Features

Designer label launched in Raro

Saturday 24 July 2010 | Published in Features

Clothing outlet id.CK in the Banana Court complex launched a new designer collection for women on Thursday. The clothes are the work of well-known New Zealand designer Annah Stretton, who calls her 2010 collection ‘Sand in Her Pants’. Her business, Stretton Group, is based in Waikato. She owns a chain of 30 retail stores throughout […]

They're back!

Saturday 24 July 2010 | Published in Features

The 2010 whale season arrived with a bang last Friday when the first pod of whales was spotted off the reef of Rarotonga. And since then, migrating humpback whales have been putting on some spectacular displays out at sea. These playful antics by the whales are mostly due to the fact that their hormones are […]

SDA kids week

Saturday 24 July 2010 | Published in Church Talk

The Avarua Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church is hosting a Vocational Bible School (VBS) for children between five and 14 years old next week. VBS starts on Tuesday and ends on Friday, and will run from 9 to 12 every morning. The week is themed ‘Wild Wood Forest’ and will focus on discovering the ‘untamed […]

Church gives $165,000 to Aitutaki

Saturday 24 July 2010 | Published in Church Talk

The Cook Islands Mormon Church has announced a US$120,000 ($164,880) donation towards to the Aitutaki cyclone relief effort. The majority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints donation will go towards building materials and labour for 12 homes and 90 water tanks which include piping and accessories. Around 300 homes were damaged […]

To NZ on the Mariposa in 1960

Saturday 24 July 2010 | Published in Features

The year was 1960 and one of the great Matson cruise liners the SS Mariposa was visiting Rarotonga on its way to New Zealand. The luxury liner and her sister ship the SS Monterey made the liner service from San Francisco to Hawaii and the South Pacific renowned. Eleven-year-old Avarua School student Eric Short was […]

Te Uki Ou blesses new buildings

Saturday 24 July 2010 | Published in Features

Apii Te Uki Ou held a special blessing ceremony yesterday for their new administration block. School principal Jason Ataera says that it has been a long process to replace the old buildings at the school and they still have a long way to go to upgrade the remaining buildings. The school has for the past […]

Ombudsman considers anti-corruption

Friday 23 July 2010 | Published in Features

Assistant ombudsman Jeannine Daniel is currently in Samoa attending a conference on the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. She returns this weekend to brief ombudsman Janet Maki on what she learned and voice whether she feels that the Cook Islands can and should ratify the convention. “(Daniel) is at the conference to gather the information […]

Sexual addiction

Friday 23 July 2010 | Published in Church Talk

Originally, anecdotal speculation on Pat’s part suggested that 10% of the general population struggled with sexual addiction. It is still difficult to obtain scientific evidence on the prevalence of the problem, as studies have relied on self-reporting, mailed surveys, and subjectively filled out paper and pencil tests. We do note with interest that during the […]

Gospel Day nuku at Arorangi on Monday

Friday 23 July 2010 | Published in Church Talk

Monday marks the 187th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity to Rarotonga and as is traditional – the six Cook Islands Christian Church (CICC) Ekalesia on the island will gather to commemorate Gospel Day. This year’s annual nuku or religious parade and drama presentations will be hosted by the Arorangi CICC Ekalesia. This year’s event […]

Magic Moko, gone but not forgotten

Tuesday 20 July 2010 | Published in Features

He aitua I’m not sure whether you still have the word “aitua” in Cook Island’s Maori but in my brand of the language the statement means there’s been a death, and that’s what I thought I’d talk about this week. I’m referring to Moko the friendly bottlenose dolphin that, for some reason, preferred the company […]

Cowboys of yesteryear

Saturday 17 July 2010 | Published in Features

Country hits writer dies

Saturday 17 July 2010 | Published in Features

Hank Cochran, who wrote a cascade of country music hits, died on Thursday at his home near Nashville, according to his family. He was 74. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer, his family said. Cochran gave Willie Nelson his first break in Nashville, persuading his employer, Pamper Music, to hire Nelson. When Cochran was […]

Williams rejoins Take That

Saturday 17 July 2010 | Published in Features

British singer Robbie Williams has rejoined former band Take That to record their first album together since he walked out on them 15 years ago, the group announced on Thursday. Williams got back together with the other four members of the successful British band – Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and Mark Owen in […]

Film on women's rugby in Iran

Saturday 17 July 2010 | Published in Features

If a relationship with a New Zealander will do nothing else for someone, it’ll give them an awareness of rugby. In the case of Faramaz Beheshti, a photographer of Iranian descent now living in New Zealand, it led him towards making Salam Rugby, a film on the unlikely subject of women’s rugby in Iran. “I’m […]

Te Maeva Nui goes international

Saturday 17 July 2010 | Published in Features

Te Maeva Nui will be featured in an episode on locally aired television programme Pacific Pulse. Show presenter Clement Paligaru goes behind the scenes to see just how much work goes into each performance and to find varying views about whether competitions are the key to keeping the Cook Islands culture alive. The annual Te […]

Mobility bus for centre

Saturday 17 July 2010 | Published in Features

Members of the Creative Centre School (above) in Tupapa proudly show off their new mobility bus which was donated to them by the Thames Rotary Club assisted by the Cook Islands Rotary Club. The bus has a wheelchair access ramp on the back and seats eight passengers, three wheelchair passengers and a driver. Creative Centre […]

Art symposium drawing large crowd

Saturday 17 July 2010 | Published in Features

Around 150 people have already confirmed that they will be attending the prestigious Pacific Art Association’s Xth International Symposium, where many contemporary artists from the region will be displaying their work. “It’s great for the Cook Islands as so few of our artefacts are here. Most of them sit in museums in the northern hemisphere,” […]

Avatea kids out and about

Saturday 17 July 2010 | Published in Church Talk

This term room four students at Avatea Primary School have been out and about on a number of field trips. Two weeks ago they visited traditional voyaging vaka Marumaru Atua where they had a blast looking through the canoes sleeping quarters and some even had the opportunity to handle the canoes massive oe (paddle). Thank […]

Seafari in new hands

Saturday 10 July 2010 | Published in Features

New Seafari owners Sharon and Kevin Reichardt are fitting right in at the Avatiu harbour. They bought the fishing charter business from Greg Gustafson in March, but made the move from Rotorua to Rarotonga this month. The Reichardts have been coming to Rarotonga for a decade, and this year decided it was time to permanently […]

Ken Walter photo exhibit opens on Monday

Saturday 10 July 2010 | Published in Features

A new PHOTO exhibition promises to open for visitors a window to the not-so-distant past. Fifty images shot by the late Ken Walters in the 70s, 80s and 90s will be on display from Monday evening at the Beachcomber Contemporary Art Gallery. Walters, who moved here from New Zealand in 1978, was responsible for introducing […]