Features

Common bonds

Delhi, India is a world away and more diverse than the Cook Islands, but I’ve come across a number of things that the two have in common. The stand out similarity between Delhi and our tiny country is island time! We’ve worked out that five minutes Indian time is around 20 minutes Cook Islands time […]

Th' Dudes' Morris dies

Iconic New Zealand band Th’ Dudes’ founding member Ian Morris has died. The 53-year-old guitarist, songwriter and producer was found dead yesterday in Napier. Napier police would not provide details about Morris’ death but said no suspicious circumstances existed. “We are all shocked and dreadfully saddened at this news. Ian was a truly gifted musician, […]

New role

The Indian actress who starred in “Slumdog Millionaire” has moved from the slums of Mumbai to the squalid refugee camps of the West Bank in a new film: the story of a defiant Palestinian girl who wants to fight against Israel in a coming of age story with a Mideast twist. “Miral,” directed by award-winning […]

Raro Idol down to top 10

Just 10 performers are left in Raro Idol 2010. Last week three people – Nana, Samuel and Mata – were voted out in front of a packed audience at Staircase. This week just one performer will be for the chop. Tonight’s performances must be in Maori. The event will start at 6.30pm, with tickets on […]

Penrhyn poems help with learning

Penrhyn’s Omoka High School students are studying numeracy, and submitted two poems that pay tribute to what they’re learning. I Have Ten Tiny Fingers I have ten tiny fingers I have ten tiny toes I have two ears I have two eyes I have a little nose I have a mouth to open, with little […]

Holiday fun!

A range of activities are being held next week for school pupils on holiday. The Cook Islands Cricket Association is again running a school holiday programme, following the success of its others this year. A direct result of the popular cricket in schools initiative – the holiday programme will comprise activities suited to groups of […]

CICC hosting youth convention

For the first time in a decade the Cook Islands Christian Church is hosting its youth convention for members and their relatives aged between 16 and 25. The three-day convention is expected to involve almost 100 youth from Rarotonga and the outer islands, and will be held at the Titikaveka CICC complex next week. CICC […]

Exotic fruit industry expands

Manea Nui Plantation is a new company being formed to expand the exotic fruit industry in the Cook Islands. Carambola, Mangosteen, Rambutan, Lychee, Longan, Durian, Abiu, Mango and Avocado are just some of the tropical fruit trees that will be grown and sold by the company. Australian Brian Paxton and his partner, American Jon Beymer […]

Potter may be back

Author JK Rowling told US television talk show host Oprah Winfrey she cried uncontrollably when she finished the last of her best-selling Harry Potter books, but did not rule out writing another one. “I’m not saying I won’t. I love writing them,” the 45-year-old British author told Winfrey in a videotaped interview at the Balmoral […]

Singing and breathing in time

Matavera musicians Mary Hamer and Steve Harsley are recording their first album as husband and wife – a rich, multi-genre mix of tracks underlined by Mary’s resonant vocals and Steve’s guitar riffs. One track called ‘Paradise’, infused with a jazz-Latin feel, is a tribute to the Cook Islands, and another is inspired by the Atiu […]

Test yourself with this maths quiz

If you didn’t get a chance to take part in the Maths Quiz this week, here are a few of the questions for you to try out! The answers are below Virtues. Grade 6 questions 1. Mataio, Nga, Steven and Ben have 23 marbles each. How many marbles do they have together? 2. Mrs Mataora […]

Legends come alive at Avatea

Avatea students and siblings Enua (left) and Lavinia Fameitau proudly show off their legends ‘diorama’ which they along with their fellow students have been creating as part of the schools legends project. Enua, 10, created a papier mache double hulled vaka to represent the canoe of legendary warrior Ru while his sister Lavinia, 8, holds […]

Hand surgeons gather

More than 100 hand surgeons are taking part in a conference at Edgewater Resort. The specialist surgeons are all members of the New Zealand Hand Surgery Society. Karen Smith, the hand specialist from Middlemore Hospital in Auckland, organised the annual get together and decided that an offshore location might be a draw to her colleagues. […]

Money back from Motor Centre

Kevin Hosking (centre) was the lucky winner in the Motor Centre’s Constitution celebration competition. The promotion offered buyers of garden equipment and white goods between 23 July-20 September the chance to win their money back. Hosking accepted a cheque from General Manager Ken King and Sales Manager Kim Mulholland for $1658, which the Hosking family […]

Phone book art on show

The winner of the Telecom phone book design competition will be announced on Monday. A top 20 has been selected from around 50 entries – all of which will be on display in the Beachcomber Gallery next week. The judging panel – Ben Bergman, Ian and Kay George and Jules Maher – has chosen the […]

'I will just do my best'

Two weeks ago 17-year-old track athlete Patricia Taea took on Oceania’s best under 20 sprinters and won a bronze medal. Now she is preparing to take on some of the world’s best at the Delhi Commonwealth Games in India. And although buoyed by her recent achievement on the track, Taea is certainly not talking up […]

Incredible India

It's all relative in the scheme of destruction

Just over a week ago I was somewhere very warm and pleasant and the sea temperature was just right to cool you down after a few hours in the hot sun. I was on the beautiful island of Aitutaki, one of the homelands for the people we now call Maori here in Aotearoa. It’s said […]

Raro Idol starts tonight

The official Raro Idol competition begins today. Staircase held auditions last week, and 15 vocalists went into the running to be Raro’s newest singing sensation. The competition proper starts at 8.30pm today at Staircase. For 10 weeks afterward, the competition will be at the same time, same place. To watch the live show at Staircase, […]

OM Nite at Raviz

It’s Open Mic Nite time again, so dust off your guitars and prepare to perform at Raviz Indian restaurant on Monday night. OM Nite kicks off at 7pm, and all aspiring and established musicians are welcome to come along. “Use it as an opportunity to try out that new song you’ve been working on, or […]