The Punanga Nui Market came alive yesterday morning with refreshingly scented creative and colourful flower ei spread out through the front stalls.

Plants and flowers of all sorts appeared in the ei making competition that featured medicinal leaves, croton, tipani, tiare maori, rauti, pitate, daisies, allamanda, green rose, miri, seeds and shrubs.

Taumatini (Mati) Taia, one of the regular market women, designed a striking ei katu made with wood roses, akari puru and poepoe. “I wanted to try something different,” said Taia.

Dr Neti Tamarua’s long ei kaki had a beautiful sweet scent and was intricately sewn with tiare maori and pink coloured pitate, and won first prize.

The winners of the Punanga Nui Tarere Tui Ei Competition awards are as follows:           

Ei katu raurau category: 1^st Mamia Muriwai, 2^nd Takau Moeka’a, 3^rd Lina Taufahema. Ei kaki (long neck ei) category: 1^st Dr Neti Tamarua, 2^nd Tauira, 3^rd Mamia Muriwai.  Ei katu tiare (double): 1^st Takau Moeka’a, 2^nd Taumatini (Mati) Taia. Ei katu tiare (single) 1^st Takau Moeka’a, 2^nd Lina Taufahema, 3^rd Mamia Muriwai.

The consolation prizes were sponsored by Bank of the Cook Islands (BCI) and went to Christine Nga, Ngamata, Mrs Wilson, Vanessa Jim, Tina Upu and Marie Williams. Youngest participant Vanessa Jim received $30 from BCI.

The “Most Unique Ei” award went to Mamia Muriwai for her ei katu raurau made with red, green and yellow rauti. She received $100 cash sponsored by Rima Tanutanu.

Judges Luduina Williams, Ngatuaine Maui, Lydia Nga and Catherine Healy had the difficult jobs of grading the creative art work.

Papa Ngarima George, the organiser of the event, would like to thank all the vainetini and the Punanga Nui Market Mama’s for making the effort to participate and to all the sponsors: BCI, Tourism Cook Islands, Vodafone and Tuki’s Pareu.

The competition is part of the special Christmas week celebrations. On Thursday, the Tropical Christmas Santa Parade was held through Avarua town.