They’re up in the air about the festive season …

Te Aponga Uira workers are pretty much used to being up in the air about Christmas.

That’s because they’re responsible for maintaining the thousands of beautiful lights that the power company strings up around the island to signal the festive season has arrived - and if any need repairing once they are up, the men from Te Aponga are the ones who get lifted way above the ground in a cherry picker to repair them.

The lights, sponsored by the power company for many years, are a long-standing tradition in Rarotonga. While they might not match the electronic wizardry and spectacular displays of larger countries, what our colourful bulbs lack in sophistication, is more than made up for by the sight of long lengths of lights strung for many kilometres. The lights also get regular outings for festivals and other special occasions.