Today is your last chance to savour a visual feast of radiant displays of the unique Cook Islands style detailed tivaivai and various handcrafted creations.

From this morning, people are welcome to visit the Ruatoka Hall at the Takamoa Theological College (located behind the USP centre) and appreciate the carefully crafted intricate designs by the Rarotonga Cook Islands Christian Church (CICC) vainetini (women).

Since 2018, the vainetini have prepared for this special exhibition that was planned for the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity to the island of Aitutaki, which takes place next month.

Poko Tuariki, from the Arorangi CICC Ekalesia and an executive on the vainetini board, first learnt the art of tivaivai embroidery in her twenties. Her mother Mii Mazel was her first tutor.

“Being involved in the church also helps because we are continuously making different styles of the tivaivai and I carried on from there,” said Tuariki.

Tuariki had made several tivaivai manu (applique) that are on display, one of which took her four months to complete.

There are also times when the vainetini get into groups called ‘pange’ to complete a tivaivai tataura (embroidery and crochet) design, she said.

The exhibition features tivaivai taorei (patchwork), tivaivai manu (applique), tivaivai tataura (embroidery and crochet), cushion covers, bed spreads, rito hats and other handicrafts.