Features

It's 50 years since the Solent flying boats stopped visiting

New direction and designs for Cook Islands postage stamps

The Cook Islands Philatelic business, until recently owned by Greta and Jim Little, is under sale to an American company, Philatelic Collectors Incorporated (PCI). They have exclusive rights to design, issue, print and market postage stamps for the Cook Islands and will provide the Post Office with supplies stamps free of charge for their use […]

First two new sets of stamps

One set depicts Anzac Day on the Cook Islands using photographs of the cenotaph, the national flag and marching. The second set of 15 stamps focuses on flowers found in the Cook Islands – although none of those depicted is a native species. The government will receive $50,000 per year from the sale of stamps.

Idol dream

Fifteen people have qualified to be the next Raro Idol. Staircase held auditions on Monday this week, and 15 vocalists went into the running to be Raro’s newest singing sensation. The auditions will be televised this weekend, but the competition proper starts at 8.30pm on Saturday, September 25 at Staircase. For 10 weeks afterward, the […]

Windjammer Restaurant changes course

Dan Forsyth has been in the kitchen at Windjammer six nights a week for six years and four months. He and his wife Maire have decided it’s time to hand the restaurant back to Crown Beach on September 25. Since opening Prime Foods the couple have been working two jobs, with Dan regularly putting in […]

Artist captivated by Rarotonga

The first time New Zealand artist Freeman White came to Rarotonga, he was guided up and down Te Manga by a little dog that befriended his group at the start of their mountain trek. They named the dog Akatere, guide. “He kept barking at us and we tried to shoo him away…then he just started […]

Eminem to kick off awards

Eminem is ready to kick off the MTV Video Music Awards. MTV general manager Stephen Friedman said Wednesday that the rapper, who’s nominated for eight trophies and continues to sit atop sales charts with “Recovery,” will open Sunday’s ceremony at the Nokia Theatre, which has been transformed with a sprawling white set reminiscent of the […]

Three wakas turn into one again

Trinity Roots’ two albums made a big impact and set a path for New Zealand’s emerging roots scene. Five years after parting ways, the trio is releasing a live album, a documentary and is getting back together to rekindle the spirit. It’s five years since Wellington band Trinity Roots turned their one waka into three. […]

Schwimmer turns dark with new movie

David Schwimmer made his name as a hapless romantic in the hit TV comedy series Friends, but takes on a much darker topic in his second stint behind the camera with the movie Trust. A heart-rending drama about how online predators groom child victims and the impact it has on a family, Trust was inspired […]

Maori culture study brings out writing talent

Not only did Takitumu Primary School students take part in fun learning activities during their Maori Culture programme this week – the senior students also put their Maori writing to the test in creating original poems. Poems were based on a number of themes including my environment, my strength and my dream. Following are the […]

New artist in residence

New Zealand artist Reuben Paterson is the Beachcomber Contemporary Art Gallery’s current artist in residence, and this weekend he’s putting the finishing touches to an exhibit that debuts at the gallery on Monday at 6 pm. Paterson has been on the island since July working on his exhibit – Aere E Akamotu (Start to Finish) […]

Clinic a success

The Men’s Health Clinic has pulled in big numbers this week – and the team has every intention of carrying on the good work. Tuesday night’s first clinic had more men arriving than the clinic had appointment slots for – but the team made sure that everyone was seen, even staying open later to make […]

Holiday prize highly valued

Travel agent Helen Roehnelt of Trendsetter Travel & Cruise Centre spent this week enjoying the prize she won at Cook Islands Tourism’s Australia road show in June – a week’s holiday on Rarotonga and Aitutaki with her husband and four mates. “Someone (at the road show) won a black pearl, but this is so much […]

Pollsters ready for the numbers game

The 2010 pre-election opinion poll conducted by Cook Islands News this week has produced some very interesting and, we believe, accurate results. Our staff pollsters called 500 randomly selected – and current national numbers – kindly supplied to us by Telecom Cook Islands. We received just over 200 valid responses of which 182 were eligible […]

Outer island thoughts

From the outer islands there was some sage advice as voters said MPs need to be fair to everyone without favouritism, and that MPs need to consider the welfare of the nation, leading wisely. Many offered all standing good luck in the coming elections. But there was also much unhappiness with the current government in […]

The people speak:

From humorous to angry, to some who had one too many at the pub, our staff pollsters got them all while doing an election survey over the last few days and nights. While some just wanted to rant without giving any constructive comments, many were insightful and offered some excellent suggestions and thoughts. Our staff […]

Pedal-power an opportunity

Inventor seeks investors for local manufacturing Local inventor Ken Kingsbury says that his boat the Treddlecat is a chance to get the Cook Islands on the world map. He says investors are interested in Auckland – but he is keen to get investors in the Cook Islands behind setting up manufacturing here. Kingsbury has Cook […]

Aitutaki cleans up!

The Aitutaki community will be conducting their annual programme celebrating ‘Clean up the World’ starting yesterday and continuing through to next week. And it won’t just be about picking up rubbish! Araura College has planned a number of fun activities for the school, with prizes sponsored by the National Environment Service as well as CITC […]

11 new boat masters

Eleven Aitutaki fishermen were expected to receive their Boat Masters Certificate yesterday. Boat masters course tutor Stephen Simpson of the Cook Islands Maritime Training Centre on Rarotonga has spent the past two weeks on Aitutaki delivering the course to local fishermen. Simpson says the course he is teaching the fishermen is one specifically developed by […]

Cooks filmed for The Blue Continent

A British film crew on a whistle-stop tour of the South Pacific is in the Cook Islands. They are filming a five-part series called The Blue Continent being made for the UK’s Travel Channel. The series examines what the Islands of the South Pacific have to offer by exploring the culture of the people and […]