One of the oldest trees in front of the Titikaveka Cook Islands Christian Church (CICC) which survived for over 200 years was taken down yesterday as it posed safety risks and alleged damages to its surrounding.

Titikaveka residents found the news heart-breaking. The utu tree was the meeting place for the Ui Mataiapo known as ‘Peipei Utu’ (sharing ideas under the tree) since the 1800s before the CICC church was built.

Seventy-nine-year-old Mama Orometua Akangaroi Canny Aratangi, a retired pastor’s wife who served in the church, and was also born and raised in Titikaveka said seeing the tree being chopped was like taking a huge part of her life away.

“It's a part of me,” she said. “That's how I felt when I came this (yesterday) morning, it's like my heart cried out so much like something is going on... I was born and raised here.”

She claimed that once the tree is gone, the village’s traditional leaders’ involvement or rights in the compound will be no more.

Raina Mataiapo of the village, George Hosking explained that the tree has gotten rotten posing risks as it is near the church and the road, as well as causing cracks to the graves around it.