Features

An island celebration

While August 4, Constitution Day, was a quiet day on Rarotonga – it was the complete opposite on the outer island of Mauke when the community came together to celebrate the Cook Islands’ self-governance. And so with the theme ‘No taku ipukarea kia rangatira” and a gift of $2000 from the Ministry of Culture providing […]

Exhibit explores new media

PAA participants on Tuesday night attended The Beachcomber Contemporary Art gallery’s opening of an exhibit by Janet Lilo. Lilo, who is of Maori, Samoan and Niuean descent, is based in Auckland and could not be in Rarotonga for the symposium, so curator Ron Brownson presented her exhibit to the artists and scholars present. The exhibit, […]

Exhibition reflects old and new

Local artist Krick Barraud hosted a public exhibition of a piece of artwork she’s been crafting at Avana on Saturday evening. The work, housed in the remains of an old coral limestone building on the beach, represents a portion of the visual exam she took this weekend – the culmination of a Master’s in Art […]

Craft show

Tongan concepts of time and space

Last year, artist Semisi Fetokai Potauaine was one of seven recipients of the Commonwealth Connections International Residency. He is the second Tongan to win the coveted spot. ‘Okusitino Mahina, Jocelyne Dudding and Kolokesa Uafa Mahina-Tuai have recently published a book about his work and the philosophies that motivate it. Yesterday at the PAA symposium, they […]

Inspirational artist returns

Well-known Tongan artist Filipe Tohi is back on the island for the Pacific Arts Association (PAA) symposium. A long-time visitor to the Cook Islands, Tohi completed an artist-in-residency on Mangaia in 2004 and has since inspired many a local artist. Master lasher, carver, painter and sculptor, Tohi has to a great extent influenced local artist […]

New grocery store opens

There’s a new one-stop shop in town. Raina Traders has expanded to include Supa Saver, which offers groceries – local fresh fish, local fresh vegetables, dry goods and frozen goods – and home-grown plants. Raina will continue to sell the same products, including black pearls and solar hot water heaters. Owner June Baudinet and her […]

Stunning shows 'raise the roof'

While Te Maeva Nui crowds have been small to moderate throughout the week-long competition – the shows on stage have brought on cheers and applause that have almost lifted the roof. And the biggest cheers on Thursday night were for the outstanding Pukapuka team who took to the stage last. In fact, the northern island […]

Ni hao ma – welcome to Auckland

I heard the other day that 37 per cent of people who live in Auckland weren’t born there. I can hear some of you saying ‘so what’ – well not only were they not born there but according to the source of this information neither were they born in this country; and that got me […]

Pacific Sisters perform at Staircase

The Pacific Sisters are performing at Staircase at 9pm on Tuesday. Founded in Auckland in 1990s, the group of Pacific artists and entertainers is coming together here on Rarotonga after a 10-year hiatus. They’ll be putting on an hour-long show involving poetry reading, story-telling, fashion modelling, body art, live graffiti art and more, and warn […]

Mo just keeps on drumming

Rarotonga man Maurice ‘Mo’ Newport manages a production and marketing company with his wife Glenda Tuaine, but still finds time to drum for a band in New Zealand. For four years, Newport has been commuting between Rarotonga and New Zealand to practice and play shows with well-known Kiwi country-rock band The Warratahs. “When I told […]

Plenty of art to see

Though next week’s Pacific Arts Association symposium is not open to the public, anyone is free to attend post-conference exhibitions and functions. Long days of lectures, presentations and panels will end in celebrations both official and unofficial – four of which are open to everyone. On Monday night, Samoan artist Nanette Lela’ulu will present her […]

Voyagers training to be skippers

Duncan Morrison, who skippered vaka Marumaru Atua on its journey from New Zealand to the Cooks, is training six local voyagers to be certified skippers. Morrison hails from New Zealand and was earlier this year asked to captain the vaka during her recent voyage. He’s now on Rarotonga and plans to be here until September. […]

Major arts gathering all go

Prominent artists and academics heading to Raro for symposium The Pacific Arts Association’s 10th International Symposium, for which scores of prominent artists and academics are travelling to Rarotonga’s shores, is less than a week away. Crown Beach Resort is hosting the symposium, which is themed ‘Pacific Art in the 21st Century: Museums, New Global Communities […]

Wendt keynote at Festschrift

The much-anticipated Festschrift for Papa Ron Crocombe opens next week, and those planning to attend look forward to hearing from keynote speaker Albert Wendt on the conference’s inaugural day. Wendt has been influential in Pacific literary circles since the 1970s. He’s known for his award-winning novels and most recently for winning the Commonwealth Writers Prize […]

A coin with history

Twenty-two years ago Malcolm Macquarie bought three silver Cook Islands $25 coins. The coin has ancestral value to his wife Meremaraea Tinirau Macquarie, as Makea Takau Ariki, who is featured on the coin, was her great grand aunt and was the reason the coins were produced. According to the history accompanying the coin, when faced […]

2 new photo books released

One of the largest and most comprehensive photographic collections of all islands in the Cook group has been built up over two decades by photographer and publisher Noel Bartley. Now the publisher of Escape, the award winning Cook Islands destination magazine, has produced two books on Rarotonga and Aitutaki using some of the stunning images […]

A life well spent

The last 50 years have gone by rather quickly for Bishop Stuart O’Connell, the Catholic Bishop of Rarotonga. On Tuesday he celebrated his golden jubilee his 50th year since ordination as a priest. Today his milestone will be celebrated with a mass followed by a feast and entertainment. Sitting and talking with the Bishop over […]

Chloe off on Hawaii adventure

Tereora College fourth form student Chloe Wragg will soon be greeted with mahalos, and choking under beautiful leis, as she has been chosen as the 2010-2011 exchange student to Kamehameha School in Hawaii. The cultural exchange is for eight months and will allow Wragg to experience a new culture, new experiences and life outside the […]

Symbols and flags, and the feel good factor

If you were at Avana on May 29 when the waka arrived on their round voyage from Aotearoa, you would have noticed that the Maori waka – Te Matau A Maui – was flying a red white and black flag. This week there has been chatter and angst that perhaps that ‘Maori’ flag might be […]