Pacific

20 new trees keep it green

Plant a tree and offset carbon emissions and help stabilise the coastline. This year, the National Environment Service, in conjunction with Vaka Eiva, will team up with the Muri Environment Care Group and the Muri community and landowners for the annual tree planting ceremony. To date, NES and Vaka Eiva paddlers have planted over 50 […]

Super Nu!

Long-time paddler and nu enthusiast Reuben Dearlove believes the true nutritional benefits of the widely considered super-food are only just starting to be confirmed by science – and more discoveries about the positive properties of young coconut are due. Many paddlers consume the liquid inside nu (young coconut) during the recovery phase of training. The […]

Food galore

A smorgasbord of food will be available to paddlers, organisers, supporters, and spectators during this year’s Vaka Eiva 2010 international paddling tournament. For the second consecutive year, night markets are being held at the Punanga Nui Market Place where a variety of traditional and modern fare can be sampled. Punanga Nui manager Elmah McBirney said […]

New trade day

The Business Trade Investment Board (BTIB) is gearing up for its inaugural Trade Day Vaka Eiva 2010 market, to be held as part of the week-long international paddling tournament. From midday on Tuesday November 23, 14 authentic Cook Islands art and craft stalls will be established in the Vaka Village at Avarua’s wharf. Products for […]

Be hungry, eat the race!

Rising star learns to paddle from within Paddle from the heart, read the waves, don’t hold back and trust yourself. This is a mantra that Kiwi paddler Vesna Aroha Radonich goes through as she prepares to take to the water. Her favourite mantra though is – be hungry, eat the race! Vesna, who is of […]

Ocean art on show

Since 2004, The Art Studio in Arorangi has been paying tribute to Vaka Eiva with stunning displays of painted paddles. This year, the gallery will again showcase paddles, but has opened its exhibit to include paintings and other works of art. “Normally it’s just the paddles – we’ve done that very successfully since the beginning […]

Making news on the ocean waves

In between court reporting and police news – Cook Islands News reporter Rachel Reeves has been putting in the hard yards on the water ahead of her first Vaka Eiva festival. The 22-year-old was born and raised in Redondo Beach, California, and is American and German on her mother’s side and Atiuan and British on […]

Main race times to beat

Memorial race round island

Mixed crews are this year racing around the island in pursuit of the Bob Worthington Memorial Mixed Trophy. Last year, Te Tupu O Te Manava 2 won the trophy in the V6 Avana Iron Mixed Race – this year marks the first year that paddlers will circle the island to win Worthington’s namesake. Mixed crews […]

Boiler swim in aid of Te Vaerua

Paddlers, supporters and the general public are invited to swim the 750 metres out to the iconic Boiler in front of Trader Jack’s and back to raise funds for charity. The swim will be on Tuesday at 5pm, and anyone is welcome to join – all you need is a gold coin and your togs. […]

Security warning

While police and security officers are stepping up their patrol presence during Vaka Eiva, paddlers and supporters are still advised to take ‘commonsense’ safety precautions, as it will be one of the busiest weeks of the year. Police will be doing extra patrols – day and night – during Vaka Eiva and will be posted […]

Beware of the nasties!

Paddlers should be wary of stonefish and bluebottles and should know that local paddlers have recently been stung by both – by stonefish on the slipway at Trader Jack’s and by bluebottles during water changeovers. In the past two weeks, nurses have treated a number of bluebottle stings. So be on the lookout for bluebottles […]

It will make $2m

This year’s Vaka Eiva 2010 is expected to generate almost $2 million for the local economy, on par with last year’s week-long festival which brought in an estimated total gross economic revenue of $1.92 million. Last year 801 participants from five different countries participated in Oe Vaka events in the waters of Rarotonga. This year […]

Don't touch Horouta's kai!

Don’t Touch My Food is a junior boys team from New Zealand that will be competing this year in the 12km from Avarua to Matavera and back, in Tuesday’s sprints at Muri and in the 15km on Thursday. Don’t Touch My Food are the current NZ J13 sprint champs – though some paddlers have moved […]

Carved pearl medals and arapitia trophies

Vaka Eiva winners will walk away with beautifully engraved mother of pearl medals and trophies carved from arapitia or albesia – the same wood that traditional canoes are carved from. The carvers and artists at the Island Craft workshop in Tutakimoa have nearly completed the order of 800 pearl shell medals and 43 engraved wooden […]

Cramming!

Zane Mataora and Bradley Heather have a busy few weeks coming up, with training for Vaka Eiva being squeezed in around a revision timetable. This year is their final year of exams at Tereora College as well as a big chance for them to do well in the sport they love. Mataora and Heather are […]

Big action guaranteed

Rivalry and competition heats up for 7th Vaka Eiva Big seas and big action are again expected in this year’s Vaka Eiva racing programme with 800 international and local paddlers to contest the various race divisions. The Aussies are back in force and the Kiws have brought their best while the Hawaiians and Tahitians are […]

This teen keeps coming back!

Jenaya adopts the Cooks and raises money for Te Vaerua Jenaya Davis is one of many international paddlers travelling to Rarotonga to take part in the annual Vaka Eiva competition – the difference is Davis is on a mission. The determined 17-year-old has been busy fundraising at Urangan State High School in Queensland to raise […]

Challenging conditions for the start

While it’s still too early to accurately predict next week’s weather, our local champion Reuben Dearlove has been studying tried-and-true weather websites to get a feel for what this year’s Vaka Eiva conditions will be like. Saturday is forecast to be 29 degrees and ‘breezy’ with 25 km/hr easterly winds and a 1.5-2 metre east-southeast […]

Juniors step up to challenge

More than 25 juniors teams are competing at Vaka Eiva this year, and one team – Te Tupu O Te Manava U19 boys – is even entering Friday’s Round Raro Race to battle it out with the big boys. Mapu oe vaka continues to grow, a positive indicator that the sport won’t die out anytime […]