More Top Stories
Solar power battery repairs ‘could take up to 12 months’
15 April 2024
Police shortage leads to drop in checkpoints
9 April 2024
Sarakura declared new Penrhyn MP
16 March 2024
Govt says $1.3m invested in Lady Samoa charter
22 February 2024
Mass milkfish die-off in Penrhyn raises concerns
3 April 2024
Regulator defends Starlink users
9 April 2024
Aitutaki’s heritage preserved in new anthology
4 January 2024
Avatiu Eels retain Nines title
8 January 2024
Beddoes crowned top athlete
8 January 2024
NRL player Dargan dies in Aitutaki motorcycle crash
24 December 2023
‘Please heed the signs’: resident makes plea to tourists
20 December 2023
Cook Islands set to play in new World Series
10 October 2023
Corruption report exposes ‘bribe and sexual favours’
17 January 2023
Corruption in the Cook Islands?
21 January 2023
Moana target 2025 World Cup
11 November 2022
Features
Cook Island coastwatchers to be honoured at ANZAC day and beyond
The Cook Island community is preparing to commemorate the service of soldiers and local heroes this Anzac Day in New Zealand.
Out and proud: Miss Thunderhips shines in celebration of diversity
In a celebration of Anuanua Week’s talent, diversity, and inclusivity, the electrifying Miss Thunderhips competition took centre stage on Friday night featuring LGBTQ+ contestants, who showcased their talents captivating the enthusiastic full-house audience.
8-year-old selling own crop
At eight years old, Carey Jnr Hosea-Winterflood is already a man of the land and an entrepreneur. When he was just four, the St Joseph’s student took an interest in what his father was doing in the garden. He asked for pointers, and he and his father visited an Arorangi fruit orchard for tips. The […]
Rarotonga's Hawaiian legend up for award
Rarotonga knows Rudy Aquino as a humble performer with smiling eyes and a long white ponytail (his wife jokes that it’s platinum blonde) who lets his music do the talking. He’s too modest to admit it, but the man is a legend. Aquino and his former band, the original Hawaiian Aliis (later Don Ho and […]
Young dancers do their culture proud
Stunning costumes, expert dancing and loads of enthusiasm set the tone for a fantastic night of Cook Islands culture on Thursday. Twenty-two junior and intermediate dancers took to the stage to wow the near packed Are Karioi on Thursday night in the 2012 junior and intermediate dancer of the year competition. Most, if not all, […]
Opera in paradise
Motone Productions has confirmed details for this year’s Opera in Paradise. Dubbed an intimate and distinguished event, the Opera will feature New Zealand’s finest sopranos, Mere Boynton and Deborah Kapohe, at Crown Beach Resort and Spa’s Oceans Restaurant stage. The ‘opera house’ is framed with lush tropical gardens and a turquoise lagoon at sunset, and […]
Dancer of year time
The best of Cook Islands dance will be showcased through the three main dancer of the year competitions starting this Thursday at the National Auditorium. Warming up the stage for the annual dancer of the year event will be the junior and intermediate division dancers. Eleven junior and 12 intermediate boys and girls have signed […]
Atiu artefact on show in Los Angeles
A stool possibly carved in Atiu has made its debut at the prestigious Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) The artefact is listed as originating in the Cook Islands, and possibly Atiu, in about 1830. Termed no’oanga, the piece is made of wood and fibre and measures 14 by 44 by 21 centimetres. LACMA […]
BCA sticks to 'ambitious' schedule
Cook Islands artist Sylvia Marsters is the newest Beachcomber Contemporary Art Gallery (BCA) artist in residence, and will be in Rarotonga producing work over coming months. In other exciting news, renowned artist Nanette Lela’ulu has moved to Rarotonga and will open a new portrait show at BCA on May 1. These developments come in the […]
Snorkelling and soccer history
This week on the Kids Page we hear from grade seven and eight Te Uki Ou School students, recounting some out of the classroom activities they did in Term One. We had a confident team who played bad in the first half and then came back second half. Why we came back in the second […]
Students earn credits in the workplace
Tereora College students are earning NCEA credits in the workplace over the holidays. Year 13 business administration and computing students are completing a five-day work experience over the next two weeks. The class of 27 was required to choose a company that would enable them to deal with customers over the phone and face to […]
New massage therapists in the making
Two New Zealand tutors have responded to the need for locals to be trained as massage therapists, and have organised a two-week workshop. Professional New Zealand massage therapists Glenda Palmer and Alison Grace are in Rarotonga to host the workshop. Palmer, who currently works at the Lotus Holistic Centre in Hastings, New Zealand, has been […]
Local Scout will row down Thames
Deep Sea Scout Ron Bird is taking one Avarua Harbour Sea Scout to London to join a Kiwi crew sailing down the River Thames with 1000 other vessels in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Fifteen-year-old Jason Potoru of Takuvaine has been selected to represent the Cook Islands in the Kiwi crew. “We wanted a […]
Poem on BBC
Cook Islanders living in the United Kingdom are being urged to contact the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for the opportunity to represent their homeland during the London Olympics. The BBC is looking to capture the spirit of each nation participating in the London 2012 Olympics. In an effort to represent the Cook Islands, producers have […]
30 dancers going to Queen's Jubilee
A 30-strong Cook Islands dance team is headed to London early next month to perform for the Diamond Jubilee. Organised in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 60-year reign, the Jubilee will comprise performances and parades put on by all countries affiliated with the British Commonwealth. The Cook Islands was, however, the only Pacific Island country […]
Lightning strike kills woman, injures girl
St Joseph’s Primary School shares more of their work with us this week on the Kids Page. Grade Six students took an article from the Cook Island News and summarised it as part of practising their comprehension skills. Creative writing for Grade Four students looked at what is happening in the world around us, as […]
High praise for a great show
Te Maeva Nui village and outer islands teams have big shoes to fill after Rarotonga schools put on an outstanding cultural festival on Wednesday night. The National Auditorium was packed to the rafters with proud parents and families who brought the Are Karioi roof down with roaring cheers for every single school. The level of […]
Akaoki'anga kaka: returning the glory
Woven kikau baskets – packed tightly with fish baked in banana leaves and packaged chicken, cooked taro and tinned meat – lined the frond-covered floor of the Atai/Auta meeting house last Sunday. Mitiaro mamas in white dresses and rito hats sat on benches and held dressed-up babies as the men – their husbands, sons, grandsons, […]
Pukapuka on Facebook
Pukapuka has a new online presence with a new Facebook account. The site provides photos and news of activities happening at the school, hospital and community in Pukapuka. While only about 20 people in Pukapuka have Facebook accounts, the Pukapukan community in New Zealand has been actively spending time on the site. “Take me back […]
The motus of Pukapuka
Someone asked me what makes Pukapuka special and unique. I had two answers: the community and the motu system. The motus cover an uninhabited area at least three times larger than the main settlement of Wale. Each village has pule guards that strictly regulate what can be gathered on each motu and when. Anyone breaking […]
Artists unite to form arts council
Most tourists recall two things about their Cook Islands holiday – the people and the culture. For artist Mike Tavioni, that’s an indication that the Cook Islands’ most important and marketable asset is its culture, a framework that conditions a people. “People are a by-product of their culture, and art is culture. People are not […]
Easter music festival
Local musicians are poised to bring in the Easter weekend the right way – on the beach, with food and drinks and their instruments – and they’re inviting Rarotonga to join them. For the fourth year running, local musician Mark Franklin is organising a music festival to kick off the long Easter weekend. Featuring all […]