Weekend
50yos 'get down on it' again
Saturday 12 October 2019 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Weekend
Their school may have burned down, but the Apii Avatea students of 1982 reunited this week to burn up the dance floor – ‘and we have all turned out to be pretty amazing’.
Daughters take on fashion world with mum
Saturday 12 October 2019 | Published in Weekend
Showing at London Pacific Fashion Week is about far more than celebrating their unique Cook Islands designs, for Tasha and her daughters. It’s about passing on traditional knowledge to a new generation.
Revealed after 250 years: The real meaning of master navigator Tupaia's maps
Friday 11 October 2019 | Published in Weekend
Gerald McCormack from the Natural Heritage Trust explains timely new research that shows how far ahead of his time Tahitian navigator Tupaia was – and why Captain Cook was right to trust him to steer the Endeavour.
Saving Cooks' crowning glory from the Crown of Thorns starfish
Wednesday 9 October 2019 | Published in Weekend
When predator Crown of Thorns starfish were found in the pristine waters of Mitiaro last month, locals and environmentalists dove into action.
From hammer-throw, to throwing the dice
Monday 30 September 2019 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Weekend
Siniva Marsters’ dad told her to never be shy – and that confidence has helped her to new distances.
Shifting the paradigm
Saturday 28 September 2019 | Published in Weekend
Rachel Reeves sits down with PhD candidates at USP Cook Islands, which offers scholarships for doctoral degrees and brings Cook Islands researchers together.
'Rarotonga has changed'
Monday 23 September 2019 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Weekend
Raewyn Goldsbury first came to the Cook Islands with her family on the tiny 67-metre passenger ship, the GMV Maui Pomare. It was a long way across the ocean to come on such a small boat, not much more than 1000 tonnes.
'Just cherish them'
Tuesday 17 September 2019 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Weekend
Nine-year-old Scorpfield Wichman Anthony was killed by his grandfather. He has never before been named. At the request of his mother, we now give him a voice. This is how she wants her boy to be remembered.
Beam me down, spotty
Saturday 14 September 2019 | Published in Weekend
A New Zealand-funded TV channel dedicated to the Pacific region is now being beamed by satellite to the Cook Islands.
Flagging up any shipping concerns
Saturday 14 September 2019 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Weekend
You wouldn’t know it from looking at the half dozen boats moored up at Avatiu port, but 654 vessels are flying the Cook Islands flag around the world.
New era for Rarotonga's golf club
Thursday 12 September 2019 | Published in Weekend
Big ideas are taking shape at the Rarotonga Golf Course where an enthusiastic new management team has embarked on an ambitious plan to give the old clubhouse a new look for a new era. Visiting journalist and keen golfer from New Zealand Gray Clapham reports. Rarotonga’s Golf Club has always been a gem in the rough.
Inside the locked gates of the new water intake
Monday 9 September 2019 | Written by Jonathan Milne | Published in Weekend
It’s been raining since 2013, says Ake Utanga. The land specialist for government’s Project Management Unit is mulling over when the last serious dry spell was, when water stopped running from Rarotonga taps. She reckons there’s been rain for a while.
80yo unbowed in face of tragedies
Saturday 7 September 2019 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Weekend
Maraea Mata is the last of 15 siblings still alive – so when the matriarch met all her brothers and sisters dozens and dozens of offspring at a family reunion, it was overwhelming.
Hunting the Dark Night
Sunday 1 September 2019 | Written by Cameron Scott | Published in Weekend
Bat connoisseurs love the pungent smell of the flying rodent, but their traditional hunting season is under challenge from environmentalists concerned the South Pacific fruit bat is now seriously endangered.
Mangaia: 'We'll always be here'
Thursday 29 August 2019 | Published in Weekend
They say Mangaia is the oldest island in the Pacific at 18 million years. But with no doctors, its schools closing and its population dropping like a rock, the stoic remaining islanders are seeking bold new solutions. Photographer Fe’ena Syme Buchanan spent time documenting their lives for a successful New Zealand exhibition.
Why Palmerston is resisting an airstrip and other conveniences
Saturday 24 August 2019 | Published in Weekend
When our 38-foot sloop approached Palmerston at dawn one September morning, more than 300 kilometres from the nearest speck of land, we’d been staring down squalls on the South Pacific for five days and nights. We hadn’t seen a soul since departing from Bora Bora 1300km ago, but we knew we were close when we noticed the phrase “Kiss My Arse Rock” on the chart plotter.
Parlour talk: Long-running wahoo fishing contest concludes today
Saturday 24 August 2019 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Weekend
The 23rd annual Gary Parlour game fishing contest is to conclude today, with the chase on for the first and best wahoo over 30kg.
Top police officer calls for meth education
Wednesday 21 August 2019 | Published in Weekend
Education and intelligence are key to dealing with the abuse of methamphetamine and other drugs, says a senior police officer.
'My disease has no cure'
Tuesday 20 August 2019 | Published in Weekend
Cook Islands News publisher John Woods faces up to his own drug addiction. I used to have a meth habit.
Like a boss: Young entrepreneurs show off their wares
Saturday 17 August 2019 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Weekend
Buy local, these Cooks entrepreneurs say – and this week, they showed why. Models blaze down the runway of the Lady Boss show to promote the brands of young women in business, showcasing apparel and merchandise.
