A Mangaian mother gave birth to twin baby girls last Saturday, March 12 – the first twins born on the island in over 20 years.

Proud parents Ina Pokino and Mata Tutai are delighted with their new bundle of joy.

Pokino planned to go to Rarotonga for a scan and to give birth but decided against it when the Cook Islands borders re-opened with New Zealand on January 13, 2022.

“I didn’t want to come over when Covid arrived in Raro,” Pokino said.

So she decided to stay on the island with Tuta, which meant not getting a pregnancy scan.

Pokino said it was a “huge” surprise to find out she had twins when she gave birth. She said even the nurses who delivered the babies were surprised.

Pokino said the only family member who had twins was her grandfather’s mother.

The twins are Maiata-Marie Tutai, who was six pounds, delivered at 7.30am and Ngairinga-Vainemoepoti Tutai who was 6.3 pounds and delivered 7.40am.