was 21 to get to know her Cook Islands heritage and fell in love with the island and island life. Rachel has been writing for Escape Magazine for six years. She has also worked as a reporter and columnist for Cook Islands News and a reporter for a newspaper in Los Angeles. In 2014, she was commissioned to write a book about the impact of Cyclone Martin on the atoll of Manihiki ; Matini was published a year later. Rachel is grateful to the people of the Cook Islands, who have welcomed her with warmth and aro'a.
Jess Cramp Jess is an American scientist, surfer, diver and writer who arrived in Rarotonga via Tahiti, after being convinced by a group of Cook Islands voyagers that their islands were the best in the Pacific. In 2011, she moved to Rarotonga and spent two years as a volunteer Programme Manager for Rarotonga-based Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative, helping to establish the shark sanctuary and falling in love with the people, landscapes and culture of the Cook Islands. She was named an Emerging Explorer by National Geographic for her work in marine conservation and is currently pursuing a PhD in sharks. When not working, Jess can be found at reef passes, either surfing or exploring underwater.
Kirby Morejohn
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8 • ESCAPE
Born and raised in California, Kirby Morejohn is a marine biologist who is currently based in the Cook Islands, where he and his partner, Jess Cramp, are studying sharks. Kirby enjoys photography, diving, freedive hunting, and cooking wild caught and locally harvested foods.
Glenda Tuaine Glenda has lived in Rarotonga since 2005 when she returned to be the Marketing Director for Cook Islands Tourism after working in the New Zealand Arts industry as a Festival Director, Producer, Writer, sometime Radio and TV Presenter and all round arts advocate. Now Glenda and her husband Mo run the successful creative company Motone focusing on Music and Performing arts development in Rarotonga and Aitutaki. Glenda is of Aitutaki and Rarotongan descent and when not working on a myriad of projects can be found at the beach with her daughter Ruby and dog Nemo.
Also Sandra Paterson, Glenda Tuaine, Nerys Case, Joan Gragg, Judith Kunzle, Peter Morse, Ewan Smith, Julian Zeman, Noel Bartley, Florence Syme - Buchanan, Matariki Wilson, Alan Syme, Thomas Koteka, Margaret Woulfe and Steve Woulfe.
Island Escape Forty years ago, an Air New Zealand DC10 arrived in Rarotonga carrying a youthful Australian family on the adventure of a lifetime. Disenchanted with the duties of a suburban housewife
As fate would have it, during the 1980’s a new industry
and never seeing a husband that worked 12-16 hour
was born on the Island of Manihiki, Black Pearls. Our family
shifts as an electrical engineer, my mother rebelled and
company evolved to include these stunning newcomers
escaped to the little known islands of the South Pacific with
and became the first local company to specialise in
a friend and mentor.
Black Pearl Jewellery.
Having previously visited Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands,
On the occasion of our 40th anniversary, I warmly
the duo arrived in Rarotonga. The effect was immediate
welcome you to our Cook Islands Black Pearl Jewellery
and my mother realised that she had found our new home.
stores on Rarotonga and Aitutaki to experience a part
Shortly thereafter, and to the chagrin of friends and
of our on-going family adventure.
neighbours, my family abandoned the suburbs of
I also take this opportunity to bid you Kia Orana and
Melbourne for an unknown future on an unknown Island.
welcome to my adopted home.
Since that time, my family has built a company specialising
My name is Ben Bergman, Pearl Jewellery Designer
in Cook Islands Pearls.
and Managing Director of Bergman & Sons,
Relocating to the northern group Island of Penrhyn for 5 years in 1976, my parents collected natural pearls for
Black Pearl Jewellers of the Cook Islands. Kia Manuia.
European and Asian markets.
One Family One Gem One Adventure
Cooks Corner RAROTONGA Pacific Resort AITUTAKI p +682 21 902 e luke@bergmanandsons.com w www.bergmanandsons.com
THE
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Dinner Cruise on Aitutaki’s Lagoon
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Six hours on Aitutaki’s beautiful lagoon. Island hopping, snorkelling, and a delicious barbequed the1950’s worldand famous Coral Route on Aitutaki’s lunch served on-board with bar service. Towels snorkelling fabled lagoon; includes dinner, equipment are complimentary. Bathroom facilities.
drinks & entertainment. This is the cruise for The Vaka Cruise departs Monday to Saturday at 10am from O’otu and returns at 4pm. true romantics.
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Experience a nostalgic tropical evening dedicated to the1950’s world famous Coral Route on Aitutaki’s fabled lagoon; includes dinner, drinks & entertainment. This is the cruise for true romantics.
www.airraro.com • ESCAPE Aitutaki10 © Ewan Smith
The Cook Islands
15 tiny islands in paradise, that a small nation calls home.
London Berlin Vancouver Rome Beijing
Seoul Tokyo Los Angeles Hong Kong Honalulu
Northern Group
Capetown
Perth
Sydney
Cook Islands Auckland
Southern Group
W
here would someone say, “may you live long,” upon meeting you for the first time, but in the Cook Islands.
The Cook Islands greeting Kia Orana, means exactly that, “may you live long.” It is a unique first gesture of friendship from a special Polynesian people, renown for their hospitality and warmth. It is as if God chose his 15 most precious gems, and then sprinkled them over 2.25 million sq km of the Pacific to become the Cook Islands – an ei (necklace) of islands awaiting to embrace all visitors. All the islands combined make up a land area of just 240 sq km. Each of the ‘gems’ is unlike the other and all have their own special features. From the majestic peaks of Rarotonga to the low-lying untouched coral atolls of the northern islands of Manihiki, Penrhyn, Rakahanga, Pukapuka, Nassau and Suwarrow. The latter, inhabited only by a caretaker and his family, is a popular anchorage for yachts from all over the world. The Southern Cooks is made up of the capital Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Atiu, Mangaia, Mauke, Mitiaro, Manuae, Palmerston and Takutea. Takutea is an uninhabited bird sanctuary and managed by the Atiu Island Council. Manuae is the remaining uninhabited island. Cook Islanders have their own Maori language and each of the populated islands a distinct dialect. It has a population of around
13,000. The Cooks has been self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1965. By virtue of that unique relationship, all Cook Islanders hold New Zealand passports. The country is governed by 25-member Parliament elected by universal suffrage. The Cook Islands Parliamentary system is modelled on the Westminster system of Britain. The Queens Representative is Head of State. A House of Ariki (traditional paramount chiefs) counsels and advises government, as does the Koutu Nui, a body of traditional chiefs. This is a delightful Pacific country where the ‘metropolis’ of Rarotonga offers a wide range of activities, accommodation and cuisine and visitors can choose to be as busy as they wish. A short inter-island flight away are the less developed southern group islands each offering something different. Travelling to the isolated northern islands by inter-island flight or boat, one savours a South Pacific rarely seen by outsiders. Due to distance and infrequency of transport there are fewer visitors to the northern group islands. But wherever you turn you see bright tropical colours and movement, whether it is the sway of palms and sea in the trade winds, or dancers entertaining at one of the many nightspots found on Rarotonga and Aitutaki. While you may nearly always hear the ocean, you will always feel the warmth of the people and their tropical paradise. The Cook Islands truly is a slice of heaven.
ESCAPE • 11
art scene
The Ukulele Class story: Joan Gragg
Kopu Brown was our ukulele teacher. She had a proper Hawaiian ukulele that had a beautiful tone. She was beautiful, the statuesque type, strong and confident. She wore her long auburn hair in a top knot on one side of her head secured with a fancy hair stick with a tiara Maori flower on her ear.
H
er musical talent earned her her first job as an announcer on the radio. She told us when she started they did not have enough recordings for the day so she would take out her ukulele and sing popular local songs and the latest songs she heard on short wave radio. Our class was on a Wednesday at six o’clock in the evening for six weeks. Each student had their own ukulele , some of us had cocoleles or a local ukarere bought from the jail. Prisoners were taught to make the instruments using local materials. The sound
12 • ESCAPE
chamber was a coconut and the shaft, along which the strings were stretched, were cut from a tree branch. The frets, nut, bridge and saddle were made from flattened out corrugated iron (they, say from the jail house roof!). The tuning keys were handmade rounded pegs that were wedged into the head at the end of the shaft. This type of ukulele is still
popular today but they now have factory made hardware that keep the instrument in tune for longer. We learned to tune our catgut strung ukulele using the age old tuner ditty ‘My dog has fleas’. We had so much fun singing and strumming together. The amazing thing about learning in a group is you can be out of tune singing and out of time strumming but no one takes any notice because they are concentrating on what they are doing and by the time you get it right everyone else has worked it out too. Kopu encouraged us to sing Cook Islands songs with different moods and tempo. Most of them were love songs about Rarotonga. The favourite was, Aue oki koe te purtu manea. This song is sung at special occasions, weddings, twenty firsts or funerals or just to be proud.
Aue oki koe te puretu manea Oh you are the most beautiful ko Rarotonga e. You are Rarotonga. Rarotonga te enua was another favourite. Rarotonga te enua te tauria ia Rarotonga the land settled by te au manu o te reva e. different people of the world. Kua riro Rarotonga e metua no te ao Rarotonga has become the mother of the world At the end of the class we all graduated not as musicians but happy converts to the ukulele. If you are interested in learning to play the ukalele the Cook Island Tertiary Training Institute sometimes run classes. Violet Tisam is the contact person there. You may not become a professional musician but you will have fun learning the basics.
Playingof the Cardlsands
Cook Is
Novel, unique and appealingly attractive, this deck of cards features 54 art works by Joan Gragg. Joan’s art is influenced by everyday life in the Cook Islands. An ideal gift or souvenir! Available from: Beachcomber Pearl Market Bounty Bookshop • Island Craft • The Gift Shop The little Red Gallery • Perfumes of Rarotonga
Left: 'The Ukulele Pick', Joan Gragg
See Joan’s artwork at The Furniture Centre
ESCAPE • 13
WATER SAFETY IN RAROTONGA
Avarua
RAROTONGA HAS A BEAUTIFUL LAGOON with many safe swimming, snorkelling and kayaking areas. However, THERE ARE AREAS THAT ARE UNSAFE in certain conditions and these should be avoided for your safety.
DANGER!
ACHTUNG! DANGEREUX! PELIGRO! PERICOLO!
Arorangi
LOCATIONS
Avana
Vaimaanga Avaavaroa
EMERGENCY CALL 999 CONDITIONS IN THE PASSAGES CAN CHANGE QUICKLY and a passage that appears safe can become dangerous with just a small change of the tide.
DO NOT SWIM, SNORKEL OR KAYAK IN OR NEAR PASSAGES 14 • ESCAPE
Polynesian Wedding Bands
Faithfulness
Happiness
Love
Monday - Friday 9am - 4pm | Saturday 9am - 12pm Main Road, Taputaputea | Phone. +682 21939 | Email. luke@bergmanandsons.com ESCAPE • 15
book worms
photography and painting, are often -consciously or unconsciously - drawn back to collaborations with their local communities, ensuing a strong ‘grass roots’ involvement in what - in other countries – has contrarily become an elite pursuit.
Cook Islands Art & Architecture Rod Dixon, Linda Crowl and Marjorie Crocombe Already acclaimed as a Cook Islands taonga or treasure, this richly illustrated 485 page book provides visitors with a colourful and comprehensive account of the traditional and contemporary arts and heritage of the Cook Islands.
Published in early 2016, Cook Islands Art and Architecture is notable not only for its extensive illustrations and analyses of Cook Islands drumming, dance, carving, crafts, painting and architecture but also for its own striking design reflecting the colours and motifs of these most colourful and creative islands. Available from the University of the South Pacific (Cook Islands), or order online at http://au.blurb.com/b/6956145-cookislands-art-and-architecture
senior teacher trainer at the Cook Islands Teachers College and also served as Minister for Education in the early years of self-government. His contribution to education and the community was recognised in 1989 when he was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) and again in 1995 when he was awarded an Honorary Masters Degree from the University of the South Pacific. One of Mana’s daughters, Tuaine has taken steps to republish this popular book after on-going requests. Available from Bounty Bookshop, Rarotonga
The book’s 21 essays have been written by Cook Islands artists, choreographers, performers and academics, encompassing local dance, drumming, fashion, painting, quilting, carving, weaving, tapa making, theatre, as well as architectural practice. A central argument of the book is the contrast between the specialized and individualistic nature of western art production and the ‘grass roots’ collectivist nature of Cook Islands art works. While Cook Islands visual and performance art is often inspired by a single ta‘unga or expert, its final form depends on improvisation and elaboration by a large group of artists and performers working collectively. This is best seen in the production of tivaivai, in dance and dramatic performance and in choral music where an individual idea is taken up and elaborated by an ensemble of artists or performers. Even the most contemporary Cook Islands artists, working in modern media, including
Say it in Rarotongan Mana Strickland This little book introduces readers to the common language throughout the Cook Islands. Author, Mana Strickland, was a leading authority on the Polynesian language and on the history of the Cook Islands. He had a distinguished record in the field of education, being a former principal of Rarotonga’s largest primary school, a
*All books can be purchased from or ordered through Bounty Bookshop, Rarotonga
16 • ESCAPE
Matini Rachel Michele Teana Reeves On a Saturday evening 18 years ago, waves tall as the coconut trees broke over Manihiki, a sea-level coral atoll in the northernmost reaches of the Cook Islands. Cyclone Martin stole 19 people from a population of fewer than 700, and would become the most tragic natural disaster in the oceanic nation’s recorded history. Locals survived by tying their bodies and boats to coconut trees or taking shelter
Tivaevae Collectables.com TRADITIONAL PACIFIC FABRIC ART FOR YOUR HOME
ds
Within these pages is an evocative Rarotonga, portrayal its people of the beauty , places through the of eyes of photog , recreational activiti es and culture rapher and , The Cook publisher Noel Bartley Islands . pristine islands , a proud nation of 15 small but scattered beautiful across an kilometers and enormous of the South 2 million square Pacific Ocean these and the home . Rarotonga of its capita is the larges l Avarua. t of Also in this series by Noel Bartley : Aitutaki, Cook Island s.
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Within these pages is an evocative Aitutaki, its portrayal people, places of the beauty through the , recreational of eyes of photog activities and culture rapher and , Aitutaki is publisher Noel Bartley considered the gem of . of 15 small the Cook but beautif Islands, a ul and enormous proud nation 2 million square pristine islands scatter ed across kilometers an of the South Also in this series by Pacific Ocean Noel Bartley . : Rarotonga, Cook Islands .
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To order a copy of Matini, contact the author at rmtreeves@gmail.com or the publisher at john@cookislandsnews.com, or drop by the Cook Islands News office in Avarua.
islan
bartle
Matini is also a roadmap for emergency responders. It points out where the Cook Islands government went wrong and catalogues the consequences of its failures. Today, as the world contends with a changing climate and scientists predict that the intensity of cyclones will increase, it is vital that disaster managers, and indeed all of us, pay attention to the lessons Matini teaches.
cook
noel
The 185-page book, is a harrowing account of what happened to Manihiki that night. It is a story of great pain, but also of incredible courage and strength. It is a story that will make you cry, renew your faith in humanity, inspire in you a great respect for the island people, and remind you to count your blessings.
cook
nga
In 2014, the board of the Cyclone Martin Charitable Trust, a not-for-profit organisation comprised of Manihiki people and Martin survivors, teamed up with Cook Islands News and its publisher to commission a book about Cyclone Martin. Journalist Rachel Reeves, whose paternal heritage derives from the island of Atiu, interviewed survivors in New Zealand and the Cook Islands and wove their stories into an illustrated book called Matini.
Aitutaki
raroto
in homes with high foundations. Four people, including an eight-year-old girl, drifted in an aluminium boat for three nights and two days, using a sleeping bag for a sail and a plank of timber as a rudder. Using patterns in the sea and the sky as map and compass, they navigated to Rakahanga, a tiny island more than 40 kilometres away.
aitutak i
Noel Bartley has travelle d and worked extensively as a photog rapher and publisher throughout the South for over 25 Pacific years; Islands, Norfolk in the Solomon Island, Tonga, Cook Islands Samoa, and New Zealand. Noel first arrived 1990 to create in the Cook Islands in promotional and adverti brochures sing for the Cook Islands Tourism Corpo ration, and to establi photographic sh Noel Bartley stock for future use has travelle advertising in the countr d and worked extensively y as a desirab as a photog tourist destina le rapher and tion. Much publisher throughout of the photog visitors to these shores the South raphy for over 25 which has Pacific during the created by years; in the enticed past two Noel, during Solomon Islands, Norfol decades his many has been k Island, Tonga, visits to these In New Zealan Cook Islands islands. Samoa, d, his market and New establish ing backgr Zealand. an extens ound quickly ive range Noel first helped him and postca of photog arrived rds in the 1990 to create in the Cook Islands 1980’s, before raphic books, calend the islands in ars, promotional he becam of the South e enchanted and advert brochu Pacific devote res . During the ising for the d his time with Cook Islands Tourism Corpo warmer climate to a more relaxed pursuit past 20 years he has ration, and and among of photog to establish photographic raphy, st his many in a stock for Now at home island friends future use advertising . on Raroto in nga for most the countr activity is y as a desira that of owner of the year, tourist destin ble Noel’s main and Magazine, ation. Much recently dubbe editor of award winnin of the photog visitors to g Escape these shores d by the chairm best destina raphy which tion magaz during the has entice an of BULA created by ine in the past two d Noel, during Fiji as “the South Pacific decades his many has been Other titles include ”. visits to these In New Zealan Rarotonga, through the islands. d, his market Cook Islands Cook Islands establish ing backgr and A Journe . an extens ound quickly y ive range helped him and postca of photog rds in the 1980’s, before raphic books, calend the islands ars, he becam of the South e enchanted Pacific. During devoted his with time the warmer climate to a more relaxed pursui past 20 years he has t of photog and among raphy, in a st his many Now at home island friends . on Raroto nga for most activity is that of owner of the year, Noel’s main and Magazine, recently dubbe editor of award winnin g Escape d by the chairm best destin ation magaz an of BULA ine in the Fiji as “the South Pacific Other titles ”. include Aitutak the Cook i, Cook Island Islands. s and A Journe y through
NOEL
BART
LEY
Rarotonga & Aitutaki Noel Bartley One of the largest and perhaps the most comprehensive collections of Cook Islands photography has been built up over two decades by publisher and photographer Noel Bartley.
For quality tivaevae bedcovers, duvets, cushion covers, gifts etc. Look for our sign west of the airport opposite the Weather Station in Nikao. Rarotonga Anne 24688 New Zealand Kathrine 021 0247 7893 The Must Stop Shop!
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Noel, who also publishes award winning Escape Magazine, produced these pictorial books, one entitled Rarotonga, the other Aitutaki, using some of the stunning images from his vast collection. Beautiful photographs leap out from every one of the 100 pages of each book, providing wonderful imagery of both Rarotonga and Aitutaki. Noel has captured well the country’s two most popular visitor destinations, the people, culture, and island life. Escape Magazine’s main contributing writer Florence SymeBuchanan provides an informative introduction to each book. These books rank amongst the best now available in terms of photographic quality. Retailing at around $39.90 they would also be the best in terms of value for money and certainly make wonderful souvenirs of the islands. Both titles are on sale at most retailers including CITC, Bounty Bookshop, Island Craft, Treasure Chest stores, Island Style, Beachcomber, Perfumes of Rarotonga and at some resorts.
ESCAPE • 17
what's in store Cook’s
fudge f a C t o r y
This intricately carved paddle is just one example of the work available from Island Craft, who will also take special orders for carvings for birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. Contact them at their downtown Avarua store for more information.
Delicious freshly made fudge from Cooks Fudge Factory. Enjoy free tasting! Famous flavours: Crème Brulee, Pina Colada, Mango Cream, Red Velvet and lots more. Great gift to take home. Cooks Corner, Central Avarua. Tel. 24238 whats in store page.indd 2
6/04/2016 9:52:50 a.m.
A stunning 18ct white gold enhancer set with 81 diamonds and AVAKI Cook Islands Pearls available from the Moana Gems shop in uptown Avarua. Elaborately carved adzes, which are a rare and beautiful souvenir of the Cook Islands are also sometimes available.
endar Cook Islands Cal 2017
Envelop e inc lud ed
ine of the Ma gaz Isla nds Coo k Limited RD Pacific Publishing Cook Islands PO Box 3010, Rarotonga,
gazine.travel www.escapema
Ceramic lamps for on the wall or beside your bed, soft dolls in colourful clothing are just a couple of the many items available from Tivaevae Collectables. See their advert on page 17.
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The Escape Magazine 2017 Calendar features the very best of Cook Islands images captured by our photographers during the past year. Each calendar is individually shrinkwrapped and has a stiffening board plus envelope for ease of mailing. From most stores and souvenir outlets on Rarotonga and Aitutaki.
Perfumes of Rarotonga In celebration of our 40th year, from the iconic ‘Nature’ series. 18ct WG Stingray Pendant. Cook Islands Black Pearl, Sapphires, Black & White Diamonds. Stingray leather necklace. Available at Bergman & Sons, Cooks Corner.
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The Gift Shop is located opposite the main wharf in town. It holds the biggest range of holiday souvenirs, local craft, island wear, island fabric and jewellery, with so many other gift items. Let the friendly staff help you with all your shopping as a memento of your holiday. This shop is not to be missed while in Rarotonga.
These delightfully hand painted glasses and bottles can be found at The Bond Liquor Store opposite Punanga Nui marketplace. The painter Willy Barton can also decorate to order for weddings, birthdays and other special occasions. Call instore for more information.
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fresh creamy fudge
free tasting
sh
styli
Beach
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Beware when buying black pearls… When shopping for Cook Islands black pearls, always ask the sales assistant if the pearls are genuine Cook Islands pearls. Ensure that you are given a certificate of authenticity (with the name of the retail outlet you purchased from) guaranteeing exactly what you have been told you are buying. Be advised that there are other pearls on the market that look like authentic Cook Islands black pearls, but are not.
ESCAPE • 19
raro rhythm
J
ust sitting and chatting with Henry is entertainment in itself! Born and raised in East Tamaki, Auckland his Cook Island Mother and Father created a home full of Cook Islands culture, art and performance. His mother the late Te Tika Mataiapo affectionately referred to as Aunty Vaine had an appreciation for art through her leadership, her singing, dancing and her Tivaevae making. His father a quiet and humble man played the ukulele and guitar and always whistled to them as kids, Henry reflects “ ....there was always a guitar or piano in our house, always live music and with that in the day came the Islands tech tapes which were bought back from Rarotonga so I grew up with Island music”.
Y R N E H O P I R TA Having sung with the likes of Annie Crummer, Sir Howard Morrison, George Henare, Jackie Clarke, Gabilou, and Patrick Nobel to name a few, Henry Ah Foo Taripo is no stranger to the New Zealand and Pacific Entertainment and Music industry. Story: Glenda Tuaine | Photos: Ronnie Suilepa
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The early days also had the family gatherings where Henry formed his lifelong friendship with Annie Crummer who he now sings with regularly as a back up singer when she is touring. “ We have known each other since we probably were about 5. Our parents had a close connection and we would visit each other’s places.” Henry says “ I remember sitting on the front door porch, my mum would be in the garden tending her flowers and Annie would stand up and sing to the flowers like they were her audience then she would tell me ...I am going to be famous one day... and I was the kid looking at her thinking I am going to sing too.” Like many Henry’s singing evolved at Church taking part in Gospel musicals and plays any chance he could. In school Henry found himself roped in to Kapa haka performance often as the lead. He jokes he had the loudest voice and the biggest mouth! Growing up he twigged music may be his love but the reality was it wasn’t going to bring in millions so he found a niche for himself juggling music pushing himself to enter talent shows, working in hospitability and found a new talent for working in the hair and beauty industry. However in his early 20’s this young performer found himself on the benefit and mixing with the wrong crowd. Henry explains “At 20 I got caught up in a not so great scene. I had left home to go flatting and would only go home when I was hungry or broke. My mum took control and enrolled me in a PEP scheme which in those days was a work programme run by the government. If I didn’t turn up by 8.30am in the morning my benefit would be struck off so I showed up!” This was the wake-up call he needed finding himself in the company of Gang members Henry recalls all he could hear in his head was “I SHOULD NOT BE HERE”. This shouted even louder when he realised the job was scrub
cutting the road sides of Manukau. He sets a new goal to travel with his mother to Rarotonga By the mid 1980’s Henry arrives in Rarotonga to somewhat of a culture shock he laughs, “No TV, No car, No motorbike”. He quickly lands himself a job at Teresa Macfarlane’s beauty salon as a junior stylist. It is here that Teresa hears him singing along and she suggests he enter the Talent quest at the Taumere Hotel (the now Club Raro). Henry meets Apii Atuatika- McKinnley and they become a duo that enters the competition and lands second place. Henry begins a semi professional music career gigging in Rarotonga. After a year or so he returns to Auckland and begins auditioning for Television shows and gets selected for the Talent show ‘Going Going Gone’ hosted by Jackie Clarke where he comes first and wins a recording contract. He auditions for PORGY AND BESS at the Mercury Theatre and joins the chorus line working alongside New Zealand greats such as Bunny Walters and the Yandal Sisters Henry takes that experience and goes on to Music School, graduates and records his successful album HENZART with Vaimotu Studios produced by New Zealand acclaimed music producer Paddy Free which is available on ITUNES. Henry is a performer, musician, and songwriter well worth your time so when you are in Rarotonga make sure you catch one of Henry’s gigs or download his album. WEDNESDAY – Henry at Islander Hotel 6pm – 8pm
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SCOOTERS
from as low as $12.50 a day
*All prices are PER DAY 3 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS HEAD OFFICE: (Arorangi): +682 22632 Open 7 days TOWN OFFICE: +682 24632 Open 6 days (Mon – Sat) MURI OFFICE: +682 21632 Open 7 days
PLUS A WIDE RANGE OF PEOPLE MOVERS & LARGE CARS AT DISCOUNTED PRICES. JUST ASK OUR STAFF!! ESCAPE • 21
g n o t o r a R a smorgasbord of South Pacific fun
There are few places in the world that equal this special emerald island in the Pacific - the largest of the Cook Islands. A place where a visit is certain to capture the heart. And upon reluctant departure, will generously add to a lifetime of good memories.
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his is Rarotonga, named Tumutevarovaro by the first Polynesian settlers over a thousand years ago, who composed chants and songs in praise of her natural splendor. Those ancient Maori people who navigated the Pacific in their ocean voyaging doublehulled canoes would have relished her fertile abundance and delighted in her safe anchorages and plentiful water. The beauty of Rarotonga is still awesome. Especially when viewed from the air on an Air Rarotonga aircraft. Or, from beyond the reef aboard one of several deep sea fishing boats available for charter, where you can behold the mountains rising majestically from the centre of the island, piercing blue skies and passing clouds. From these cloud mountains, the early Polynesian settlers believed Rongo, the goddess of the land lived and watched over them as they fished, planted and lived a simple, but rich life. There’s also a breathtaking view of Rarotonga from the ‘Needle” if you take the “cross island” walk which starts from Avatiu Valley. From this point you can see the necklace of white surf that forever pounds the reef enclosing this volcanic island. The cross-island walk is best done with a guide and does require some effort, so being of average fitness will help as will sturdy footwear. Guided sightseeing walks and learning about the island’s flora and fauna can be booked through your hotel or travel agent. Less strenuous than going across the island is the informative scenic walk offered by guides of the Takitumu Conservation Area (TCA). Covering 380 acres, the TCA is home to the indigenous Kakerori, (Rarotongan Flycatcher). Once on the critically endangered list, this tiny bird is now thriving well, thanks to the efforts of environmentalists and the TCA group to save the bird from extinction.
Rarotonga is lush and carpeted with plantations that yield year-round fruits and vegetables. The largest of the 15 Cook Islands, it is 32 km around its main coastal road. An inland road and various tracks will further reveal a palette of dazzling tropical colours equaled by few other places. Like other islands in the group, Rarotonga’s white beaches with sand as fine as powder stretch into clear blue lagoons around the island. Lagoons where children safely play are food cupboards for the local people, who live an unhurried lifestyle in a unique, unspoiled place in the Pacific.
Traditional Voyaging According to ancient mythology, Rarotonga was settled over a thousand years ago by Polynesians from an ancient land called Avaiki. They travelled in massive double-hulled ocean voyaging canoes, crisscrossing Te Moana Nui O Kiva (Pacific Ocean) in search of fertile, sheltered land. That traditional voyaging, navigating by the stars, has been revived in the Cook Islands and two traditional ocean going vaka built in the early 1990’s have notched up thousands of nautical miles, travelling as far as Hawaii, New Caledonia and New Zealand. The vaka, Te Au O Tonga and Takitumu can be viewed at Vaka Village in Avana, Ngatangiia. Avana channel is also the site where seven
ESCAPE • 23
canoes Takitumu, Kurahaupo, Tokomaru, Aotea, Tainui, Mataatua and Te Arawa, departed Rarotonga for New Zealand over 700 years ago. A circle of stones and plaques bearing the name of each canoe commemorates that great voyage.
Shopping The capital of Rarotonga is Avarua and many shops offer a wide selection of goods and souvenirs. Possibly the best souvenir of the Cook Islands is a black pearl from the northern islands of Manihiki or Penrhyn. The Cook Islands is the second biggest producer of black pearls in the world. Punanga Nui Marketplace on Saturday mornings is busy and colourful – stalls and small huts selling souvenirs, food and clothing. The market is the best place to buy a pareu (sarong) and handmade pearl shell jewellery, or to try some of the local delicacies. It is a lively meeting place for hundreds of locals each Saturday morning. There’s often a live show by dance teams, or a local string band.
Water Sports With clear blue lagoons and a huge ocean at its doorstep, there is a good range of water sports to suit all ages. You can choose from skimming the lagoon on a
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windsurfer, kayaking, lagoon boat trips, scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, reef watching in a glass bottom ‘submarine’, or just swimming, snorkelling and sunbathing. One of the best spots to snorkel is in Tikioki opposite the Fruits of Rarotonga Café where Mama Puretu makes delicious smoothies from local fresh fruit. A raui, (a traditional ban on fishing and the gathering of seafood) protects the Tikioki lagoon, so it teems with fish and other marine life. Raui are also in place on other parts of Rarotonga’s lagoon coastline and these areas generally offer the best snorkelling. Look for the Raui signs around the island, but please protect our marine environment – take nothing but memories and leave nothing but bubbles. Because Rarotonga is surrounded by clear waters, the visibility when scuba diving is excellent. All dive operators offer lessons for beginners in the safety of the lagoon before venturing out over the reef. Both Koka Lagoon Cruises and Captain Tama’s Lagoon Cruizes operate from Muri Lagoon, next to Rarotonga Sailing Club, offering visitors lagoon tours in glass bottom boats with loads of fun exploring the lagoon plus swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing and a barbeque lunch. Outrigger canoeing teams train on Muri lagoon and at Avarua wharf. Watching the teams powering through the water in their six-man or single outrigger
canoes is stirring. The annual canoeing festival, Te Vaka Eiva, is held every November with teams from all over the Pacific travelling to Rarotonga to race.
Sports Cook Islanders love their sports, with rugby and netball the top favourites. More often than not, a local will play several different sports during the year and be good at all of them. Saturday sees keen inter-village rugby, netball, cricket, tennis, soccer and rugby league games, depending on the season. Spectators are welcome, as is participation in after-match socials at village clubhouses. Entry fee and drinks are cheap, the atmosphere is always lively, especially if teams are putting on a small show with lots of humour. The Rarotonga Bowling Club in town has matches most Saturdays and a bar to relax in after games. The Rarotonga Golf Club welcomes visitors to its 9-hole course at Black Rock and offers clubs and trundlers for hire.
Nightlife There’s always lots to do in the evenings. Island nights staged by local hotels feature buffets of local food cooked in an umu or earth oven. Entertainment is provided by one of the islands’ professional dance groups and you are guaranteed a vibrant, sensual show and
Island Wear Creative Flair with a
drumming that’s recognised as the best in the world - see our Entertainment Guide for more information. Guided night tours by bus to well-known establishments like the Banana Court, Trader Jacks and Whatever! Bar after the island show is also fun and there’s also the comfort of knowing one doesn’t have to drive home after several bar stops.
Located in central Avarua P. (682) 20548
Rarotonga has numerous excellent restaurants that serve tempting food from around the world. One could eat out every night of the week and still not experience all the great food that’s available. The Tamarind House Restaurant in Pue (just out of Avarua) is a beautifully converted colonial house that once belonged to the Union Steamship Company. Situated close to the beach, the Tamarind looks over the ocean and meals can be taken in the garden under the stars. See our cuisine section for the pick of Rarotonga restaurants.
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Takeaway meals also are available from outlets all around the island and excellent fish n’ chips are served up by the Flying Boat Grill located at the Cook Islands Game Fishing Club. Visitors are always welcome to join the locals at the club for a drink or a meal. The location of Aramoana Takeaways at Avatiu Wharf ensures that their fish is always freshly caught by local fishermen. Rarotonga has a three-cinema complex with air conditioning, a big screen and surround-sound in Cinema 3. A good selection of recent movies is shown. For those wanting a quiet night in, there are several local video and DVD outlets, all with a comprehensive selection of classics and latest releases. Some outlets also hire TV’s and DVD players.
LOOKING FOR THAT IDEAL SOUVENIR TO TAKE HOME? Pop in and browse through our extensive range. We specialise in locally made and Pacific made products and we are well known for our island souvenirs, wooden crafts, arts, island jewellery and apparel. Look for the brightly decorated store opposite Avatiu Harbour.
Ph. 20942 ESCAPE • 25
Come in to view our extensive range of sarongs, island clothing, footwear and t-shirts. Rarotonga’s largest selection of souvenirs, crafts and gift ideas.
CICC coral limestone churches, hand built by the forefathers of Cook Islanders, are in every village and visitors are warmly welcomed to Sunday services. Other things to do Whale watching is possible in Rarotonga during the months of August and September. The humpback whales come from Antarctica to the warmer waters of the Cook group to mate and calf. The Cook Islands exclusive economic zone has been formally declared a whale sanctuary. The Whale Centre in Nikao is an interesting place to visit, to find out more about these magnificent ocean creatures.
Mana Court, Avarua | Ph: 22325 Rarotongan Resort | Ph: 27325 Edgewater Resort | Ph: 28325 Pacific Village Muri | Ph: 21325 Hats
Salt & Pepper shakers
treasure@oyster.net.ck 26 • ESCAPE
Two libraries and museums just out of town are great for browsing. On the way to the “old library and museum” you’ll pass the Avarua Christian Church. The adjacent graveyard is interesting to wander through and of note is the bust of the late Albert Royale Henry, the first Cook Islands premier who was instrumental in guiding the country towards self-government in 1964.
Sunday After a busy Saturday night, relax on Sunday like the locals. Sunday is regarded as a day of worship and rest. A wonderful memory to take home is the singing in one of the islands’ Cook Islands
Christian Churches. CICC coral limestone churches, hand built by the forefathers of Cook Islanders, are in every village and visitors are warmly welcomed to Sunday services. Morning tea is provided by the congregations.
Weddings Rarotonga has become a popular location for weddings and honeymoons. Wedding packages designed to suit each couples taste and budget are available from a number of operators on the island. The golden beach of uninhabited Koromiri islet in Muri lagoon is one of the most popular locations for weddings. Young coconut saplings planted by each newly wed couple line the beach and are testimony to the islet’s popularity.
Relax In the Cook Islands you’ll hear the phrase “island time” a lot. You are a long way from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, so…walk a little slower, savour every moment of your holiday in paradise and don’t worry about being a bit late for engagements. That is island time on Rarotonga.
Quality Cook Islands Pearls COOK ISLANDS Top Jewellery & Gift Store
From our very own Manihiki Island Farm
BEST PRICES • QUALITY • SELECTION • SERVICE
BLACK PEARL JEWELLERY - Avaiki Black Pearls Karen Walker Jewellery Polynesian Rings in Gold and Silver Wedding/Engagement & Dress Rings Gold & Silver Chains, Charms, Earrings Lladro • Amber • Jade • Coral • Opal For the best deal in the Cook Islands come to
Goldmine, Main Road, Avarua
P. 24823 | F. 24824 | email: goldmine@oyster.net.ck www.rarotongablackpearls.com
COOK ISLANDS ROAD RULES The main island of Rarotonga is circled by 2 roads – the main road along the coast (Ara Tapu) and the back road (Ara Metua). Driving is on the left hand side of the road. If you have a full driving licence from your home country you are entitled to drive in the Cook islands for up to 6 months. If you are here longer you must apply for a Cook Islands driving licence which can be obtained from the Cook Islands Police headquarters in downtown Avarua.
THE ROAD RULES ARE SIMPLE... 1 Maximum speed at all times is 50 km/h 2 If on a motorcycle without a helmet, then maximum speed is 40 km/h 3 If you go over 40 km/h on a motorcycle, you must
wear a helmet 4 In villages, passing schools and in town the
maximum speed is 30 km/h
PEARL FARMER • RETAILER • WHOLESALER
5 Drink driving is an offence – you could face
Court and if convicted a fine or jail sentence 6 Be aware of dogs or animals running out from
properties wandering mainly on the back road You are here for a good time, do not ruin it through speed or drink driving. Call a Taxi 28862, 50908, 72888 or take an organised tour of the Island.
Lesley & Temu Okotai Harbour House, Avatiu P. 20635 farmdirectpearls@gmail.com
IN AN EMERGENCY CALL 999 NON EMERGENCIES: Police 22499 • Hospital 22664 • Power faults 25257 AITUTAKI: Police 31015 • Hospital 31698 • Fire 31829 ATIU: Police 33120 • Hospital 33664
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island cuisine
THE ANCHORAGE Rarotonga
Restaurants don’t always get it right. Sometimes the food is good but the attention sparse; others, the wait staff are friendly and the meals off. But on a quiet Thursday night, Anchorage Restaurant at Sunset Resort got it right. I give our dining experience a 10 out of 10. The food was exceptional, the flavours creative, the produce local. Staff wore ei katu – flower crowns – and genuine smiles. They were attentive, engaged in our eating experience but not overbearing. The New Zealand Herald listed Anchorage as one of the five best places to eat on Rarotonga; after that meal I agree. The restaurant has recently come under the management of Tony and Kelly Bullivant, expatriate Kiwis who ran Café Salsa in Avarua for nearly seven years and The Sands Restaurant in Titikaveka for nearly four. Tony has over 30 years of experience as an international executive chef and has cooked for such celebrities as Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, and Kiri Te Kanawa. He has a reputation on Rarotonga for delivering good, consistent cuisine, and he is maintaining it at Anchorage. When my partner and I arrived to the restaurant, a large, open-air structure located in the back of a beachside Arorangi resort, we were greeted with warm kia oranas and kisses on the cheek. A friendly woman showed us to our candlelit table, adorned with a beautiful centrepiece of fresh flowers – pink ginger, red anthuriums, green ti leaves. We were offered water flavoured with mint and lemon, and for free, which may sound trite but which on Rarotonga isn’t
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a guarantee. Over glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon and an entrée of fried maniota and kuru – arrowroot and breadfruit – we pored over our menus and struggled to decide between equally appetizing options. When we had questions, we had only to look toward the bar and staff came to our table immediately.
salad with feta cheese, fresh herbs, and olive jus, with a bundle of cooked carrots and a mushroom topped with rukau, or local spinach. The meat was tender and the sides fresh and tasty. We were stuffed by the end of our main meals but shared a dessert anyway. The coconut chocolate pudding with vanilla ice cream was divine.
My first course was a salad from the specials board – a beautifully plated combination of avocado and beetroot with feta cheese, dried apricot halves, fresh herbs, and toasted pine nuts, drizzled with maple syrup. Fresh, light, equal parts sweet and savoury.
I’ve eaten at most restaurants on Rarotonga, and after dining at Anchorage I agree with the New Zealand Herald reporter who decided it was among Rarotonga’s best. Highly recommend.
For a main meal, I ordered the pepperencrusted seared yellowfin tuna, served over a seaweed salad and arranged beside pieces of fried maniota and a salad of red onions, fresh tomato, microgreens, and diced papaya. Also fresh, also light, also delicious. My partner had the slow-braised lamb shoulder served over a warm roast veggie
RR
Anchorage Restaurant & Bar is open seven days a week. Breakfast is served from 7.30 to 10am; lunch from 12 to 3; and dinner in the evening. Anchorage hosts a popular barbecue night on Sundays, against the backdrop of a sunset and a string band.
On the waterfront at Avana Harbour
Sit u at ed
angi
at: Te Sunset Resort in Aror
OPEN 7 DAYS
BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER
Fully licensed cocktail and lounge bar with HAPPY HOUR from 4pm daily
Live Entertainment…
TUESDAYS: Reef & Beef Night – with Island Groove THURSDAYS: A la carte – with Natua ‘unplugged’ SUNDAYS: BBQ Buffet Night – with local string band
Casual and friendly Asian street-style café Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese, Malaysian, Thai.
The Café in a Container!
Muri Village Phone: 22232 or 75449
PHONE • 23004 EMAIL • anchorageinraro@gmail.com
Dine on the Beach with Pacific Resort Rarotonga
The original fresh fish sandwiches & salads, all with homemade dressings & pickles, cooked to perfection right on the waterfront. The tasty & healthy option!
Sandals Beachfront Restaurant & Barefoot Bar Open 7 days for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Regular live entertainment. Located in Muri at Pacific Resort Rarotonga.
Experience it for yourself!
www.pacificresort.com |
Mon to Fri: 10.30 to 3.30 Sun: 12.00 to 4.00 Sat: Closed
+682 20 427
Phone 25553 take-outs available Find us on Facebook
After a bit of a battle we finally outdid the platter and came to the end, but we were not done.
KIKAU HUT Rarotonga
Kia Orana and welcome to the Kikau Hut, this is the greeting from Lena as we enter the restaurant. After being shown to our table Lena hands us menus, she pours us a glass of water and leaves us to consider our choices for dinner. Lena advises us of the specials and as we have specifically come here for the seafood platter decide to start with a garlic bread and salt n pepper squid. The bread is the perfect temperature, plenty of garlic and crusty. As for the salt n pepper squid, just perfect with the chilli sauce on the side and the cucumber and carrot dressing. The owner Gordon Brown calls at our table. This is something he does for every guest, to welcome them in and have a quick chat about where they are from and how their day has been. We tell him we intend to do all three courses with the seafood platter as our main, “not so sure you will finish it all but good luck” is his comment as he moves to the next table. After the entrée, Lena comes over and asks us if we are ready for the main to be served. Makes a change from being rushed. When we ordered the main we were asked how we wanted our tuna
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served, great idea as some like their tuna vary rare and others well cooked, we settled for middle of the road medium rare. The platter comes in with a good selection of sea food, salad and fries. From the shrimps in seafood dressing on a bed of paw-paw, to the delicious bowl of ika mata (local raw fish marinated in lemon juice) to the scallops and rukau gratin – rukau or cooked taro leaves are one of the local staple green vegetables also known as Island Spinach. The tuna was cooked as requested and was well complemented by the squid rings and prawn skewer. A green salad was also part of the platter but what really added to the taste buds was the addition of palate cleansing fruits such as water melon, mango and local orange.
How could anyone resist chocolate pudding soaked in Kahlua and served warm with whipped cream. Breaking the top of the pudding released a flow of melted chocolate. The fruit crumble was a delightful mix of blue berries and poached apple covered with a tasty crumble topping and a sprinkle of cinnamon and served with whipped cream. We left having had a great meal and full to the brim. All the desserts are the same price and all made on site, except the ice cream. For those not in walking distance Gordon does offer a pick up and drop of service, but you must book that when you book your table and booking a table is highly recommended. Ph 26860 SW & MW
The restaurant is open 7 days from 6pm for dinner and is located on the sunset side of the Island at Arorangi.
Tuoro Licensed
OPEN 7 DAYS · FREE TRANSFERS
Club Raro
Avarua (Town)
Arorangi
Matavera
N
Edgewater
W
E S
Located in Arorangi on the Main Road (500 metres from the Edgewater toward Avarua)
Muri
The Rarotonga Beach Resort
Titikaveka
· Open 7 evenings from 6pm best to reserve a table! · Return transfers (by arrangement) · Live music with Tani & Rose on Mon nights · Fully licensed
Great Food! Great Views! Great Service!
Gordon Brown, Rebecca Churchill & The Kikau Team Phone: 26860 ˙ Mobile: +682 55869 Email: kikauhut@oyster.net.ck
cape Magazine Ad v2.indd 1
15/04/16
“ Where meals and memories are made...”
Casual and friendly Asian street-style café Vietnamese, Indonesian, Chinese, Malaysian, Thai.
Relax and enjoy your Breakfast, Lunch, a cup of espresso coffee, an icy cold beer or your favourite drink while gazing out to the beautiful lagoon. We serve authentic Thai food, tasty Mexican, burgers, fish and chips, home-made desserts and much more…
Lunchtime casual dining with a selection of flavoursome tapas & main dishes, all homemade using fresh local produce that will tantalise your taste-buds. At very affordable prices. 7:41 am Located in a tropical garden at Black Rock Villas with superb elevated views over the lagoon & ocean. Live music on Sundays. Bookings Advised Open for lunch from 11am Closed Saturday & Monday
Mince Pork Salad
Muri Village Phone: 22232 or 75449
Opening Hours Sunday to Thursday 9:00am – 2:30pm
Down south in Titikaveka
Tel.(+682)20020 S ALTWATER CAFE - R AROTONGA
ph. 21233
blackrok@oyster.net.ck ESCAPE • 31 www.blackrockvillas.com
FRESH FISH CAFE
DELI-LICIOUS Rarotonga Sashimi & Carpaccio Ika Mata Seafood Platters Fish, Chips & Salad Gourmet Sandwiches
Fish N Chips $12.00
All day breakfast And heaps more Located: PUNANGA NUI MARKET, AVARUA
Mon - Sat 8am - 4pm (Friday till 8pm)
P. 23 577
Phone orders welcome
Since November 2015 a little café called Deli-licious at the southern end of Muri Village has been run by Neil and Kristina Higgins. They bought the café as a lifestyle change for all the family, and coming from central Auckland it has been a pretty big change for all of them. Before their move to Rarotonga Neil’s working life had been with the Corrections Services in New Zealand while Kristina had a busy career in the business sector. They have 2 daughters, teenagers Teale and Keelyn who are also living here and appear to have settled in happily riding open Mon – sat motorbikes and helping mum and dad out in the café.
from 7.30aM – 3pM
Punanga nui market never AVARUA owned a café before they have faced a big learning (nextHaving to playground) curve which they have jumped into with enthusiasm to make phone orders welcoMe Ika Mata their café a great phone 23575 place to stop, sit down and watch the traffic $8.00 and people go by while you drink great coffee, eat yummy cakes like – custard squares, chocolate brownies, cheesecake and more... If you are hungry for something more than that then Mon - sat ~Healthy open & 7.30aM—3pM Delicious Smoothiethey blends from All-day have a great breakfast/lunch menu. They do an All Day Punanga nui market Breakfast (next to playground) AVARUA Breakfast and •$12.50 TROPICAL DELIGHT phone orders welcoMe $ 7run Daily Specials for lunch – Look out for their phone 23575 board on roadside. Add Yoghurt Ice Cream or Spirulina $8.00 They have kept on the staff who were there when they bought • THE GREEN MACHINE $7 the café and everyone works together to make it a great place Mon - Sat 7:30am - 4pm Add Protein or Wheat Grass $8.00 to eat, drink coffees, fruit smoothies or cold drinks and just hang SMOOTHIES P. 23blends 575 ~Healthy & Delicious Smoothie • PROTEIN POWER UP welcome $ 7in a friendly happy place. Phone orders out for a while • TROPICAL DELIGHT
SMOOTHIES
Add Peanut Butter $8.00 $ 7
Add Yoghurt Ice Cream or Spirulina $8.00
• THE GREEN MACHINE
$7
• PROTEIN POWER UP
$7
• Banana Colada
$7
• Banana Colada
Add Protein or Wheat Grass $8.00
Add Protein $8.00
Add Peanut Butter $8.00
$7 They are open Sunday to Friday from 7.30am to 3pm. It is a must stop in Muri Village with ample parking behind café. Call in and enjoy the friendly happy atmosphere, have a drink, a meal or a cake or two!! You will not regret it!!
JUICE BOOSTS JUICE BOOSTS
Add Protein $8.00
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Photo: Matariki Wilson
36 • ESCAPE
Left: Captains Daniel Ngatokorua and Tommy William with chief pilot Munro Hockin.
A
s a boy growing up on Mangaia, an island inhabited by about 600 people, Daniel Ngatokorua loved watching the planes. Every time Air Rarotonga’s 15-passenger Bandeirante approached, he looked up and thought about the world beyond and the machine that could take him there. “When you’re from a tiny little island with just a few vehicles,” Ngatokorua says now, countless flights later, “flying planes seems like a good idea.” In his last year of high school, he travelled to Rarotonga for a career fair and was offered an opportunity to shadow some pilots on the job. Feeling inspired, he put his CV in his bag, walked up the stairs to Air Rarotonga’s administrative offices, and asked to see chief pilot Munro Hockin. Munro appeared and asked how he could help. “Hello,” the 17-year-old replied. “I’d like to apply for a job as a pilot.” Munro chuckled.
Meet the pilots of
Air Rarotonga Story: Rachel Reeves
“I thought what’s this fella laughing at me for? I’ve got my documentation here,” Ngatokorua recalls now, with great amusement. “Small island thinking. I didn’t know any better. Munro explained you don’t just become a pilot, you’ve actually got to go to school to learn something.” Among Air Rarotonga’s points of pride is that its pilots – and engineers – are homegrown. All of the airline’s current pilots are Cook Islanders, and nearly all of them grew up in the islands, watching and wondering at the planes that arrived from bigger and busier worlds. Their intrigue led them through the rigours of flying school overseas and back to Rarotonga to train under the strict tutelage of Munro Hockin, who came to the Cook Islands in 1979 to teach flying and three years later became a partner in Air Rarotonga.
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airplane from Rarotonga to Aitutaki was my dream job,” he says. “When I saw the planes, I knew that was what I wanted to do.”
Over the years, Hockin has groomed more than two dozen Cook Islands pilots. Some are still with the airline after three decades; others have gone on to fly for corporate airlines around the world. Most trace the origins of their passion to the other side of the chain-link fence at the Rarotonga Airport.
In its early days, the company employed expatriate pilots.
“Anytime Air New Zealand would bring in a big airplane at three in the morning, Mum and Dad would wake us up and we’d go watch the 747 land,” says Donald Guinea, now a pilot for Cathay Pacific and certified trainer for the Boeing 777. “I remember standing there on those nights, watching the plane and thinking, I want to fly one of those one day.” Iain Howard, now a pilot for New Zealand’s Air Nelson, became obsessed with the idea of flying for Air Rarotonga when he was a kid at Avatea School, not far from the airport. He drew pictures of planes in his exercise books and at home he jumped off the roof with a lilo to simulate, if briefly, the feeling of flying. “For as long as I can remember, flying an
When Kiwi pilot Ewan Smith and aircraft engineer Ian Rhodes partnered with a local couple to set up Air Rarotonga, they had only Cessnas, big enough for four passengers and one pilot. To captain a plane without a co-pilot requires a wealth of flying experience and in those days, Kevin Crocombe was the only Cook Islander who had been trained to fly commercial airplanes. “At the time it was something that no Cook Islanders were really into,” says Sean Willis, who began flying for Air Rarotonga in 1986. “But when Kevin went for training in New Zealand and came back I thought, well, maybe I can do that.” Around the time Willis did his training, Air Rarotonga acquired a plane with space for
15 people and two pilots, giving locals a chance to log hours of experience from the co-pilot’s seat. Still they confronted – and continue to confront – an age-old pilot’s dilemma: you need experience to get a job and a job to get experience. “It’s the whole chicken and egg thing,” Howard explains. “One of the ways you can build that experience is to become an instructor in New Zealand and that’s a tough road, doing the instructing, because you aren’t paid much and in many instances you aren’t paid anything. Having to figure out a way to build your hours – it just tests how much you want it.” To fly for Air Rarotonga, you have to really want it. Locals go overseas to complete their training for a PPL (Private Pilot’s Licence) and their CPL (Commercial Pilot’s Licence) – certification they need before they can even begin logging hours of experience. Most go to New Zealand. It makes little sense to set up a flying school in the Cook
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Left: Captains Tommy William and Daniel Ngatokorua in the cockpit.
running out of the office to watch the planes take off and land. He changed tack and went to flying school. “When I came back and got a job at Air Rarotonga, that was nuts,” Howard says. “That was a dream come true.” But getting the job is just the beginning. Air Rarotonga sets some of the highest piloting standards in the region. Anyone who’s flown under his instruction will vouch that Hockin runs a tight ship. Photo: Matariki Wilson
Islands because students must learn to fly over land before they can fly over water, and the Cook Islands is mostly water. But going away to school (and paying for it) does not guarantee a job at Air Rarotonga, an airline with limited openings and minimal movement. Still, for those who grew up dreaming about flying in the Cook Islands, it’s worth the risk. “Most of the guys who study aviation stay in New Zealand and become instructors because that’s the only job available,” Guinea tells me over the phone from a busy diner in Hong Kong, where he’s been based for more than 20 years. “But I knew I had to take the risk and return to the Cooks. The day after my last exam I jumped on a plane and came back to Raro – I knew there was a very small chance I could get a job.” Ngatokorua worked for nearly two years managing Air Rarotonga’s cargo shed before he had a chance to fly to other islands. Today, 12 years later, he flies the Saab 340, a 34-passenger plane. Robert Mackenzie worked at the check-in desk for four years before he began flying airplanes for Air Rarotonga; today, 22 years later, he’s a Qantas captain. Ianis Boaza was working on the police
“For as long as I can remember, flying an airplane from Rarotonga to Aitutaki was my dream job,” he says. “When I saw the planes, I knew that was what I wanted to do.” patrol boat when he began dreaming of flying the planes he saw traversing Cook Islands waters. He quit his job and took out a loan to pay for flying school. “I handed over all my money, the most money I’d had in my entire life, and I walked out the door and thought, what have I done?” says Boaza, who has been flying for Air Rarotonga since 1997. “It’s real scary to take a big risk like that.” Howard was also aware that piloting for Air Rarotonga was a precarious dream, so hedged his bets by studying marketing and economics at Otago University. After he had graduated and taken a job with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management, he still found himself
"He set the standard in every way,” Guinea says. “I went from flying Bandits for Air Rarotonga to flying a 747 and when it got hard – and it did get hard because it’s very, very different – I’d just sit there and think you know what, I got through Munro, so I can handle this. The airline I fly for is very British, an almost military airline, with incredible discipline and high demands. But it’s no different to Air Rarotonga – the scale is larger but all the demands of the job are exactly the same. “I laugh sometimes because I teach people from all over the world about the advanced subjects of 777s, and I’m teaching these guys about flying in everything from hot weather to icy conditions and I’m this Maukean, I don’t have a clue what the snow’s all about. I can do what I do because of the foundation the guys at Air Raro gave me.” “Munro does expect you to be on top of your game and for that I am truly thankful,” says Mackenzie, who is now based in Brisbane and flying for Qantas regional. “I find that in the current environment, sometimes people get used to too much automation, whereas in the islands, while you might have the automation, you’re always encouraged to think ahead and actually do hands on flying – skills I utilise to this very day.”
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Left: Donald Guinea, a longtime pilot for Cathay Pacific and trainer on the Boeing 777. Below: Munro Hockin, chief pilot and partner at Air Rarotonga.
“Over here, you’re part of a bigger machine,” says Howard, who’s now flying for Air Nelson, an airline operating under the Air New Zealand Link brand. “It’s less personal. At Air Raro it’s a tight-knit group of people and that’s something you definitely notice when you leave.”
Photo: supplied by Don Guinea
Like Hockin, local pilots Tangi Amataiti and James Herman are qualified flight examiners – highly regarded positions anywhere in the world – and run checks every six months. Most pilots agree that the job’s perks outweigh its demands. They’re paid to travel, explore, and escape the realities of life on the ground. “The beauty of it is that no day is really the same as the day before,” Willis says. “And when you go into the outer islands, especially Aitutaki and up north, you see the colours and it just makes it all worth it.” Those who fly chartered flights to the northern Cook Islands get to spend several nights on islands largely untouched by commercialism and tourism. Pilots gain contacts in the outer islands and exposure to Cook Islands Māori dialects beyond their own. They can document the outer islands through photos and video, then share their experiences with relatives who can’t afford to travel there themselves. For Willis, who is also president of the Democratic Party, travel to the outer islands is an important perspective check. “I get to deal with people at the grassroots level,” he says. “A lot of times, when you’re dealing with politicians in Raro, some are a
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bit high-thinking which doesn’t really work out in the big picture. I just appreciate being able to see what’s in the outer islands and what’s needed and important.” But perhaps the most obvious perk of the job is where it takes place. Pilots in the Cook Islands spend their careers crossing some of the most breathtaking seas in the world. “Your office is 10,000 feet in the sunshine in the Pacific,” says Amataiti, second training manager for Air Rarotonga. “You can’t really beat it.” “It’s a great job,” Boaza says. “Maybe the best job in the country.” Air Rarotonga pilots past and present say the company feels like a family. There are actual families flying for the airline – Willis sometimes shares the plane with his son, a first officer, and daughter, a flight attendant – but they are referring to the intimacy of working for a small business, the only one of its kind in the Cook Islands.
“At Air Raro you know everyone,” Guinea says. “You even know the fueller. It’s that small, almost country club type environment, because you know everyone, whereas in the bigger commercial company you naturally lose a lot of the relationships because you’re working with thousands of people. The difference between this lifestyle and the lifestyle in the Cooks is massive. Over here, you’re just a number in this massive corporation.” Cook Islanders flying airplanes in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Dubai, Korea, and the U.K. recall fondly and with nostalgia the company that launched their careers – Air Rarotonga, a reputable airline with topnotch leadership operating in one of the most beautiful places in the world. “So many guys that have come through Air Raro have done exceptionally well,” Howard says. “But when you speak to them, they want to come back. At the end of the day, you pursue the dream and get to the top – you get there, and then you just want to retire and go back to Air Raro.”
Photo: Matariki Wilson
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Island Craft Carving a place in Cook Islands History
Story: Jess Cramp
T
wenty years before TEAL airlines began flying the Coral Route, inspiring dreams of the enchanting islands of the south seas to aspiring travelers, an English ship’s captain, carpenter, mechanic and adventurer was already en route.
However, it wasn’t the islands he sought, but a Polynesian woman whom he read about in an earlier sailor’s tale. It was the 1930s and in a move that would change the course of his life, Ronald Powell set off on a ship to find her; a schoolteacher named Elizabeth on an atoll called Palmerston, in the Cook Islands. Sounding like a love story written for the big screen, they married, had children, moved to Rarotonga and started a business. Their union not only burgeoned new industries that prevail in the Cook Islands today, it afforded the rediscovery of relics of Cook Islands culture, whereby carving a place into its history. History, though, wouldn’t be carved in solitude. “They needed something to do!” joked Fletcher Melvin, as he told me the story of his grandparents, Ron and Elizabeth Powell, who founded Island Craft in 1943—the company he now runs with his wife, Vaea Melvin. “She was the brains of the operation,” Fletcher says, fondly, of his grandmother, “She was really good with finances.” His grandfather, in contrast, appeared to be the innovator. While the core of Island Craft has always been rooted in shell and timber carvings, the portfolio of its earlier days adds layers upon the company’s colorful history. “Did you know that we used to sell fish and aquariums?” Fletcher seemed a little amused by his family’s
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Above: Kumete being carved. Opposite page left: Island Craft shop in 1986. Opposite page right: Ron and Elizabeth Powell in 1953.
decision to sell fish, yet as I learned a little more about them, the ingenuity and resourcefulness in each of the three generations that have run the company, I was not surprised. It began with buttons; trochus snail shell buttons. Island Craft brought in trochus on flying boats from Fiji and created a new industry. After trochus, in search of a new source for buttons and carvings, Powell and colleague Tekake Williams, of Cook Islands Marine Resources (a department Powell also founded), began the country’s first black pearl oyster seeding program in Manihiki. It would be some years until the oysters were seeded to cultivate black
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pearls. At the time, the shells were for buttons. In the early 1950s, the oyster shells were carved, interestingly though, not by a Cook Islander—by a Tahitian. Tahitian tikis were also sold in the Cooks. According to Melvin, this wasn’t a decision, but a default. Cook Islands carvings were gone from the islands. They had been gifted, stolen or sold to European traders—or burned—by missionaries. As the story was told to me, it would take twenty years before this piece of history was fully unveiled, with the unlikely help of a Scotsman, Fletcher’s Dad, Donald Melvin.
Fletcher’s mom, Marie Melvin, is the eldest of Ron and Elizabeth’s seven children. She was born on Palmerston and raised on Rarotonga. There was no secondary school for Maori kids at the time so she left school at 12-years-old and went to work. It wasn’t long before she became part of the family business, but not to carve timber, arrange flowers or to make jewelry. As a young teenager, she was the island’s photographer. Ron Powell had built her a camera and taught her how to develop photos. At just 14-years-old, she was photographing crimes for the police and even captured images of murder scenes. In the 1950s, photography was half of Island Craft’s business. But her
Serving you for 72 years and proud to be part of our nations history
ESCAPE • 43
position would last because at 15-yearsold, she moved to New Zealand for work; a move that would spark a change of the tide for Island Craft. He was picking tobacco in New Zealand when they met. Donald Melvin, a Scotsman, had won a free ticket from England to New Zealand. But when Polynesian beauty Marie Powell entered his life, it would be his heart that carried him to the Cook Islands. Engaged, they moved back to Rarotonga and in the 1960s, bought Island Craft from Marie’s parents. This change in ownership catalyzed major changes to the company’s productivity. “He was a typical Scotsman,” Fletcher said of his father, Donald Melvin. “He thought the business was too slow. My grandfather was very meticulous—only putting out about five artifacts per week.” Donald and Marie Melvin soon began making crafts on a production line, dramatically changing the business model. He continued, “They went from three to 30 local carvers. In the 1970s, they secured a contract to sell New Zealand Maori carvings. [New Zealanders would] send a pattern, Island Craft would do it and then send it back to New Zealand in containers. The carvers were working 24-hour shifts. It was very stressful.” While Island Craft busily shipped New Zealand Maori carvings overseas, Don Melvin wondered what happened to Cook Islands carvings of years past. At the time, Mangaians were carving stone for collectors and Atiuans carved weapons for ceremonies and dancing. But the Cook Islands traditional gods were missing—so he tried to find them. He wrote to Missionary Societies, to the Edinburgh Museum in Scotland and to the Bishop Museum in Hawaii and others, asking for pictures, testimony—anything that could uncover the “lost” Cook Islands artifacts. Likely inspired by letters from a Scotsman abroad, the Edinburgh Museum quickly responded. They did, in fact,
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have Cook Islands carvings and agreed to send plaster casts, but as Fletcher noted, in recounting the story, there was a condition. They said, “every time we send you a plaster cast, if you send us a carved, wooden version, then we have a deal.” From the casts, Island Craft began producing carvings of traditional Cook Islands deities, not as the missionaries had shipped them, but as they were originally carved—with their penises intact. According to Fletcher, the carving of Tangaroa, the god of the sea and fertility, “caused a bit of an uproar” amongst several folks on Rarotonga. Fletcher chuckled a bit as he told the story, “it was considered profane,” he said. “People assumed that the Tangaroa carvings were always around back then, but they weren’t.” There was a resurgence of Cook Islands history, one of many uncelebrated achievements of the family business, including origination of the black pearl industry in the Cook Islands and creation of the island’s first florist. Yet, when asked if he wanted to become part of Island Craft after boarding school and further study in New Zealand, Fletcher had a knee jerk reaction.“Noooo!” he exclaimed. Like any kid, he explained, having spent many afterschool hours working in the factory, he wanted something different. The youngest of Donald and Marie’s three children, Fletcher carved a path of his own. He trained to become a chef and worked for a few years after his training. “I found that it was actually quite hard!” he joked, speaking of the years he worked in the food industry. While forging his own way,
he was unknowingly following in both his father and grandfather’s footsteps—to the islands, for a woman. Vaea came to the Cook Islands from Tahiti with her dance team. Fletcher was enamored and two weeks later, chased her to Tahiti. They spent two years there and in 1994, moved back to Rarotonga to take care of Fletcher’s dad, who was quite sick at the time. In 2000, Fletcher and Vaea took over the family business from his sister, marking another chapter in the legacy of Island Craft. I asked Fletcher what he changed when they took over. “We got rid of the fish!” he exclaimed. “Thankfully” he added, photography had fallen away from the business years ago. They made other adjustments too, but mostly to “modernize” the business. They started making trophies, coconut oils and soaps, and added a laser engraver, capable of customizing orders with precision in detailed patterns. They expanded the floral business his mom started, making it a central part or daily operations. Hand-made carvings remain the foundation of Island Craft’s business and
Previous page top: 1970s staff. Previous page bottom: Carvings for Brisbane 1988 World Expo.
Fletcher works hard to ensure both the timber and the talent, are sustainable. They have an apprenticeship for carvers that takes four years to complete. A worthwhile investment it would seem because Kiki, their master carver, has been with the business for 25 years and his brother, 15 years. Island Craft does its best to balance their need for timber and other products with their care of the local flora and fauna of the Cook Islands. They stopped selling sea turtle shell, black coral and conch “because they eat the crown of thorns,” Fletcher noted. He also encourages local landowners to cut branches, rather than whole trees—and to replant areas that have been burned, destroyed, or cut down for cultivation. Native trees such as mahogany, or tamanu, are becoming increasingly rare and it’s documented this particular tree is special in the Cooks. Despite the fact that it “bleeds red” which is the royal colour in Cook Islands culture, it is also integral in affording protection to islanders during cyclones. Fletcher’s grandfather would surely agree. The tamanu tree was his lifeline during the 1942 cyclone he endured on Suwarrow, alongside the late American author Robert Dean Frisbie, who recounted the experience in his novel “The Island of Desire.” Not surprisingly though, tamanu, along with teak, is great for carving. They’re semi-hardwoods, denser, heavier than softer woods like hibiscus. Subsequently, the weight of the semihardwood carvings are also the first clue as to whether or not carvings are locally-made. “The imported stuff is light,” Fletcher commented. Imported goods and increased competition has caused Island Craft to become leaner in recent years—they went from five shops down to three and admit to importing a few of the smaller carvings to remain competitive. The rest of their products, however, are homegrown, carved and finished right here, in the Cook Islands.
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With a full list of custom 21st keys, paddles, tikis and intricately design carvings to fill, coconut soap to make and flowers to arrange, the family continues to be the premier shop for locallymade crafts—and they’re proud of it. Gazing at his son, who is spending his day off from school at the factory with his parents, much like his father once did, Fletcher concluded, “Sure, there are easier ways we could get this done, we could make more money, we could go overseas, but I want it to mean something.” Judging by the track record and quiet accomplishments of the three generations who have run the business for over 70 years, I sense that authenticity—and family—was the only thing that ever mattered.
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Humble FROM
BEGINNINGS Story: Rachel Reeves
B
y Commonwealth standards, Tom Marsters possesses more prestige than anyone in the Cook Islands. He is the de facto head of state, the fifth Cook Islander to represent the British Crown, used to being called Excellency and assigned a home behind stately gates emblazoned with royal insignia.
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But as Marsters opens up to me, there are no traces of conceit. He’s down to earth, sentimental, human. He’s proud of where he comes from and deeply reverent of his ancestors and culture, though he holds a colonial title. “I’m really honoured and grateful,” he says of his role as the Queen’s Representative. “I try my best.” Marsters chooses not to live in the official residence, where dress code is enforced for visitors and appointments are required. Instead he lives in Kavera, on his wife
Tuaine’s land, in a modest white house where he raised three boys and one girl, who between them have given him seven grandchildren. Marsters has an office at his official residence in Titikaveka but takes many of his calls here, at a table on the veranda, surrounded by crowing roosters and all the things that belong to a lived-in local home: kids’ clothes hanging on the line, bags of cement, gumboots and nails, cabin bread tins and sacks of taro and petrol for the grasscutter.
Photos this spread: Tom Marsters Inauguration. Photos: Cook Islands News
In public he’s dressed formally, but this morning the Queen’s Representative – known locally as the QR – is wearing rugby shorts and a fleece jacket. I told him over the phone, and again when I arrived, that I wanted to talk to him about his life for a profile piece. He’s been talking for an hour, and still he hasn’t said a word about his achievements or his political career, topics a more pompous sort would be quick to discuss. He’s spoken about his grandchildren and an 80th birthday party he attended several months ago, but mostly he’s spoken about an intensely emotional trip to Penrhyn last year during which he found the unmarked grave of his tupuna vaine, his great-great-greatgrandmother. Before I arrived, Marsters talked to his wife Tuaine about sharing the story of that trip with the world. He was hesitant to be so open, but she encouraged him to do it. “My soul was saying you got to release it,” Marsters says. “You got to let the world know how you feel.” He takes a deep breath and begins. The story begins on the morning of September 11, when Marsters, his wife, and a small entourage boarded a C-130, a military Hercules, bound for Penrhyn, the northernmost of the Cook Islands. The purpose of their trip was to present 83-year-old Rongo Taia, a retired schoolteacher, with a British Empire Medal for service to the community. Taia was too fragile to travel and couldn’t make an award ceremony in Rarotonga, so the ceremony went to him. Taia died a few months later. Marsters speaks fondly of him, crediting the old papa for prompting what became a deeply personal journey to Te Tautua, a village on Penrhyn traditionally known as Motutapu. “It was the most beautiful, awesome sight of an island I have ever seen from the air,”
Marsters recalls, his voice cracking. “The captain was so kind as to take us on a double spin around this beautiful piece of God’s creation... As we twice flew over Te Tautua I had this strong yearning to get to Motutapu very quickly. It’s the same feeling of wanting to get to the safety of one’s dwelling, wanting to get home.” Te Tautua is the birth- and resting place of Tepou Tinioi, Marsters’ tupuna vaine. She was married to William Marsters, an English adventurer known for settling the island of Palmerston in 1863 with three Cook Islands wives, all cousins. At this point in the story, the QR pauses and smiles.
“The three ladies actually come from the same village, the same place,” he says. “Cousins. This guy William must have been something else.” Tepou left Penrhyn, her birthplace, to live with her British husband on Palmerston, and there she raised seven children. The second eldest, Thomas, was the progenitor of the QR’s line. When William died, Tepou returned to Penrhyn. She didn’t intend to stay but fell ill, died, and was buried on her home island. A century after her death, Marsters was born on Palmerston, 20 years to the day before the Cook Islands became self-
ESCAPE • 49
governing. His father, a radio operator, was transferred to Aitutaki when Marsters was just a baby. He returned to Palmerston again as a toddler, then left the pa enua when he was four years old to live with his grandmother on Rarotonga, the island that would become his permanent home. Until 2015, he’d visited Palmerston only once in 66 years. After finishing school on Rarotonga, Marsters studied in Samoa and England, then returned to the Cook Islands and began a prolific career in government. He held roles of all sorts, from clerk of the House of Ariki to harbour master to director of the Cook Islands Development Bank; his final role as a bureaucrat was deputy secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture. He then became a career politician, serving as a Member of Parliament for Rarotonga’s Murienua constituency from 1991 until he was inaugurated as the Queen’s Representative in 2013. During his time in Parliament, he held nearly every possible ministerial
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...until he was inaugurated as the Queen’s Representative in 2013. During his time in Parliament, he held nearly every possible ministerial portfolio, served on various select committees, and was elected to leadership positions in spheres both political and social. portfolio, served on various select committees, and was elected to leadership positions in spheres both political and social. He also held the high-ranking office of deputy prime minister – his final role as a politician. Throughout his time in office, Marsters always kept abreast of what was happening in Palmerston, the island of his birth. A year after being elected, he took the Palmerston Act to the House; the island is still managed by this unique piece of legislation. In 2015, Marsters visited Palmerston for the second time in his adult life to celebrate the completion of an aid-funded solar energy project, which eliminates completely the island’s reliance on fossil fuels.
“In small communities, there are always rifts, always infighting, whatever you want to call it,” he says. “But I was greeted by every single person on the island when I arrived, and that was such an honour.” Marsters hosted a barbecue at his mother’s house the night he got there and everyone on the island attended. Palmerston’s population hovers around 60 and most of its residents are Marsters, descended from one of William’s many children. “I enjoyed being back there in Palmerston with them,” Marsters says. “I don’t know when I’ll have that privilege again.” Marsters is proud of his island, but though he was born there and his bloodline comes also from Manihiki, Rakahanga, Aitutaki, and Rarotonga, he feels particularly drawn
Photo: Nick Hurley
Palmerston. Photo: Ewan Smith
“Quietly she said Papa, this is what you have always wanted to do, to visit the home of your tupuna and your people and you are now here. I could only nod in agreement because I was overcome with emotion, and as I took my first step on Motutapu… I felt peace at heart. I wanted to jump up and shout my love for Te Tautua. I wanted to tell the world that I belong to Motutapu, and I wanted to tell the world that Te Tautua is the most beautiful place on Earth.” to Penrhyn, the island his great-greatgreat-grandmother left when she moved to Palmerston with her British husband. As the QR continues relaying the story of his trip to Penrhyn to find her grave, his voice wavers. He remembers every detail. The morning after he and his entourage arrived, spirits in the main village of Omoka were high. It had rained during the night and the water tanks were full. At 9am, Marsters and his team, dressed in their Sunday best, boarded the boat that would take them across Penrhyn’s vast lagoon to the village of Te Tautua. They
were greeted by a powerful turou – a welcoming chant – issued by a handsome young man and echoed by a group of mamas, their voices joining together in welcoming their son home. “Teary-eyed, I looked across at my wife, who was also teary-eyed,” Marsters says, pausing to wipe his eyes. “Quietly she said Papa, this is what you have always wanted to do, to visit the home of your tupuna and your people and you are now here. I could only nod in agreement because I was overcome with emotion, and as I took my first step on Motutapu… I felt peace at heart. I wanted to jump up and shout my love for Te Tautua. I wanted to tell the world that I belong to Motutapu, and I
wanted to tell the world that Te Tautua is the most beautiful place on Earth.” The locals – 70 from Te Tautua, 60 from the village across the lagoon – sang a capella hymns that sounded as if they were emanating from a chorus of a thousand people. Marsters and his entourage were offered a sumptuous feast and gifts of hats and handicraft. The QR took some time out after the award presentation to look for Tepou’s grave. Though he couldn’t find it, one particular headstone called to him. “I had a warm feeling come over me, this unusual feeling of not wanting to leave that site,” he says. Following an unsuccessful search, Marsters was summoned to see a 92-year-old woman, Mama Ani, who had heard about what he was doing. When he
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than the high-profile ones. The highprofile ones, they expect me to be there and I’ll try to be there, but the low-profile ones, they may not expect me to and I’ll be there as well.” Marsters speaks often of his wife and how grateful he is that she cancels some of her own engagements to be by his side at almost every function he attends.
Penrhyn. Photo: Ewan Smith
arrived at her home, Mama Ani motioned for him to sit on the bed and told him she believed she was the last surviving grandchild of William Marsters. She had been a little girl when Tepou returned to Te Tautua from Palmerston. She vividly remembered Tepou’s funeral and knew where to find her grave. “Her daughter took us to the grave, a rock formation where I had earlier stood,” Marsters recalls. “I stood there and I felt goose pimples all over my body and chills running up and down my spine, and then that same warm feeling overtook me again. A hand touched my shoulders and it was the reverend saying a prayer. My whole body was trembling as I stood at the grave site, something I wasn’t aware of until the reverend pointed it out to me.” When it was time to leave Te Tautua, the boat’s brand-new engine began to cough and splutter. Someone joked about something in the village wanting to keep the QR there. Marsters sensed he was serious. “Nineteen minutes it took us to travel to Te Tautua, but it took almost an hour for the return leg,” he says. “Someone please explain that.” Since that trip, Marsters dreams often of living in Te Tautua, a tidy village far away from the stresses of life on Rarotonga. He considers it a great honour to serve as the Queen’s Representative but admits to the strain of living a public life. The first year on
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the job, he was surprised by the demands it imposed on his time and his wife’s. Attending half a dozen functions a day is normal for the Marsters. The functions are related to government business, diplomatic visits, and public ceremonies, of which there are many in the Cook Islands, and often the QR is asked to speak or preside. The Marsters also make it a priority to have a presence on the ground, at the community level. They attend weddings, funerals, birthdays, haircuttings, school and sports events, and unveiling ceremonies in every village on Rarotonga. “All my life I’ve been heavily involved with the community, even before I was a Crown minister,” he says. “It’s been my lifestyle. But of course as the QR the level of invites has escalated and the expectation is higher, too, and I realise that. I also realise the lower the profile of the event, the more appreciative people are when I turn up. Just to see the elation on their faces – I get more pleasure, more satisfaction out of attending those functions
Photo: Nick Hurley
The QR has friends in high places – New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully flew to Rarotonga specifically for his inauguration – and he’s represented his country at international forums, including the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, but his priorities are his people and islands. His Excellency Tom Marsters may have moved beyond Palmerston to represent the Queen of England, but he remembers and respects his roots, and this is the mark of a true leader.
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Building a
ukulele
Story & photos: Kirby Morejohn
The water in the lagoon looked more inviting than normal as we motored down the main road on my scooter. It was my third day on Rarotonga, only a few days before my birthday. Hoping to jump off the bike and go for a swim, I was surprised when my partner directed me to turn inland. “Where are we going?” I asked. Her silence was the clue that I’d soon find out.
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W
e arrived at a small workshop in Aro’a that overlooked a large garden where a man was working. Wearing a wide and friendly smile, he put down his watering can to greet us. Natua Teururai, a local musician and builder of Cook Islands and Tahitian heritage, informed me that for the next few days, we’d be building ukuleles together. I should have paid attention to the white signs along the route with hand painted red and black letters spelling “Ukuleles.” It was immediately clear that this was my birthday present—I was hesitant, but excited to learn. While I’d been playing the ukulele, or uke for short, for a number of years and had even done a bit of woodwork, I wasn’t sure I had the skill for the finer details in building an instrument. Luckily, I’d come to learn that while some of the ukulele builders on the island had been doing it for generations, others had honed their craft through intense dedication in under a decade. And this gave me a bit of confidence. I met Enua Totini Jr. and his wife Teroro “the boss,” as he jokingly called her, at the Saturday market where they sold their ukes. The Totinis founded KMD Ukuleles and have been producing them locally for nearly ten years. After a nice conversation, Enua sensed my interest and I was invited to his home shop for a tour of his operations. Enua’s timber collection was impressive. Stacks of mango, mahogany, breadfruit, rosewood, and wild hibiscus were nicely organized into piles by level of dryness and cut. He had everything from large chainsaw cut wood rounds down to ready to be worked, dried milled blocks. He explained the coloration and hardness of each timber with enthusiasm. Enua’s attention to detail was apparent in his product. Some had laser engraved Cook Islands patterns, ready for the custom orders he was filling. He pointed out how he was working toward the purchase of two of each machine so that if one broke he would be able to continue working. It was important that he could produce quality ukuleles every week. Nearly a decade ago, Enua was working in joinery,
Writer playing the ukulele he made
but since he turned his dedication to building quality ukuleles, he has sold to musicians and collectors overseas, garnering kudos from well-known Polynesian artists. After hearing Enua’s story, I was certain that with the right help, I could build a simple ukulele that may not be as perfectly crafted as his, but hopefully could hold a chord. It also made me happy to think about ukuleles leaving the islands because in the not-too-distant past, things were reversed. In the grand history of string instruments, the ukulele is considered a new arrival. In the late 1870s, Portuguese immigrants brought small, guitar-like string instruments to Hawaii. When Hawaiians saw the immigrants playing the stringed instruments, with their fingers jumping up and down the neck, they thought it looked like “fleas flying”—or ukulele—as Natua described it to me. The Hawaiian ukulele maintained its guitar-like, hourglass shape, but the rest of Polynesia adopted others. In the 1900s, many variations in body shape of ukuleles spread in the South Pacific, each synonymous with Polynesian culture. While the origin of the varied ukuleles is a bit unclear, stories suggest they were based on the Hawaiian instrument but modified for the materials
and tools available on remote islands, like Rarotonga. Local craftsmen discussed making instruments out of whatever was available, like cigar boxes, cooking pots and fishing line. Some Cook Islands ukulele builders remember making small coconut-bodied ukuleles as children in the 1950s and 1960s and are certain the existence of the coconut ukes preceded their own. Two distinct versions of ukuleles are prevalent in the Cook Islands today. The first is the familiar coconut uke, made from half of a coconut shell with a solid wood neck. It is generally four-stringed. The second is a larger, flat-bodied uke, made from a variety of timber with eight strings; this is generally referred to as the Tahitian ukulele. This style is the primary instrument made for sale by Natua, Enua and at least four others on the island, including the local prison, which sells hand-made ukuleles at their Prison Craft Shop in Arorangi. Superintendent Henry Heather described the prison’s ukulele program as mutually beneficial because while some of the proceeds were used for prison operations, portions were paid to the prisoners who built the instruments as well as the purchasing of new tools. These tools belong to the inmates and are kept by the inmates at the end of their sentence. The prison used
ESCAPE • 57
The experience of building my own ukulele was both humbling and rewarding.
ukulele building as a work rehabilitation program, empowering prisoners to learn a transferable skill and earn a small amount of money to purchase tools and support their families. While the bodies of local ukuleles have varied, the use of fishing line for strings remains consistent here. It is standard today on Cook Islands-made ukuleles even though using fishing line may have once been a necessity due to scarcity of materials. The sounds provided by 10 and 20 kilogram breaking strength monofilament is unique, and the material still easier to acquire than stings of varying thicknesses used on the ukulele’s guitar-shaped Hawaiian cousin. Despite being nearly a century old, the Tahitian style ukulele didn’t make its appearance in mainstream music until the 1990s. Since then, the popularity of this ukulele in Polynesian music has secured its long-term survival. According to Riki Adamu though, who alongside his wife Reea and son Mahutaariki own M&M Ukalele and Crafts, calling the flat bodied ukulele “Tahitian” is incorrect – “it’s a Cook Islands uk[a]lele.” The family also chooses to use “ukalele” in the Cook Islands, mentioning that “ukulele” is the Hawaiian pronunciation, “uka” is the pronunciation here. It seems Riki’s family was destined to succeed as ukulele players and builders. Riki built his first coconut ukulele at age 12 in Manihiki, no doubt inspired by his family. His father was a cabinetmaker and
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grandfather, a builder who constructed churches on Rakahanga and Penrhyn. Subtly put, woodworking is in the Adamu blood. Riki’s son, Mahutaariki built his first ukulele at age 14, a double-necked Tahitian-style, and is now leading the family’s operations. M&M has the largest production line for ukes on the island. Their hand-chiseled designs are proudly displayed alongside their other wooden crafts including pate –Cook Islands drums—at the Saturday Punanga Nui market. With my own building project ahead in Natua’s workshop, it was an easy choice; I wanted to build the larger, eightstringed Tahitian ukulele. I left the simpler construction of the coconut-shelled uke to my girlfriend, Jess, who surprisingly, decided to participate in building. Make no mistake; building ukuleles is a lot of work. I spent five days at Natua’s workshop; Jess spent three because her ukulele was simpler to construct. There were options to complete ukuleles already produced to various stages, but we chose to start from scratch. Some days occupied only a few hours because we needed glue and lacquer to cure overnight. On other days, we were covered in sawdust, working side by side with Natua, his son, Maurae, and friend, Mataio. While they made the week’s production run of quality instruments, Jess and I made ours. Each time we got stuck, Natua and the boys showed us the way. We used
band saws, belt sanders, routers, hand drills, angle grinders, chisels and heaps of elbow grease. We were surprised by how open and trusting Natua’s team was, considering we were newbies. We laughed at our inability to master the tools, but realized that in the end, we’d have more than just an instrument, we’d have an appreciation of the skill required to build it. Considering how much time it took the boys to show us the ropes, I was surprised to learn there were other builders willing to take on beginners. I first heard of Michael Tavioni from a friend, Kris, who spent a summer learning to carve a canoe—or vaka—from a tree trunk with Mike’s trusted guidance. I was happy to hear that Mike also taught ukulele building because he is not only a historian and horticulturist; he’s an artist and master carver too. Sitting on a sawdusty bench, Mike explained to me that while he doesn’t produce ukuleles to sell, he loves teaching people the skill. The good news for those willing to learn; he’s easy to find. Most often, he’s in his woodshop adjacent to the Whale and Wildlife Center. The experience of building my own ukulele was both humbling and rewarding. To top it off, on the second to last day, Mataio came around the side of Natua’s shop carrying a young coconut, or nu, with a candle sticking out of the top. It was my birthday and this was my cake. After singing “Happy Birthday”, Natua and the boys presented me a second coconut. This one had begun to sprout. Locally
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The Big Fish Previous page left: Saturday Punanga Nui market. Previous page right: M&M ukalele on the workbench.
known as uto, the center was filled with what Natua laughingly called “island marshmallow.” We passed around the sweet coconut treat, quietly enjoying the sun and cool breeze after a hard day’s work. The amount of work (and care) that the boys put in to help us far exceeded the amount of time it would have taken them to build two ukuleles, which is generally two to three days. Because of this, I was surprised that the cost of building your own instrument was the same as the retail price of ukuleles like ours. Except, the hands of an expert, which we clearly were not, would have refined the finished ukuleles. With my green monofilament strings wrapped carefully from tuning machine to bridge pins, I sat with Natua and played my new instrument; it could hold a chord.
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Fact File KMD Ukuleles – Enua and Teroro Totini Saturday Market, Facebook or Follow signs from main road to shop in Ngatangiia M&M Ukalele [sic] and Crafts – Riki, Reea and Mahutaariki Adamu Saturday Market, Facebook or Follow signs from main road to shop in Tupapa
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Natua Ukulele – Natua Teururai Natua Ukulele on Facebook or Follow the signs to his shop from the main road in Aro’a. Arorangi Prison Craft Shop M-F 0800-1500 located at the prison on back road Michael (Mike) Tavioni Workshop adjacent to the Whale and Wildlife Center on back road
ESCAPE • 59
Love a little Paradise
Story: Rachel Reeves
I
n 2015, the team at Cook Islands Tourism Corporation took stock of its situation. The bureau’s brand was more than a decade old. Its satellite offices overseas were disseminating mixed messages about the Cook Islands. Tourism bureaus in other Pacific Islands were more effectively leveraging the power of the internet. All members of the team knew they were selling a desirable product. They knew what anyone who’s been here knows: that the Cook Islands exudes charm, freedom, adventure, and stunning natural beauty. The problem was communicating the spirit of the place to markets inundated with advertisements for other Pacific destinations. And so began a comprehensive and expensive rebrand, which a year later is still in progress but already yielding real results.
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Cook Islands Tourism’s first step was to identify their product’s comparative advantages, or what those in the industry call its unique selling proposition. To do so, the Tourism team looked inward. “In times past we’ve gone out and contracted expert companies to tell us what we are,” says Karla Eggelton, Cook Islands Tourism’s director of sales and marketing. “This time it was different. We thought, this brand is going to be what our people want. We know the Cook Islands. We are Cook Islanders. Who better to consult?” Following a series of community meetings and in-house discussions, Tourism staff outlined the Cook Islands’ assets as a destination. Beyond the obvious ones like beaches and sunshine, they noted the place is small, relatively undeveloped, and accessible to international travellers; they also noted locals are remarkably friendly. Then, using three years’ worth of data
collected from departure cards filled out at the airport, the Tourism team identified its target consumer: the “soft explorer,” or the kind of traveller who wants to engage with a place beyond the boundaries of a resort. Those tourists who gave the Cook Islands high praise upon departure were of all ages and demographics, but shared an interest in adventure and experience. The next step for the Tourism team was to think carefully about a brand that would communicate the Cook Islands’ unique strengths, appeal to adventurous travellers, and gain traction within the digital space. Staff realised the brand needed to catch up. No longer were brochures and leaflets their most effective marketing tools; they needed to shift focus. They needed images and video content for social media campaigns. They needed memorable, funny. With the help of a consultant, the team developed a new logo – hot pink, playful, hibiscus flower, sunshine – and a resonant tagline – Love A Little Paradise. Both now feature on the Cook Islands Tourism website and social media profiles. The tagline has become an oft-used hashtag. “The words were chosen very carefully and each of the key words has meaning,” Eggelton says of Love A Little Paradise. “The first thing that we needed to focus on was awareness. A lot of people don’t know the Cook Islands, so our tagline needed to answer the question what are you? Paradise is an important word because as soon as you start saying that, it helps people to understand the Cook Islands is a nice, warm, sunny destination. A second advantage we have is accessibility. It’s easy to get around Rarotonga. In other destinations, you get a resort holiday – you go to a hotel and eat three times a
day in the same resort and go to the beach and do your activities in the same resort. Here, Rarotonga is your resort. We want you to go out and experience everything the island has to offer, because here you have the freedom and accessibility to be able to do that. And the reason we’re so accessible and have this sense of freedom is because we’re little. So rather than little having a negative connotation, we own little. There is no other destination like ours; because of our size we can offer so much.” The rebrand’s most visible success was the Katu Kanga project, a series of short videos featuring two cheeky Avarua School students, stunning filmography, and engaging humour. “We wanted to trial some video content that was fun, that was useful, that was energetic,” Eggelton says. “We didn’t want to portray the Cook Islands as sleepy or soporific. We’re more than the destination where you come in white linen and sip cocktails on the beach.” Conceived and created by a top-notch filmographer who had recently moved to Rarotonga, the series went viral and received ample international media attention. Within weeks, the first Katu Kanga video garnered 100,000 views. The internet sensation made Cook Islanders feel proud and viewers all over the world feel like booking flights.
Cook Islands Tourism has plans to this year produce videos with subtitles in German, Spanish, Italian, and French. A year after its rebranding exercise began, Cook Islands Tourism offices in eight overseas markets – New Zealand, Australia, North America, the UK, Italy, Germany, China, and Japan – disseminated updated marketing material.
Tourism managers are projecting growth in visitation as a result of the rebrand. “We just stayed true to our destination,” Eggelton says of the rebranding journey. “If you stay true to your destination, you really can’t go wrong.”
s?
with u Why come fishing Our record fish and high catch rate speaks for itself!
• Half & Full Day Charters • Two boats available • Shared or Private charters • Top quality Shimano gear P. +(682) 55202 or +(682) 20683 E. fishing@marlinqueen.co.ck | www.marlinqueen.co.ck
Rarotonga’s best known & most trusted local crew ESCAPE • 61
great places to stay
r
Muri Beachcomber
elax by the pool with a tropical cocktail, soak up the sun, rejuvenate your soul, and luxuriate in the warmth of a romantic evening under the stars, with exotic foods and fine wine. Whatever your Cook Islands holiday dream consists of, you can be sure there is a style of accommodation to suit your taste and attentive staff to make all those dreams come true. From deluxe beach resorts to simple budget facilities, you can choose your own standard or quality and plan according to your budget. Here on these pages, we bring you some of the nicest places to stay on Rarotonga.
happy holidays!
Look for this symbol‌ The Cook Islands Tourism Accreditation Scheme is designed to set minimum standards. It will assist you in your choice of where to stay, what to see and what to do. Wherever you see this logo you can be sure that the accommodation establishment, restaurant, retailer, tour or activity operator has met minimum requirements to assure you of good service, good facilities, safe practices and of course friendly Cook Islands hospitality. We highly recommend that visitors use their services. For a full list of all accredited businesses please refer to our website:
www.tourismindustry.co.ck
Kia orana from all of us at Club Raro Resort The newly renovated Club Raro Resort offers something for everyone from relaxing by the pool, happy hours at our new bar “ RUMBA” and great value accommodation. We love what we do and what our resort offers and know that we can provide a resort experience for you that simply does not cost the earth! Tel: (682) 22 415 • Fax: (682) 24 415 • Email: holiday@clubraro.co.ck
Situated in the heart of popular Muri Beach, our 22 tastefully furnished spacious units & villas are air-conditioned & self-catering. Complimentary kayaks, SUP’s, snorkelling gear, transfers. Friendly staff ensure you of a memorable ‘Rarotongan’ experience.
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Idyllically set on the shores of a sheltered lagoon this intimate beachfront resort enjoys stunning sunsets.
35 spacious self-catering studios and suites are situated either on the beachfront overlooking the lagoon or beside either of the two swimming pools amid lush tropical gardens. The resort features an open-air restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days a week.
Phone: (682) 28028 Email: welcome@thesunsetresort.com www.thesunsetresort.com
Reconnect with life at our Romantic Island Hideaway. Enjoy child-free tranquillity in a perfect beachside setting. P: (682) 28465 E: sunhaven@beachbungalows.co.ck www.mysunhaven.com
The
Spa
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Buy three cocktails and receive a 120MB WIFI voucher Ph. 23000
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www.muribeachclubhotel.com
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www.rarobuggytours.com
YOUR PRIVATE PIECE OF PARADISE!
18 self-catering air conditioned villas set amongst tropical gardens and across the road from its own stunning beach and reserve. Ideal for couples and families.
Beachfront and garden bungalows | Onsite restaurant and bar Personal wedding co-ordinator | Rarotonga’s quiet southern coast PO Box 23, Rarotonga, Cook Islands email: beach@palmgrove.co.ck phone: +682 20002 www.palmgrove.net
P. +682 22020
reservations@lagoonbreezevillas.com lagoonbreezevillas.com
Experience all that’s good about the Cook Islands ...in a truly romantic beachside location
From quality accommodation – each room with an outdoor shower – to superb island cuisine in our ‘toes-in-the-sand’ restaurant, with cocktails on the beach at sunset... the holiday of your dreams is waiting for you here. For enquiries: phone (682) 22461 | email: rooms@manuia.co.ck | www.manuia.co.ck
The Little Polynesian A rare gem that exceeds all expectations. Share our Little Paradise with us.
ADVERTORIAL
Polynesian Paradise When the ‘Little Poly’ was completed and launched in 2006 it was a byword in tasteful luxury. A boutique resort on a beautiful beach that set the benchmark for small resorts in the Cook Islands and elsewhere in the Pacific. That shouldn’t have been surprising because driving its development was the late Te Tika Dorice Reid, a Cook Islands woman who was the epitomie of fine taste and correctness; who brought her chiefly traditonal leadership and cultural revival passion to bear on everything she did, including her business interests. It may be a decade on but the Little Polynesian Resort’s original fine bones and iconic seaside location have stood the test of time, and still cause you to catch your breath when you step out of your transport and enter the foyer, and your eyes can’t help but look through to the infinity pool which seems to merge with the lagoon as it stretches out to the reef a couple of hundred metres out.
Rarotonga’s best beach at the Little Polynesian.
Once you’ve checked into your fastidiously designed and appointed accomodation, the chances are that, like so many other visitors over the last ten years, you’ll be happy to relax on your verandah; taking a dip in the ocean or the pool, having your picture taken in the picturebook tropical surroundings by the friendly staff and sending it off to your less fortunate friends or family saying, ‘wish you were here.’ There are only 14 villas at the resort and each is positioned for maximum privacy. The beach is arguably the best on the island and even on the hottest day, the southeasterly trade wind provides a refreshing breeze. All that fresh air is likely to give you a thirst and an appetite and the resort management knows that. Refreshments and food are available all day long, and the emphasis is on ‘polynesian fresh’; from the plantation and sea to the table with the least delay. Don’t expect tinned or processed food at ‘Little Poly’, but do expect to eat whatever’s in season, and what the chef has been able to purchase from the local fishermen. That has it’s trials, but if you’re fond of fresh fruits like pawpaw, pineapple, mango, passion, star fruit, banana and coconut; and from the sea, yellow fin tuna, mahimahi, broadbill – as sashimi or ika mata, or in some other delicacy - you’re in for a treat.
LITTLE POLYNESIAN ph: 24280 email: sales@littlepolynesian.com www.littlepolynesian.com 66 • ESCAPE
Ten years on there’s a new management team led by General Manager Louis Enoka. The original high values remain, with Louis and his team simply freshening up the complex, that was built right to begin with and has exuded luxury and charm in an understated way since it opened. Their efforts will ensure that everything will be ready and ‘just right’ when you arrive. For booking requests and general information please contact: sales@littlepolynesian.com or manager@littlepolynesian.com
s ’ o n i R
LS A T N E R OTEL &
M
WHITE SAND BEACH • SEA VIEWS • SPECTACULAR SUNSETS Beachfront or Garden Bungalows with kitchens, en-suite bathrooms, daily servicing and some with private balconies. Daily breakfast. Plus the largest fleet of rental vehicles on the island, at competitive rates. Airport pick-up service. Rino’s will add a personal touch to your vacation!
P: (682) 31 197 | M: (682) 55 839 | Email: rinos@aitutaki.net.ck
rinosaitutakihotels.com
ESCAPE • 67
lagoon the big blue
M
y cousin is spellbound, his eyes fixed on the turquoise lagoon spreading from beneath our little boat, his mouth open in awe.
The lagoon covers nearly 70 kilometres of area, and in its centre sits Aitutaki – an atoll except for one volcanic mountain, rumoured in legend to have been stolen from Rarotonga by Aitutaki’s early warriors. A coral reef encircles the entire Aitutaki lagoon, keeping the ocean at bay and protecting the main island and 15 other motu, the local word denoting tiny, flat, uninhabited atolls.
“This is unreal,” he says, with intentional stress on the final syllable. He saw this lagoon once, when he was a child, but hazy memories left him ill prepared for its electrifying beauty.
Without a doubt, Aitutaki’s sprawling lagoon is its foremost tourist attraction. Big, blue, warm, and full of harmless life, the lagoon is not only disarmingly beautiful, but it’s also an invaluable asset for the Aitutaki community. Local people creatively maximise its tourism potential.
This lagoon has a reputation for being one of the loveliest in the Pacific. Even on off days, during rare periods of overcast skies, the water retains a strikingly vivid colour. “No artist’s palette could ever conceive of a more perfect, more luminescent turquoise than that of the lagoon of Aitutaki, arguably the most beautiful in the world,” Steve Davey writes in his travel anthology entitled Unforgettable Places to See Before You Die.
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Signs near the airport advertise day tours, fishing trips, kiteboarding lessons, snorkeling charters, and bonefishing guides. There are SCUBA dives, spearfishing excursions, wakeboarding trips, boats for hire, water taxis.
Big, blue, warm, and full of harmless life, the lagoon is not only disarmingly beautiful, but it’s also an invaluable asset for the Aitutaki community.
I watched kitesurfers hit ramps in high winds and anglers creep up on the elusive bonefish...
The highlight of Aitutaki is her lagoon and a visit is not complete without joining us for a fun filled day cruising this spectacular wonder. Explore the incredible marine life while snorkeling and swimming. We offer a range of tours and lagoon taxi services, hotel transfers, snorkeling gear, beach towels and BBQ lunch on the famous One Foot Island. We are also ‘Island Wedding’ specialists. Tel: +682 31009 Email: bishopcruz@aitutaki.net.ck Visit our website to discover more...
www.bishopscruises.com ESCAPE • 69
For a waterbaby, Aitutaki is the prototypical playground. Trust me on this one. Through a SCUBA mask I ogled at fleshy, blue-lipped clams as big as truck tyres. I went wakeboarding behind a speedboat; lunched on a buffet of fresh fish and fruit aboard a double-hulled canoe; paddled in a six-man canoe against the backdrop of a setting sun; and glided across the lagoon’s placid surface on a stand-up paddleboard.
I watched kitesurfers hit ramps in high winds and anglers creep up on the elusive bonefish. Many an afternoon I spent splayed out on a sandbar, half-submerged in water clear as glass and warm as a bath. I had my passport stamped at One Foot Island and spent hours reading on islands inhabited by palm trees and little else. I never tired of playing in this vast marine park.
Luxurious Dining
with Pacific Resort Aitutaki
Rapae Bay Restaurant Creative contemporary cuisine with an island flavour. Regular live entertainment. Island Night on Wednesday. Casual diners welcome. Bookings essential.
There are, of course, things to do on Aitutaki itself – cultural tours, evening crab hunts by the light of a bright moon, Sunday morning services at the Cook Islands Christian Church, farmers’ markets, dance and drum shows. For bookworms, there are hammocks strung between two coconut trees. For the indulgent traveler, there are seaside bars serving cocktails, fresh fish, and breadfruit chips. For the adventurous, there are undeveloped atolls, home to a cluster of palms and brilliantly white sand, free of footprints, fringed by the lagoon.
Experience it for yourself!
www.pacificresort.com |
+682 31 720
Neil Mitchell’s
Aitutaki Scuba Scuba & Snorkel Tours
33 years of diving Aitutaki guarantees you the best dives • PADI Instructor #452677 • NAUI Instructor #8812
Ph: (682) 31703 or 31103 Mob: (682) 56103 Email: scuba@aitutaki.net.ck WATER TAXI • WHALE WATCHING • KITE BOARDING • TUBE RIDES • WATER SKIING
D WIL WEBOTAT& CHARTERS For an awesome holiday experience!
P: 31651 or 31657 M: 56558 or 75980 E: wetnwild@oyster.net.ck www.wetnwild-aitutaki.com
SNORKELING • SITE SEEING • SPEAR FISHING • WAKE BOARDING • GAME FISHING
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This is the stuff of fantasy, the picture of a holiday destination conjured by anyone who’s been overwhelmed by traffic or paperwork or monotony, and dreamt of escape. The landscape hearkens back to a Polynesia of old. This is the Rarotonga of yesteryear – some roads are charmingly unpaved, the airport is an airy, one-room building, and signs warn us to SLOW DOWN as we proceed at less than 20 km/ hr. People wave, cheerful and genuine, happily welcoming us onto their island. My cousin wonders aloud whether they might be waving at someone else, or because we’re driving a car that belongs to our hotel manager. “Or are they really just that friendly?” he muses. Then, he answers his own question: “Wow.” This air is fragrant and the sky, seamlessly blue. Everywhere there is greenery, punctuated only by the vivid pinks, reds, and purples of frangipani, hibiscus, and bougainvillea. The main road is lined with homes, their front yards immaculately raked and planted with flowering trees
A I T U TA K I • CO O K I S L A N D S
Tamanu Beach
Tamanu Beach CASUAL LUXURY
that cast shade onto well-maintained, white graves. As in Rarotonga, the local people bury their relatives in the yard – a solution to the problem of limited cemetery land, and a means of keeping ancestral spirits near. Local homes are unpretentious, with slatted louvers for windows and pareu fabric standing in for doors. Across verandahs, sheets and clothing line-dry in the gentle breeze. There are a substantial number of empty homes scattered about. For decades the Cook Islands has grappled with the challenge of mass outward migration, but Aitutaki’s depopulation in particular accelerated in 2010, when Cyclone Pat devastated scores of homes. Now, nature has grown around those concrete building frames whose occupants have departed. Green vines coil themselves around deserted manmade structures, as if to reclaim them. It is increasingly common to meet travelers who reserve most of their time in the Cook Islands for Aitutaki, and use Rarotonga as a point of transit rather than a destination. One couple I met on Aitutaki was visiting for 13 nights. “We were a bit nervous that would be too many nights and we’d run out of things to do,” said an English fellow named Richard, who was preparing to enjoy the final day of his honeymoon. “But we haven’t been bored. Not at all, have we?” he said, turning to his bride, who offered an enthusiastic shake of her head.
Takurua Island Night
EVERY THURSDAY RESERVATIONS ESSENTIAL
Ph. 31 810 W W W.TA M A N U B E AC H . CO M ESCAPE • 71
Relax with a cold drink while you enjoy the cool breezes and ocean view. Enjoy a simple all-day menu, or a-la-carte dinner menu featuring local seafood. We are the restaurant of Popoara Ocean Breeze Villas. P. 31479 | Email: boatshed@popoara.co.ck www.popoaraoceanbreeze.com
Next to Rarotonga, Aitutaki is the most visited of the Cook Islands. But while it lags behind Rarotonga in terms of tourist numbers, its international profile has always rivaled the capital island’s. Indeed, Aitutaki has a unique modern history. For one thing, it was the first of the Cook Islands exposed to Christianity. Willingly, the people of Aitutaki embraced the gospel introduced in 1821 by John Williams of the London Missionary Society (LMS), who brought with him two Tahitian converts named Papeiha and Vahapata. They remained on Aitutaki even after their
mentor departed, and within the decade, Aitutaki and the other Cook Islands had adopted the LMS religion. Then, a century later, the island was again a point of intersection between the Cook Islands and the rest of the world. During World War II, American soldiers chose Aitutaki to be a South Pacific outpost, as it was strategically located between the United States and Japan. They arrived in droves, and here they built the Cook Islands’ first airstrip and international airport. American soldiers met local women and fathered local children, and today, the G.I. legacy lives on. Then, in the 1950s, Aitutaki became the Cook Islands’ portal to the tourist community when aviation company Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) designated one of the motu in its lagoon – Akaiami – a re-fuelling stop on The Coral Route. Solent flying boats came from Auckland via Fiji, Samoa, and Tahiti. Wealthy,
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glamorous Kiwis – people who could afford the luxury of flying – arrived on Aitutaki, where they would swim and relax as the aircraft topped up its fuel tanks on Akaiami. That decade was the advent of the South Pacific – known then as the South Seas – as a tourism destination, and Aitutaki was swept into its embrace. Today, the Coral Route is no more, but Aitutaki still performs regularly under the international spotlight. Well-known productions like British series Shipwrecked, American game show Survivor, and Canadian program Survivorman have all filmed episodes on its deserted motu. Tony Wheeler, who co-founded the travel guide Lonely Planet, called Aitutaki the world’s most beautiful island. British news agency Reuters even named it one of the 10 best places to survive a breakup or divorce. As Aitutaki’s profile expands, its tourism industry becomes more fully developed – not as an offshoot of Rarotonga’s, but in its own right. The main island has several resorts, one of them five-star, and the only over-water bungalows in the Cook Islands. Customer service is surprisingly attentive. Some shops are even open on Sundays – a rare circumstance in much of the postmissionary South Pacific. Still, this concerns some locals, and particularly those who meet unfailingly every Sunday near the runway to protect the operation of commercial flights on
the Sabbath. They are living proof that despite Aitutaki’s expanding tourism infrastructure, the island retains oldschool airs. They are proof that Aitutaki still belongs to Aitutaki, to Polynesia, to what Steve Davey wholeheartedly believes is the most beautiful lagoon in the world.
This, I think to myself, is paradise found – the kind of place that will sear itself into my memory, work its way into my dinnertime conversations for years to come, and beckon me back for another visit.
AITUTAKI
From automatic fullyscooters to choose , rs ca ed d loa suit your a vehicle to needs l ua id iv d in rge r from ou la fleet…
Our well-maintained and modern fleet includes 4 door cars & hatchbacks, soft tops and automatic scooters
Phone: (682) 31739 | Email: rentals@popoara.co.ck www.popoaraoceanbreeze.com
AITUTAKI LAGOON RESORT & SPA • COOK ISLANDS
To Aitutaki with Love! “The resort was the most beautiful place we have ever stayed at. Our accommodation was the best we have ever had in every aspect. Thank you for everything.” Love, Kevin & Tammy
The most important ingredients for your summer honeymoon, wedding, milestone birthday or anniversary celebration? LOVE + LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! 5-star adults-only Aitutaki Lagoon Resort & Spa offers the world’s best lagoon views, exclusive Overwater Bungalows and unique private island location with just the right balance of seclusion and proximity to all Aitutaki attractions and adventures. Multi-million dollar makeover! Make your treasured memories together at The Most Romantic Place on Earth, Aitutaki! EMAIL US NOW at info@aitutakilagoonresort.com or info@sanctuaryrarotonga.com for your best-available deal at our beautiful sister resorts: • Aitutaki Lagoon Resort & Spa (5 star Adults-only)
The ONLY resort set right on the World’s Most Beautiful Lagoon, 5-Star Adults-only info@aitutakilagoonresort.com Like us on Facebook! AitutakiLagoonResort.com
• Sanctuary Rarotonga-on the beach • (4.5 star Adults-only)
• The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa (Iconic 4 star Full-service) ESCAPE • 73
gloves & cargo nets
white
Story: Thomas Koteka
Prior to the opening of Rarotonga’s international airport in 1974, the main mode of transport between New Zealand and Rarotonga was by sea, in what some referred to as the ‘banana boat’. Thomas Koteka fondly recalls those halcyon days when travel was a much more relaxed and memorable affair.
T
he dark clouds looked menacing that afternoon, the wind was evident at 40 something knots and there was natter amongst some of the crew that the ‘nippon clip-ons’ might not be stable in their transitory cradles attached to the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The Waitemata Harbour was awash with ‘whitecaps’ and two Auckland Harbour Board tug boats were needed to assist us to our nominated berth at Princess Wharf. As her final spring line was secured, this was the cue for the heavens to open and welcome the passengers of M.V. Moana Roa –Voyage 61 to Auckland. It rained for the next 3 days.
anchored beyond the reef. The ‘Takuvaine’, one of two of Avarua harbour’s faithful tugboats, readily towed us out past the defensive reef into the first of the Pacific Ocean swells. This caused us to descend and ascend, as if to bow reverently as we passed the ‘boiler’, the only visible remains of the once proud ‘Matai’, wrecked on the reef some 60 years before.
That journey in 1969 at the end of the hurricane season, from Rarotonga to Auckland, usually took 5 days. That passage, on account of the weather, took nearly 7 days, causing the majority of the 30 or so passengers to expend most of their time tucked in their cosy bunks, stirring only when they had too.
The ‘cargo lighters’ – painted tar black, 35 foot open whaler work boats, constantly in motion with the ocean were moored alongside. These busy work boats with their 3 man crews, queued to accept the hemp cargo nets packed with all manner of goods to sustain an island community hastily realising the western ways of life. Everything from wood for building, canned goods, machinery, clothing, motorbikes, beer, concrete, drums of fuel, cars, trucks, tractors and electrical goods were bundled into cargo nets and brusquely lowered into the cargo lighters.
There was so much happening to really care about separation from my parents as we departed Avarua wharf, on the ‘passenger lighter’ out to the Moana Roa,
Loaded and with less than 12 inches of freeboard, each lighter was released from the Moana Roa to ‘drift’ nearby for the Takuvaine or Avatiu, the other Avarua
74 • ESCAPE
Harbour tugboat, to gather. Four to five lighters at a time were towed through the passage to unload their valuable cargo nets, before being towed out again for more. Those who worked the ‘lighters’ were well reimbursed for their perilous work and were afforded the extra perk of having lunch on board with the ships crew, should their lighter be moored to Moana Roa when the lunch siren sounded. This made an honest change to tinned bully beef and a stick of doughy bread, if you had the misfortune to be in Avarua Harbour when lunch was announced. The swells and gentle motion of the ocean were of no concern as we drew alongside… from almost sea level she looked huge, commanding the Pacific swells with ease. As we clambered aboard through the starboard passenger entry an officer, resplendent in starched uniform, called out my name and along with Auntie Deb’s, escorted us to our spacious cabin on the main deck. As we unpacked and got to know our cabin, Auntie Debs said she felt funny, immediately engaged her bunk, and basically stayed there until we got to Auckland. Fortunately Auntie Joanna,
The swells and gentle motion of the ocean were of no concern as we drew alongside… from almost sea level she looked huge, commanding the Pacific swells with ease. Fact File Moana Roa Displacement: 2753 GRT LOA: 90.38m Midship: 14.1m | Draft: 5.2m Engines: 2 x 7 cylinder Clarke-Sulzer Diesels – generating 3,080hp. Maximum Speed: 13.5 knots Launched: 1960 Grangemouth Dockyard Company Ltd, Scotland. Operated between Auckland and Rarotonga from 1960 to 1974. 40 Passengers and assorted cargo.
ESCAPE • 75
...within minutes the two 7 cylinder ClarkeSulzer Diesels rumbled to life and pretty soon 90 metres and 2800 gross tons of Moana Roa was cruising at 12 knots towards Auckland.
also on this journey, stepped in to look after Auntie Deb. Over the course of the journey Auntie Deb’s was force fed dry ships biscuits in a vain attempt to cure her seasickness. Auntie Joanna who was much younger, also made sure that I was on my best behaviour. We lifted anchor at sunset and within minutes the two 7 cylinder Clarke-Sulzer Diesels rumbled to life and pretty soon 90 metres and 2800 gross tons of Moana Roa was cruising at 12 knots towards Auckland. It wasn’t too long before Rarotonga was but a wee speck on the horizon and the motion of the ship had become more pronounced as the sea conditions got worse on account of the weather. I was just too busy to notice. At precisely 7.00pm someone in starched uniform with white gloves walked the 3 passenger decks and halls ‘striking chimes’. Somebody told me he was a steward and that he was announcing that
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dinner was now presented in the dining room on ‘B’ deck. I was also told that ‘Stewards’ made sure that we did not ever go hungry on the trip. The walnut panelled dining room was absolutely classic ‘First Class’ with ornate furnishings, white starched linen, crisp folded napkins, logo’d china, crystal glasses and silver condiments and cutlery. Not bad for a 40 passenger cargo ship in the South Pacific. There were more white gloved stewards in this room and one of them said that there won’t be many for the meal periods on account of the weather. All one had to do was ask the steward for this or that, and it would be delivered. One was spoilt for choice in the walnut panelled dining room and you didn’t have to do the dishes. Quoits was played on the top deck most days, including ‘hoops’ and a form of croquet using a flat wooden disc, otherwise it was more popular to curl up in a canvas deck chair on the leeward side and watch the Pacific Ocean dance for you in all her glory. As you got to know the stewards you could get to see other parts of the ship normally out of bounds to
passengers… I got to visit the bridge where I was recorded in the log as helmsman for 30 minutes. It’s hard work steering 2800 tonnes of ship. I also got a tour of the engine room; that was awesome and noisy and I was told that each of the engines consumed about 5 tonnes of diesel each day. I also got to spend time in the crew’s quarters where the stewards turned into ordinary blokes. In the evenings they screened a movie on top deck after dinner, and while they changed reels, (videos and DVD’s weren’t invented yet), the stewards served us ice cream and multi coloured jelly. And on the rare occasion that the sky was devoid of clouds, the wonders of the ‘milky way’ vacated her secrets through the unsoiled night air. Sometime during the very early hours of the last morning, the motion of Moana Roa went from constantly moving to almost calm, like when we were at anchor off Avarua. On account of the change in the weather conditions the stewards were busy that morning at the last breakfast in the walnut panelled dining room. It was the only meal period of the whole journey where all 30 passengers were in the dining
room together, although it was noted that a few left smartly on presentation of their breakfast order. I was happy for Auntie Deb’s; she got her colour back after some porridge, warm milk and plum jam. She was also happy to learn from the stewards that I had behaved myself in her absence. A world away man had already landed on the moon and in Seattle, Washington, USA, at Boeing Field, preparations were
under way for the first test flight of the Boeing 747, the airplane that was destined to change the way the human race would travel across the earth. Not that I was too concerned - this was the way to travel in those days; absolutely unhurried, very much more hassle-free and totally unforgettable. Cargo nets and white gloves will forever remind me of those journeys that I was so fortunate to experience in my youth.
All too soon Voyage 61 on Moana Roa was coming to an end and due to the weather I unpacked and wore my new ‘Para Rubber’ raincoat that Mum and Dad gave me for Christmas a few months earlier. Suddenly I missed them very much, but that didn’t last too long as I started preparations for a new journey… school in the great city of Auckland.
ONE INCREDIBLE DESTINATION ... Aitutaki Escape. Journey to the very heart of Polynesia.
ph. (682) 31906 mob. (682) 55755 reservations@aitutakiescape.com www.aitutakiescape.com
ESCAPE • 77
Atiu
Re-discovering nature and solitude on ‘the island of birds’.
Enua Manu
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here are few places left in the world like Atiu, an island with just over 500 people and acres and acres of untouched rainforest and coastal bush. There are no western bars (apart from the small one at Atiu Villas), bright neon lights or busy roads. For travellers searching for an island paradise, Atiu is it. Most overseas visitors to Atiu lament on departure that they wish they’d organised a longer stay on this unspoiled island gem, full of captivating history, scenery and friendly people. The Anatakitaki Cave walk is the perfect offering for visitors who want an unforgettable nature experience. On the day we went, we were guided by Marshall Humphreys. Married to Atiuan Jeanne, Marshall is proud of Atiu conservation and how the locals “always leave a bit for the next day, like when they go fishing and catch just enough to eat.” He’s also impressed with the way the island works as a community. Reasonable fitness and covered shoes are needed for the trek through tropical forest that resembles a fantastically overgrown garden. Regarded by environmentalists as a national treasure, Anatakitaki Cave is home to the Kopeka bird, a swallow unique to Atiu, which like a bat, navigates its way in the pitch black caverns using sonar. The towering limestone caverns contain cauliflower coral, proving that the caves were once beneath the sea, as these coral formations only occur underwater. There are huge stalactites reaching to the cavern floor and massive stalagmites sparkling as though they are embedded with millions of diamonds. The magnificence of the caverns is breathtaking.
u i t A las l i V
Atiu is an exciting eco island adventure you shouldn’t miss. Make this a prime destination or stop off on your way to, or from Aitutaki for a little extra airfare. Stay in comfort at Atiu Villas, the island’s most experienced hosts. Amenities and services include a licensed restaurant and bar, swimming pool, tennis court, tour packages, rentals and free Wi-Fi.
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BOOK ONLINE AT: www.atiuvillas.com Ph. (682) 33 777 | Email. roger@atiuvillas.com | www.atiu.info
George Mateariki, better known as Birdman George, takes us on his morning tour – first stop is to catch a glimpse of the endangered Kakerori bird. We are a bit startled as George begins loudly beeping his car horn as we near the nesting ground. He explains that being inquisitive birds, Kakerori are drawn to unusual noises. He calls to them, walking through the picturesque bush and making kissing noises. The birds do not disappoint, replying with their call sounds. To see Kakerori so close is a real treat, as they were once on the brink of extinction. Along the way, George points out medicinal plants and how they are used to treat various ailments. “I love my history and everything I know about Atiu was taught to me by my grandfathers,” says George.
A fun experience is a visit to one of the legendary Atiu tumunu – ‘clubs’, where local men gather to drink homebrew and chat about island affairs, with clear rules about conduct. Often there’s a stringband for added entertainment. Visitors are always welcome to stop in, partake of a cup of the local brew and meet the locals. “There’s money in the land,” says Mata Arai, pointing to her coffee bushes laden with ripe berries. Mata is an industrious Atiuan woman who produces the 100 percent Atiu Island Coffee using a technique she learnt from her grandmother as a child. It’s a process all done by hand. Atiu Island Coffee can be purchased from Mata’s home, in Atiu stores, or supermarkets on Rarotonga.
fact file: Atiu is a 45 minute flight north-east from Rarotonga and there are regular scheduled flights. Alternatively, why not consider an Air Rarotonga ‘Two Island Adventure’ which includes two night’s accommodation at Tamanu Beach Resort in Aitutaki and two night’s accommodation at Atiu Villas on amazing Atiu. Local tours are optional and extra. Available from April to October, flights depart Rarotonga on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
AITUTAKI
ATIU
RAROTONGA
Air Rarotonga’s
Two Island Discovery
We’ll fly you from Rarotonga to Aitutaki Aitutaki is frequently referred to as one of the world’s favourite islands. It encircles a spectacular turquoise lagoon where opportunities for swimming and snorkelling abound, or you may choose to simply wander the white sand beaches.
… then on to extraordinary Atiu …
Book through Air Rarotonga Tel: (682) 22888 | www.airraro.com
Atiu is also known as Enuamanu, “island of the birds”. Amongst the magnificent rain forest bird life is prolific. You may even see the recently re-introduced Kura, or Rimatara Lorikeet. Delicious local fruit is always available along with a great brew of Atiu grown coffee.
and back to Rarotonga
LM/SD 2022178B
Another tour takes you to Rimarau Burial Cave that includes visits to age old marae and “walking the dramatic route taken by hundreds as they went to meet their death in ancient times.” If beaches, historic sights and panoramic scenery also appeal, opt for an island tour. It offers contrasting scenery, drives through shady roads and forest thick with ancient trees to coastal tracks and points of interest including the coral garden, sinkholes and fabulous little beaches ideal for shell collecting or leisurely lolling in the warm, pristine sea.
If you’re looking for the perfect Cook Island experience, then this is the trip for you.
www.airraro.com ESCAPE • 79
Birds of Paradise T
akutea is a key breeding ground for the seabirds of the Pacific. “The seabird colonies of Takutea are the largest and most important in the Southern Cook Islands,” reads a report published by the Cook Islands Natural Heritage Project. And perhaps this is because the island has remained unpopulated for centuries. When Captain Cook visited this part of the world in 1777, most of the Cook Islands were inhabited, but Takutea had only empty huts. Today, the 120-hectare atoll remains uninhabited – an ideal breeding ground for red-tailed tropicbirds and masked boobies. The island is home to thousands of seabirds, with notable populations of tavake (red-tailed tropicbirds), kota’a (frigatebirds), and brown boobies. A designated bird and wildlife sanctuary, Takutea is owned by the people of Atiu and administered by the island’s aronga mana – traditional leaders – and council. “The people of Atiu own the island,” explained Ada Nicholls, who holds the Rongomatane Ariki title, making her one of Atiu’s three high chiefs. “But there are seven trustees – three ariki (high chiefs) and four mataiapo tutara (also chiefs).” For an uninhabited island, Takutea has a colourful history. Gifted to the British
Story: Rachel Reeves Photos: Noel Bartley
Empire in 1903, it was for decades a hub of copra production. But in 1938, a dispute prompted the court to open an investigation into its ownership. Over a decade later, the court declared it the property of all Atiuan people, and named its present administrators. Over the years there have been several pushes to derive economic return from Takutea – ideas have included toa (ironwood) production, a revival of the copra industry, tourism, and even the construction of an airstrip – but all have failed. The seabird colonies continue to thrive as a result. Today, the people of Atiu do visit Takutea on occasion to harvest paua (clams) or copra, but out of respect for the wildlife sanctuary, they generally abide by two unofficial rules. “Informally everybody knows they’re not allowed to pull feathers out of live tropicbirds and they’re not allowed to harvest birds in general, but the only one they’d really want to harvest is the kaparere, which is the name for the tavake when it’s at harvest stage,” said the director of the Cook Islands Natural Heritage Project, Gerald McCormack. Periodically, the trustees of Takutea permit tourist groups to go ashore. “The tourists
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can go over there but they have to ask permission through us,” Rongomatane Ariki said. “Usually there is a certain amount of money tourists pay to go ashore, and it comes back to the bank for the people of Atiu.” But McCormack has concerns about the potential expansion of tourism on Takutea. “One problem is the brown booby nests where boats land,” McCormack said. “People don’t see the nest until it’s too late, and when the young are approached they go away from the nest and are often not found again.” People who venture further inland, he said, could also disturb the frigates that nest in the trees, which are only about five metres high. “Takutea is sort of a controversial issue,” McCormack said, “but in theory the trustees can do what they like with it, as long as it’s in the best interests of the people of Atiu.”
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Escape Cook Islands
2017 Calendar alendar C s d n a l Cook Is 2017
The Escape Magazine 2017 Calendar features the very best of Cook Islands images captured by our photographers during the past year. Each calendar is individually shrinkwrapped and has a stiffening board plus envelope for ease of mailing. From most stores and souvenir outlets on Rarotonga and Aitutaki. ESCAPE • 81
South Pacific
Our
a
Home
sprinkling of island gems on an indigo blue ocean... The Cook Islands combined make up a land area of just 240 square kilometers. They are scattered far and wide in the vast expanse of the South Pacific Ocean, covering a total area of 2.25 million square kilometers. Each of these ‘gems’ is unlike any other; all having their own special characteristics and every one offering a warm welcome to visitors.
The Southern Group Atiu See our story on page 78. Takutea Just a few miles off the coast of Atiu lies the uninhabited island of Takutea. Numerous seabirds thrive on this pristine island that has been declared a bird sanctuary by the Atiu Island Council. Only they can give permission for visitors to land there. Mauke The garden island of the Cook group, Mauke is 18 kilometres around. It is surrounded by makatea (fossilised coral) with a volcanic plateau in the centre. Parts of the foreshore are dotted with isolated white sandy coves and caves that one can swim in. Inland there are fresh water caves and the famous Motuanga Cave
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that has galleries reaching beneath the reef. The reef is so close to the foreshore that crashing white breakers are visible from most of the unsealed coral road that runs around the island. Do visit the “divided church” built where the villages of Ngatiarua and Areora meet. Shared by the two villages, it has two separate entrances and sitting areas. There are clean and comfortable places to stay in Mauke - try Ri’s Retreat or Tiare Holiday Cottages. They can also organise cave, reef and forest tours. Be sure to obtain a garland of the fragrant maire, a creeper that grows along the makatea. Mauke is picturesque, unhurried and tranquil – a wonderful tonic for frayed nerves.
it is any less beautiful than sister islands Atiu and Mauke, but simply that it is the least known. In the centre of Mitiaro are two lakes full of itiki, freshwater eels. Mitiaro itiki are considered a delicacy in the Cook Islands. Tilapia (bream) are also abundant in the lakes. The lakes are from time to time protected by a traditional raui, a prohibition on all fishing to preserve stocks. At its widest point, the island is 6.4 km across and private gardens in the village are beautifully kept and neat. Community activities include fishing, sports, handicrafts and uapou, or village singsongs. Pretty and unspoiled, life on Mitiaro is refreshingly uncomplicated.
Mitiaro Of the cluster of islands in the southern group called Nga Pu Toru, Mitiaro would be the least visited by tourists. Not because
Mangaia Imagine visiting a fairly large island where you and maybe a handful of others are the only tourists. Mangaia is an island
Left: Mauke Previous page: Mangaia
exports fish, supplying in particular, parrot fish to Rarotonga restaurants. Palmerston hosts the occasional cruise ship and yachts frequently call in. The island also boasts one of the world’s most isolated bars, where thirsty yachties can enjoy a “cold one” and hear tales being regaled by the islanders. It is 500 km NW of Rarotonga.
of incredible, serene beauty – from its rugged coastline to the lush, green interior. It is peaceful beyond belief for those accustomed to the constant rush and haste of the outside world. This is a place where one can trek for miles along the coast or in the interior and not meet another soul or hear a vehicle. Nor see any dwellings; just lots of well-tended plantations of pineapples, vegetables, taro, kumara and other crops. Deep-sea fishing excursions are available – just ask your host, who can also steer you in the right direction for guided tours that include caving, reef/lagoon walks, bush walks and bird watching. Check out the market on Friday mornings in the ‘town’ centre and the craftwork
by the skilled Mangaian women. The shell necklaces and woven pandanus bags are labour intensive and sold for very reasonable prices. Mangaia is the destination for those who love the outdoors, appreciate peace and quiet and want to experience a friendly island that’s not in the least “touristy.” Palmerston Made famous by Englishman William Marsters, who settled there in 1863 with three wives. He later married and raised a large family. Marsters’ modern day descendents are scattered all over the world. About 60 still remain in Palmerston, which has six motu or islets in a big blue lagoon about 11 km across. The family
Manuae Manuae is an uninhabited nature reserve and an important seabird and turtle breeding ground. Its two islets in a large shallow lagoon make-up this incredibly beautiful island, situated about 100 km SE of Aitutaki. Many Aitutakians can claim traditional land rights to parts of Manuae. Once inhabited by work gangs of Cook Islands men who produced copra, it is now only occasionally visited by Aitutaki fisherman for its rich fishing grounds outside and within the lagoon. It is possible to view Manuae from the air, on a flight from Atiu to Aitutaki.
According to legend, almost 500 years ago the Pukapuka population was almost entirely wiped out during a catastrophic storm that struck the island. Fourteen people survived, from whom Pukapukan’s today are said to descend. The Northern Group Suwarrow Suwarrow is one of the few "untouched" sanctuaries left in the world where existing endangered species can survive. The Suwarrow National Park is the first National Park in the Cook Islands - international environmental groups recognise the group of tiny atolls as an untouched haven and breeding area for turtles, sea birds and crabs. Because of the lack of human intervention, Suwarrow is acknowledged as one of the most important sea bird breeding areas in the Pacific. A caretaker and his family live on Suwarrow during the cyclone off-season, between April and November each year. Yachts often visit the island during these months. Suwarrow was made famous by New Zealand hermit Tom Neale, who lived there during the early 1950’s and again in the early 1960’s. He wrote about his experiences in his book “An Island to Oneself.”
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Pukapuka Lying northwest 1150 km from Rarotonga, Pukapuka is one of the most isolated islands of the Cook group. One interisland flight from Rarotonga about every six weeks and irregular shipping has kept Pukapuka one of the most untouched and secluded places in the Pacific. Its remoteness has also kept the traditions and culture of Pukapuka largely unchanged for centuries. Islanders speak the distinct Pukapukan language as well as Cook Islands Maori. According to legend, almost 500 years ago the Pukapuka population was almost entirely wiped out during a catastrophic storm that struck the island. Fourteen people survived, from whom Pukapukan’s today are said to descend. The late American writer Robert Dean Frisbie settled there in 1924 and immortalised Pukapuka in the books he wrote about life on the island. The now uninhabited area where he lived with his Pukapuka wife and children is one of the most beautiful – an untouched white sandy beach with palm trees reaching out to tease the clear blue lagoon.
Nassau Access to this tiny island of about 80 Pukapukans can only be gained by interisland boat. Regarded as the sister island of Pukapuka, a voyage from Rarotonga takes about three days. The islanders are adept at surviving an isolated lifestyle that remains unchanged year after year. Nassau was hooked up to the country’s telephone system only in 2001 and many of the people had never used a telephone before. Just 1.2 sq. km in size, where families live in kikau thatched cottages.
Manihiki The cultured black pearl capital of the Cook Islands. Quality black pearls become centrepieces for fine jewellery that are worn by women and men all over the world. In 1997, the island survived one of the worst cyclones in Cook Islands history. It claimed 19 lives after a tidal wave swept men, women and children out into the huge, raging lagoon. Pearl farms dot this remarkable lagoon. Villagers use small outboard boats to travel between Tukao and Tauhunu – two villages on separate islets – or to their pearl farms set up on coral outcrops. Some of the pearl farms are sophisticated operations jutting out of the deep blue lagoon, complete with small gardens and poultry farms that help support workers who live in modern quarters. Manihiki women have made history for entering what was once a male dominated vocation. A number of women own and manage their own pearl farms, diving, seeding and cleaning the oyster shells all year around. The women are also renowned for their finely woven craftwork.
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Above: Rakahanga Previous page: Pukapuka
There are two main islands and seven islets in the Rakahanga lagoon. The island is picturesque and unspoiled. Manihiki is astonishingly beautiful and those who have been fortunate enough to visit the island, have never been disappointed. Rakahanga Sister island of Manihiki and 42km north-west. Visits to Rakahanga are only possible by boat from Manihiki or inter-island vessel. There are two main islands and seven islets in the Rakahanga lagoon. The island is picturesque and unspoiled. Penrhyn Penrhyn (or Tongareva) is the most remote of the Cook group, lying 1365 km NNE of Rarotonga. It has a remarkable blue water lagoon measuring 233 sq km. A 77-km coral reef encircles the islets in the extraordinary lagoon. The villages of Tetautua and Omoka are on different islets that are barely visible to each other. Penrhyn island women make the finest rito craftwork in the Cook Islands. Hats, bags, fans and mats made in Penrhyn are amongst the best to be found anywhere in the world.
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plants & animals Here we try to shed some light on the background and existence of a culturally significant plant and animal. Story & photos: Kirby Morejohn
Kuru
Breadfruit
Artocarpus altilis
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raditionally in the Cook Islands, breadfruit was fermented in leaflined pits into a dish known as ma’i. The fermentation process resulted in a long shelf-life (over a year), which made it a popular food source for voyagers.
The kuru (breadfruit) is a large flowering tree and a member of the fig family. A native to the South Pacific, the significant source of food, shade and timber provided by the breadfruit was reason for its spread throughout Polynesia. The fruits are melon-sized and edible in all stages of maturity. Leaves are large, dark green,
with unmistakable, deeply incised margins. Timber of the breadfruit tree is lightweight, strong and is used to construct buildings and to carve canoes, or vaka. Today, it is a staple food source of the Cook Islands diet. Whether baked, boiled or fried, it’ll be found at each kai kai, or feast, on the island. The tree is an iconic symbol in the Cook Islands, frequently depicted
on traditional quilts, tīvaevae, and more recently on screen-printed pareu, sheets and blankets.
A
staple in the Cook Islands diet and generally cooked in an umu, or underground oven, on special occasions, the pig was domesticated into today’s numerous breeds from its wild boar ancestors nearly 15,000 years ago. Since then, pigs became one of the most widely distributed species on the planet.
Puaka Domesticated Pig
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Sus scrofa domesticus
In the 6th century, Polynesians arrived to the Cook Islands with domesticated pigs that they acquired in Southeast Asia. These small black pigs, known as Polynesian pigs, were an invaluable source of food, on islands with no significantly sized, terrestrial meat source. Since the arrival of Europeans in the Cooks, the Polynesian pig have been crossed with other breeds, making the larger, more colorful pig breeds that are seen today.
on the hook
Mahi mahi
M
ahi mahi are the most visually stunning fish in the ocean. This is a very bold statement, but once you see first hand the colours of a swimming or a freshly landed mahi mahi you will be left with no doubt. They truly are beautiful fish with an array of glistening colours that are stunning as they shimmer and change in an instant through a spectrum of green, blue, yellow, gold and silver, or a combination of these. The colours are so bright that they almost seem reflective as they capture the suns light. In the Cooks Islands these fish are called mai mai, or also simply mahi. Elsewhere they are called masi masi, dorado, or even the confusingly named dolphin fish. These are all the same fish, or if you want to get technical call it “Coryphaena hippurus”. I think we will just stick with mahi mahi! Males and females are easily distinguishable by the shape of their heads. Throughout the tropical Pacific Islands, mahi mahi are highly sought after by locals, sport fishers and commercial fishers alike for their beauty, their fighting ability (they pull hard and are extremely
They truly are beautiful fish with an array of glistening colours that are stunning as they shimmer and change in an instant through a spectrum of green, blue, yellow, gold and silver...
Story: Alan Syme
acrobatic) and their excellent eating qualities. They are superb cooked or served as sashimi.
fly above looking for the scraps. Often a feeding mahi mahi has one or two birds directly above it that mirror its movements.
Mahi mahi are regularly captured on rod and reel using a variety of methods including drifting live baits and trolling lures and dead baits. Trolling rigged dead flying fish, either as swimming bait or as a skip bait is very popular; a swimming bait has a lead weight attached to its head that causes the fish to swim under the surface, a skip bait as the name suggests skips along the surface with no weight on it. These baits are highly effective as they are real fish and will often out catch lures. If you are interested, ask your charter skipper or deck hand to show you these baits. Live baiting is very popular on the island of Aitutaki.
Mahi mahi are fast growers and eating machines. If the wind is blowing during your stay in the Cook Islands, use it to your advantage, as days with a moderate to strong wind chop and white caps help to bring on mahi mahi feeding, because one of their favourite foods, the previously mentioned flying fish, is hindered in its usual escape method. This therefore increases your chances of finding yourself fighting a mahi mahi, but be sure to have a camera ready to catch its brilliant gymnastics display followed by its mesmerising colour show.
When targeting mahi mahi your skipper will often head to a FAD, or off-shore to scan the horizon for any bird activity; key indicators are frigate or kota birds among others. These birds often signal the presence of a mahi mahi school, pair or even an individual. Very good hunters can determine the size of the school based on the bird’s presence and behaviour as they
The Cook Islands are an ideal place to target mahi mahi as many local fishermen are very experienced mahi mahi catchers. Cook Island mahi mahi grow to a large size for the species compared to other countries, and they are found year round in our warm tropical waters, also they are accessible soon after leaving the harbour. So get out there are get amongst it!
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Raui A
s weather patterns change and the oceans acidify and forests begin to disappear, people around the world are recognising the urgent need to care for nature’s bounty.
Industrialised countries are discovering what Polynesians have known from time immemorial: that as stewards of our natural resources, we humans are responsible for protecting them and ensuring their sustainability. In ancient days, the island people observed a natural resource management practice called raui – a chief would declare certain areas
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within his district or island off-limits, or protected, to allow for the regeneration of food stocks. What is a raui? A raui is a ban on access to an area or resource, either land- or sea-based, for a set period of time. A chief announced a raui within his inherited tapere for one of several reasons. Some were imposed during spawning seasons so as to allow a species to propagate in peace. Some were declared in anticipation of special occasions or the arrival of visitors, in order to ensure there would be enough food. Some were imposed during times of scarcity following a cyclone. The chief who declared the raui and his people set its timeframe. There were two main types of restrictions – raui mutukore – a perpetual ban, or the raui ta tuatua – a ban lifted when appropriate. Certain villagers were chosen to tiaki te raui,
IN THE 21ST CENTURY or to monitor the area, and those who violated the raui were punished according to the severity of the breach. In the old days, for some violations the penalty was excommunication from the village; for others, death. Back then, survival depended on a common respect for conservation of resources. As time went by, modernity eroded the old ways, and the ancient practice of raui lapsed, perhaps because people believed the bounty of nature would never run out or because they believed traditional ways were oldfashioned. Revival of raui Then, in the late 1990s, the sentiment toward raui changed. The government ministries responsible for environmental and marine protection began to notice a decline in fish and shellfish resources. Tourism authorities were concerned, and
No taito te peu ka rave aki te ra’ui. It is from ancient times that the practice of raui was carried out. so were the traditional leaders in the House of Ariki and Koutu Nui; their reasons differed, but they united under the banner of a common goal. A report was commissioned that proposed reviving the raui, and upon its release the World Wide Fund for Nature agreed to help out. Plans were prepared, media campaigns were organised, and signs were erected around Rarotonga. The raui received widespread support. Local people respected their traditional leaders, and they could also see that their resources were at risk. Ciguatera – fish poisoning – was on the rise.
the Island Councils in the Southern Group. It has been adapted to meet modern demands. On the island of Aitutaki, some raui sites are used for the sake of eco-tourism – an example is the catchand-release policy that governs kiokio (bonefish) fishing in the Aitutaki lagoon.
Today the raui remains the purview of the traditional leaders in combination with
The House of Ariki and Koutu Nui were granted funding from the International Union of Conservation and Global Blue to identify and document raui in the islands for inclusion in the mapping of the marine park. The funding paid for a small delegation of traditional leaders to visit four of the southern islands in order to hold community meetings and raise awareness of the importance of raui. The leaders of other islands responded positively to the message about raui. Chiefs in the outer islands shared with the delegation their concerns about the delicacies that have all but disappeared and voiced their support for returning to the raui.
Change always elicits resistance, and the raui was no different. Some people worried they wouldn’t be able to feed their children if they couldn’t fish off their own beaches, but those championing the practice reminded them that if they didn’t conserve their resources, there would be none left for future generations. Rarotonga accepted the raui, and three years later, Aitutaki followed suit. In Rarotonga, raui sites have been declared at the Nikao Social Centre and Avatiu harbour; the lagoons adjacent to Little Polynesian, Raina Apartments in Tikioki and from Avana harbour to Pacific Resort in Muri. The lagoons adjacent to The Rarotongan Beach Resort and Spa and Edgewater Resort are also under traditional raui.
Nature (IUCN) agreed to help with the creation of the marine park, which has been named the Marae Moana.
Marae Moana Another dramatic change occurred in 2012, when the Cook Islands government declared more than half of its nearly two million square kilometres of ocean a marine-protected area. In doing so the government pledged its commitment to the ideals of sustainability and conservation. Several international environmental foundations – among them Oceans5 and International Union for Conservation of
“We have encouraged the traditional chiefs of the pa enua to revive the raui in their own islands, just as has been done in Rarotonga and in Aitutaki,” says Noeline Browne, who acts as the raui project coordinator. “They were very receptive to our message and
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"What are we doing about these riches? If everyone looked after their own part, wouldn’t the world be a beautiful place?” acknowledged that it is a practice that our forefathers have always used, nor do they feel that there is a hidden agenda as the chiefs and their people will decide for themselves which areas they want to raui.” During their visit to Atiu, the ui ariki – high chiefs – of Atiu and one of the mataiapo tutara declared two brand new raui sites at special blessing and dedication ceremonies with the Rarotonga-based chiefs as observers. On Mitiaro, the ui ariki and people of the island have recently declared a raui of their itiki (eels) in preparation for a big event in two years’ time. And in Mangaia, the recent consultations reawakened enthusiasm for raui. The Are Ariki of Mangaia has undertaken to declare some raui sites in early 2015 after they have discussed the matter with their people.
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The northern islands are also on the delegation’s agenda, but budgetary and time constraints have prevented them from visiting just yet. However, a group funded by Oceans5 went to the north several years ago, and reported it was clear that raui is still being practised there. Reminiscing Maria Henderson, the parekura of the Koutu Nui, remembers the raui as part of village life growing up in Aitutaki in the 1930s. When her church congregation would prepare to host visitors from other islands, the chief imposed a raui on certain fish species. She remembers how integral a part of life the practice was. Today she feels passionately about reviving that ancient wisdom and lost art.
“It’s ingrained in our minds as a Christian family that in the beginning the good Lord made heaven and earth and all the riches for us,” Maria says. “What are we doing about these riches? If everyone looked after their own part, wouldn’t the world be a beautiful place?” Maria knows that the Cook Islands, and indeed the rest of the world, must prioritise conservation now, because soon it will be too late. The traditional chiefs of the Cook Islands respectfully ask visitors and residents to honour the sanctity of the raui. Appropriate signage has been put up to identify raui areas. If you have questions about the raui call the raui secretariat on 51671.
Guidelines for an enjoyable time at the beach and in the lagoon… Coral is a living organism! It takes hundreds of years to develop a reef like ours and you can harm the reef just by standing on it; many steps may kill it. What you can do to help… • Make sure your gear fits properly, is comfortable and adjusted, before you go in the water. If you need to make adjustments, find a sandy area on which to stand, or swim to the shore. •
If there is a RAUI (protected marine area) in place, please respect it and leave everything in the lagoon that belongs to it.
•
Observe animals exhibiting their natural behavior rather than stimulating them to entertain.
•
Please do not harass or touch protected species, such as turtles, giant clams and fragile corals.
•
There is no need to feed the fish. To attract them closer just bang two little stones together. They will come.
•
Please take your rubbish with you when you leave the beach.
Thank you for looking after our lagoon. Take nothing but memories – leave nothing but bubbles…
Photos: The Dive Centre & Jim Gariu
entertainment guide
to live local Cook Islands music and dancing all around town.
Take in the sunset with a cocktail near the water; catch an Island Night Show with beautiful dancers, and get down ND BO E S TH AT U T L E T E L O AB AIL MIUM V A RE W P NO AND
Raro’s night life is special – you can have a great night out whether you’re on your own, or with friends. 18 or 80 years old, it doesn’t matter, everyone just gets together. And you’ll feel welcome wherever you go. Island Night Shows are a must for every visitor. There is nothing better than seeing our beautiful men and women, adorned in flowers and local costume, dancing to the wonderful pate (hollowed wooden drums), ukulele, guitar, and full voiced singers. It is a joyful, sensual and exuberant experience. Check out our Island Night Shows Guide on these pages to find a venue that suits you.
During the week A number of Rarotonga restaurants feature live music during the week - refer to our Night Life Guide for details of what’s on, when and where. It’s great to wander into some of our smaller local bars too - the Game Fishing Club is right on the water; meet the locals and play some pool. Chillies Bar is great for a cold beer and occasionally some footie watching on their big screen. Both of these bars are just east of town. For a Wednesday music night try Coelho’s who do their steak night with local musos. Also try Hideaway Bar in Cooks Corner, for a more eclectic feel or the Garden Bar in Banana Court. On the eastern side of the island, the Avana
RAROTONGA’S
BEST SELECTION OF INTERNATIONAL BEER BRANDS
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If you’re staying around the Muri or Titikaveka area, try Silver Sands Restaurant at Muri Beach Club Hotel, or for a la carte dining and some local music the Pacific Resort, also well known for their Island Night show. For casual ambience, check out the Asian street-style food at The Rickshaw, or mouth-watering Mexican dishes at La Casita.
s r a l l e c 1 . o Your N
Remember that it pays to make a reservation if visiting a restaurant, to avoid disappointment; and if you want music with your meal, ask who their resident singer is that night. Check the local paper or ask your resort what’s happening at the local sports clubs – join in for some good live music, cheap drinks, and great company. Local women enjoy dressing up, and the men prefer comfortable shorts, shirt/t-shirt and sandals, but dress code is open.
Friday Night Friday night is party night, as clubs and bars can open until 2am, unlike every other night, which is 12 midnight. Downtown Avarua is a great place to start: First up is a sunset cocktail at Trader Jacks, where there’s always a nice mix of locals and tourists. After a couple of hours, walk across the road to Boogies Bar at the BC (Banana Court), known all over the Pacific. Boogies features local bands from 4pm to 9pm and then its inside for some raw local music and dancing. Trader Jack’s ‘Boogieman’ band, with some of our best musos on the island, starts around 8pm. Hidies Bar, located in Cooks Corner, has a big open-air dance floor, great drinks, a true island flavour and is Rarotonga’s iconic local hangout, with live bands and resident DJ. Open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights, Hidies famed ‘Happy Hour’ runs Friday from 4-7pm. Later in the night it’s back to Rehab for some dancing, or perhaps for some of the latest hip hop, R’n’B, and techno sounds. The great thing about this town is that the bars are only minutes away from each other. It’s safe and people are friendly and will give you directions. Remember to organise a dedicated driver or taxi if you’re drinking. An organized Nightlife Tour is another great way to enjoy your Friday night and you won’t need to do the driving. Rehab in Downtown Avarua and The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa both run their own legendary ‘Pub Crawls’. Be sure to book in advance to avoid disappointment.
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In central Avarua, opposite Punanga Nui Marketplace Open Mon - Thur 9 to 5 | Fri & Sat 9 to 7 ESCAPE • 93 Phone: 21007 Email: trish@thebond.co.ck
entertainment guide
Rarotonga night-life guide
Keep our roads safe if you’re drinking:
MONDAY
Taxis: Refer to yellow pages and book homecoming fare before you go out. Clockwise Bus: Evening bus departs Cook’s Corner clockwise only, every hour Monday to Saturday from 6pm to 11pm. Times are subject to change so contact the i Site 29435 to confirm
Island Night Shows – Quick Guide (Bookings are recommended)
Crown Beach Resort& Spa: Live music Kikau Hut Restaurant: Great a la carte dining 7 nights a week. Live music some nights
SilverSands @ Muri Beach Club Hotel: Live island music Nooroa & Soko on island strings
FRIDAY
Pacific Resort: A la carte dining and live local artist Fred Betham
The Islander Hotel
21003 31526
The Edgewater Resort & Spa
25435
Crown Beach Resort & Spa: Live Band Steak / Ribs Night with live entertainment
Anchorage Restaurant @ Sunset Resort: Seafood Night with entertainment
TUESDAY
Edgewater Resort & Spa: Tok 6:30–8:30 Dining with great local music + Edgewater Resorts “Nitelife Tour”
Aro’a Beachside Inn: Live music with the Sharp Blax Great beachside BBQ and classic tunes
Garden Bar - Banana Court: Great local & upbeat music with bar snacks available
Bluewater Grill @ Sanctuary Rarotonga-onthe-beach: Live entertainment with Tara Kauvai
Kikau Hut Restaurant: Great a la carte dining 7 nights a week. Live music some nights
Edgewater Resort& Spa: Ta’akoka Dance
Pacific Resort:Tamariki Manuia. A la carte dining and live local artist Kahiki Tehaamatai
Resort & Spa: Spices of Asia Mongolian BBQ @ $36 pp + crab racing and Karaoke Te Vara Nui Village: Cultural Village Tour and Over Water Night Show &Dinner. Spectacular “Dances of Legends” cultural performance & island/western fusion buffet
Wednesday WEDNESDAY The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa 25800 Beaches Restaurant @ Manuia Beach Resort: Muri Beach Club Hotel 23000 Live entertainment with Kura Highland Paradise Culture Centre 23953 Edgewater Resort & Spa: Local Band A la carte Seafood menu with local Thursday entertainment Te Vara Nui Village
24006
Crown Beach Resort & Spa
23953
Friday Highland Paradise Culture Centre
23953
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Te Vaka Restaurant @ The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa: Flame-Grilled Steak Night @ $36 pp + The Rarotongan’s famous Friday Funbus Nitelife Tour @ $25 pp. Trader Jacks: Boogieman - rock classics & seafood, steaks & pizza Boogies: Rock band
SATURDAY
Aro'a Beachside Inn: Great Seafood Beachside BBQ & the island music of Papa Jake Numanga
Te Vaka Restaurant @ The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa: ‘Legends of Polynesia’ Island Night UMU Feast & Drum Dance Show @ $49 pp + Karaoke
Kikau Hut Restaurant: Great a la carte dining 7 nights a week. Live music some nights
Anchorage Restaurant @ Sunset Resort: Pub Night menu with live entertainment
relax and enjoy!
SilverSands @ Muri Beach Club Hotel: Pig & Prawn Night with live music by Lei
Edgewater Resort& Spa: Island Night Buffet & Cultural Show with Orama Dance Group
Crown Beach Resort& Spa: Live music
now, on ‘Island Time’, so
Rehab: Boogie night with local DJ. Hip-hop, R’n’B, Techno
SilverSands @ Muri Beach Club Hotel: Island Night Extravaganza Top Akirata Dance Troup
Saturday Rehab: Old school night The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa 25800 Boogies: Karaoke Te Vara Nui Village 24006 The Edgewater Resort & Spa 25435 THURSDAY
Remember you’re in Raro
Beaches Restaurant @ Manuia Beach Resort: Enjoy the sounds of Manuia Beach Resorts famous string band with Natua and the boys
Rehab: Old school night
Tuesday Te Vaka Restaurant @ The Rarotongan Beach
Aitutaki Village, Aitutaki
Te Vaka Restaurant @ The RarotonganBeach Resort & Spa: Reef & Beef night @ $36 pp with mellow musical accompaniment by Andre Tapena. Boogies: Mix of bands
music with Ephraima on keyboards
24006
Te Vara Nui Village: Cultural Village Tour and Over Water Night Show & Dinner. Spectacular “Dances of Legends” cultural performance & island/western fusion buffet
Edgewater Resort& Spa: Tok 6:30-8:30 Great Classic tunes, jazz, pop, rock
Monday Troupe Island Night Buffet and Cultural show Highland Paradise Culture Centre 23953 SilverSands @ Muri Beach Club Hotel: Live
Te Vara Nui Village
SilverSands @ Muri Beach Club Hotel:Live music with the sweet sounds of Cathy on keyboard
Pacific Resort: Tok 6:30-8:30 A la carte dining and live local artist Kura Happ Rehab: DJ. Hip hop, R’n’B’, dance night Te Vaka Restaurant @ The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa: Fire Dance Show & Island BBQ @ $49 pp + Karaoke
Aro’a Beachside Inn: Sunset cocktails with live music by Rudy Aquino
Te Vara Nui Village: Cultural Village Tour and Over Water Night Show & Dinner. Spectacular “Dances of Legends” cultural performance & island/western fusion buffet
Crown Beach Resort & Spa: Live music followed by Island Night Show
Beaches Restaurant @ Manuia Beach Resort: Live entertainment with Natua
Edgewater Resort & Spa: Ru & Boys A la carte menu with great local sounds Garden Bar - Banana Court: Live Entertainment Kikau Hut Restaurant: Great a la carte dining 7 nights a week. Live music some nights
SUNDAY
Anchorage Restaurant @ Sunset Resort: BBQ with live entertainment Bluewater Grill @ Sanctuary Rarotonga-onthe-beach: Live entertainment with Tara Kauvai Club Raro: BBQ night with local string band
Aitutaki night-life guide MONDAY
Bounty Brasserie @ Aitutaki Lagoon Resort & Spa: Fire dance show, a la carte dinner & crab races
Crown Beach Resort & Spa: Sunset barbeque starts at 5pm with live entertainment Edgewater Resort & Spa: Ru & Boys -local string band
Tupuna’s Restaurant: Great a-la-carte dining with the freshest local foods in a relaxed garden setting. Mon-Sat from 6pm
SilverSands @ Muri Beach Club Hotel: Beach BBQ Grill Night from $25 pp + live music with Papa Jake Numanga.
TUESDAY
Pacific Resort: A la carte dining and live local artist Rudi Aquino Te Vaka Restaurant @ The Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa: Sunday Carvery Roast @ $36 pp with Tok on guitar Beaches Restaurant @ Manuia Beach Resort: Sunset beach barbeque
Aitutaki Village: Island buffet and cultural show on the sandy beach at Ootu
WEDNESDAY Aitutaki Game Fishing Club: A good evening to visit and meet the locals. Where else would you find a bar in a 20 foot container? Flying Boat Beach Bar & Grill @ Aitutaki Lagoon Resort & Spa: Live entertainment with Greig Mose
Pacific Resort: Island night South Pacific cuisine and performances by local Aitutaki song and dance troupe The Boatshed Bar & Grill: Check out this popular restaurant any day of the week. A-lacarte menu for lunch & dinner. Great cocktails!
THURSDAY
Tamanu Beach: Island Fire &Dance Show on the beach. Fantastic entertainment with a great selection of food
FRIDAY
Aitutaki Game Fishing Club: One of the most popular local bars to visit for a sun-downer Coconut Crusher Bar: Entertainment and party the night away with your host Ricky Flying Boat Beach Bar & Grill @ Aitutaki Lagoon Resort & Spa: Live entertainment with Greig Mose. Funbus Nitelife Tour @ $35 pp
SUNDAY
Aitutaki Village: All day barbeque with great entertainment Tamanu Beach: Sunset Barbeque Night with great local entertainment and island food
Prices or schedules are subject to change at any time.
No
w a an vai d p lab rem le a ium t Th ou e Bo tle ts nd
A taste of Marlborough IN THE COOK ISLANDS
ESCAPE • 95
what's on
t
hroughout the year we find many reasons to celebrate and have fun, and there’s always plenty to do and see on Rarotonga and her sister islands. As most Cook Islanders are willing sports participants, you’ll find a multitude of sports codes and clubs active throughout the islands, where you are always welcome to visit. As for festivals and celebratory events, it is certain that you will always find something of interest taking place. Mon 15th Rakahanga Gospel Day – public holiday Rakahanga Mon 22nd to Fri 26th Manureva Aquafest
SEPTEMBER Sun 4th Fathers Day Sevens in Heaven
JULY Fri 1st ‘Ra o te Ui Ariki’ (Ariki Day) – public holiday
Thu 22nd to Wed 28th Round Rarotonga Road Race Sat 24th Oe Vaka (Paddling) Corporate Race Day
OCTOBER
Fri 18th to Thu 24th Mire Tiare Flower Festival Tue 29th Moto 2 Moto
DECEMBER Thu 1st to Tue 6th Netball in Paradise Tue 6th Pukapuka Gospel Day – public holiday Pukapuka Thu 8th to Wed 21st International Handball Federation Trophy Competition Thu 15th School Term 4 complete – School Holidays begin
Tue 19th Atiu Gospel Day – public holiday Atiu
Fri 14th School Term 3 complete – school holidays begin
Thu 21st Mitiaro Gospel Day – public holiday Mitiaro
Fri 21st to Thu 27th Cook Islands Open Squash Tournament
Fri 22nd School Term 2 complete – School Holidays begin
Tue 25th Aitutaki Gospel Day – public holiday Aitutaki
Sat 23rd Mauke Gospel Day – public holiday Mauke
Wed 26th National Gospel Day – public holiday
JANUARY 2017
Mon 25th Rarotonga Gospel Day – public holiday Rarotonga
Mon 31st School Term 4 begins
Sun 1st New Year’s Day – public holiday
NOVEMBER
Mon 2nd Day after New Year’s day – public holiday
Wed 2nd to Fri 11th Cook Islands Beach Volleyfest
Tue 3rd New Year’s Day observed
Fri 29th to Sat 6th August Te Maeva Nui Celebrations 2016
AUGUST Thu 4th Constitution Day – Public Holiday Mon 8th Manihiki Gospel Day – public holiday Manihiki Mon 8th School Term 3 begins
Sun 25th Christmas Day Mon 26th Boxing Day Tue 27th Christmas Day Observed
Thu 3rd to Sat 5th Sevens in Heaven - International Sevens Tournament Fri 18th to Fri 25th Vaka Eiva 2016 Canoeing Festival A weeklong festival that attracts a large number of international paddlers. Vaka Eiva has been referred to as “the most fun event on the paddling planet!”
All events take place on Rarotonga, unless stated otherwise. Dates and events are provided courtesy of Cook Islands Tourism Corporation and are subject to change without notice. Visitors are advised to confirm event dates with the Visitor Information Centre – phone (682) 29435, or by email: Lydia.Nga@cookislands.gov.ck
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JULY / AUGUST 29 JULY – 6 AUGUST 2016 Te Maeva Nui – Celebrating our nation’s independence Every year from June to August about 2000 people on Rarotonga and on the outer islands put their lives on hold to prepare for Te Maeva Nui, the national culture and dance festival. It is a week-long cultural marathon held around the date of August 4th, which is the birthday of the Cook Islands as an independent nation. You may have seen cultural dance shows around the island, or perhaps in your resort, but you haven’t seen anything that even closely resembles the vibrancy and passion of the finals at Te Maeva Nui, held in the National Stadium. This is the cultural highlight of the Cook Islands year; the only people who are ever disappointed are those who miss it.
8
Events That You Shouldn’t Miss…
SEPTEMBER 22ND – 28TH
NOVEMBER 3RD – 5TH
Round Rarotonga Road Race
7’s in Heaven
The Round Rarotonga Road Race celebrates its 39th Anniversary with its annual weeklong event from the 22-28 September 2016 held on the beautiful tropical island of Rarotonga. The event caters for everyone including families, social, recreational and competitive runners and is a fantastic opportunity to combine a holiday with a once in a lifetime sporting achievement. See Cook Islands Tourism for more details.
The Cook Islands International Rugby 7’s Tournament which is also known as ‘Sevens in Heaven' has become one of the most sought after 7’s competitions in the Pacific.
AUGUST 22ND – 26TH
OCTOBER 21ST – 27TH
International Kite surfing Competition
Cook Islands Open Squash Tournament
In August some of the biggest names in kite surfing will head to the Cook Islands to vie for the top spot at the international kite surfing competition on Aitutaki.
The Cook Islands Squash Open Tournament is an annual sporting event held on the beautiful tropical island of Rarotonga. The event is open to squash players of all ages and grades and is guaranteed to be a fast paced, fun and memorable event.
The Cook Islands Kite surfing Association, in conjunction with the events team at Cook Islands Tourism, will manage this big event which has catapulted the Cook Islands on to the international stage as a desirable kite surfing destination. 2011’s inaugural event generated immense support for the association and this year marks the 6th such competition on the stunning waters of Aitutaki Lagoon.
The competition will be held at the Rarotonga Squash Club in Avarua
Although it’s not the Wellington or Hong Kong sevens, where hundreds of thousands flock to the games in colourful eye catching attire, here in paradise, the party and dress up atmosphere is very much island style! After all – playing sports and having a good time is something the people of the Cook Islands know how to do, and do well.
NOVEMBER 18TH – 25TH Vaka Eiva Hundreds of paddlers and their supporters hit Rarotonga’s shores in November each year for the Steinlager Vaka Eiva; an exciting and fun outrigger canoeing festival, which is now the largest sporting event in the country. Held annually since 2004, Vaka Eiva has established a reputation as a hugely enjoyable week of racing, culture, and festivities, and attracts crews from throughout the world.
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Vaka Eiva
There’s an air of festivity on the island the whole week long, from the opening ceremony, throughout the week of racing and social activities, to the wrap up paddler’s party at Trader Jack’s waterfront bar. Trader Jack is one sponsor who has been involved from the start and this is the hangout of choice for paddlers and spectators throughout the week, giving close views of the start and finish of the ocean races.
NOVEMBER 18TH – 24TH
DECEMBER 1ST – 6TH
Te Mire Tiare Flower Festival
Netball in Paradise
This happy and colourful festival features competitions for the best floral decorated shops, schools and government buildings, each one on a different day of the week long festivities. Locals also vie for the honour of making the best head or neck ‘ei (garland), best pot plant and much more.
The tournament is for UNDER 15, UNDER 17, UNDER 19, OPEN LADIES, SOCIAL LADIES & OPEN MIXED divisions. Netball in Paradise 2016 will run for only six days, but every day and every night you can enjoy our famous Cook Islands hospitality. For more information contact Netball Cook Islands 22840
The glamorous focal point to the week is undoubtedly the ‘Miss Tiare’ competition which sees attractive young ladies competing for this prestigious title. The first appearance of the contestants is usually at the Punanga Nui marketplace on the first Saturday of the festival; the week wraps up with a colourful float parade and crowning of Miss Tiare on the following Saturday.
VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE Downtown Avarua Next to the ANZ Bank We’re here to help you! Advice on accommodation, tours, restaurants, activities, entertainment and travel to our sister islands. Phone or call in to see us.
Open: Monday to Friday 8am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 1pm Phone: (682) 29435 Email: headoffice@cookislands.gov.ck
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For more information and to confirm event dates, visitors are advised to contact the Visitor Information Centre – phone (682) 29435
Rarotonga (Head Office) P.O. Box 14, Rarotonga, Cook Islands Phone: (682) 29435 Fax: (682) 21435 headoffice@cookislands.gov.ck Aitutaki P.O. Box 3, Aitutaki Cook Islands T: (682) 31767 tourism.officer@aitutaki.net.ck Atiu T: (682) 33435 tourism@atiu.net.ck New Zealand 91 St Georges Bay Rd, Studio 11, Level 3 Parnell Auckland 1052 New Zealand T: (64) 9 366 1106 nzmanager@cookislands.travel Australia Shop 38, Niecon Plaza, Mezzanine Level, 17-19 Victoria Ave Broadbeach, QLD 4218 Australia T: (61 ) 7 5504 5488 info@cookislandstourism.travel
North America canadamanager@cookislands.travel usamanager@cookislands.travel Northern Europe europemanager@cookislands.travel Southern Europe southerneurope@cookislands.travel United Kingdom ukmanager@cookislands.travel China chinamanager@cookislands.travel Japan japanmanager@cookislands.travel
We have a wide variety of vehicles to choose from: • Hatchbacks • Mini Cooper Convertibles • Vans • Toyota Rav4 Jeeps • Scooters • Bicycles 6 convenient locations Main Office, Avarua Ph: 29227 Downtown, Avarua Ph: 26227 Edgewater Resort Ph: 23227 Aroa (across from the Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa) Ph: 25227 Muri Beach Ph: 24227 Airport (international flights only) Ph: 21039 Roadside Assistance (8am to 10pm) Ph: 54325
Phone 29227 Email: reservations@polynesianhire.co.ck
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