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NZ vaka modelled on Te Au O Tonga

Monday 8 January 2018 | Published in Local

A newly launched New Zealand waka (vaka) is based on the same design as those of the late Sir Thomas Davis of Rarotonga.

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Indian classical dance show for Rarotonga

Monday 8 January 2018 | Written by Rashneel Kumar | Published in Local

Rarotonga residents will get a unique opportunity to witness live the classical Southern India dance form called Kuchipudi on January 15.

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Robati family holds eighth reunion

Monday 8 January 2018 | Written by Rashneel Kumar | Published in Local

About 130 people have gathered in Arorangi to mark the eighth George Faimau and Ngateinakore Robati Reunion.

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Mobile restoration 'seamless'

Monday 8 January 2018 | Written by Rashneel Kumar | Published in Local

Bluesky Cook Islands says the transition of mobile service from temporary to newly commissioned network has been “relatively seamless”. This despite claims by some customers of unexpected and unexplained data losses after mobile services were fully restored in the Cook Islands on December 19. A fire on October 27 completely destroyed Bluesky Cook Islands’ second core site in Aroa, Arorangi affecting mobile network services in Rarotonga and Aitutaki. Bluesky’s commercial manager, Lahaina Kiely said “a handful” of customers had experienced credit consumption due to casual data rates being charged instead of the data packs they had purchased before the fire in October. For those customers, she said they have reset their data packs and credited back any credit due. “The transition of the mobile service from the temporary solution to the newly commissioned network has been relatively seamless,” Kiely said. “Many of our customers have complimented the teams in restoring full mobile services in the space of two months following the fire in October. “With the much anticipated data services restored, customers have been eager to use the service again.” Since mobile services were migrated on December 19, Kiely said there had also been a high demand for simcards and visitor simcards. Customers had also been making full use of top-up promotions and data promotions. “For the months of January and February, our postpaid mobile customers will receive double data on their Bluesky postpaid mobile plans,” Kiely said. “Customers will be able to see their new allowances via MyBluesky App. “Should any of our customers have any queries at all, please contact the team by free calling 123, or visit us on our Facebook page, or pop in and see us.” The destroyed facility which is valued “in millions” and the disruptions the fire caused to the mobile network on the two main islands was initially supposed to take “up to three weeks” to repair. The fire completely destroyed the mobile network core exchange, as well as primary satellite station equipment and power supply systems housed at the Aroa site. All the fixed-line telephone and broadband internet services in the northern areas of Rarotonga connected to the main Bluesky station in the Avarua town office remained uninterrupted. A day after the fire incident, Bluesky Cook Islands mobile cell sites were changed over to the Bluesky Samoa mobile core exchange via O3b Satellite links. This provided temporary mobile voice and texting services within Rarotonga and Aitutaki with no local usage charges to its customers. The burned-out core site building in Aroa was fully refitted ready for the installation of new mobile core equipment, O3B Satellite System gear and other network equipment and infrastructure. This was completed in December.

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Married on the island he loves...

Monday 8 January 2018 | Published in Local

New Zealand MP Shane Jones yesterday celebrated his marriage to Dorothy Pumipi and he says he wanted to get married on Rarotonga because he loves the place.

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New Year fireworks cause dogs to go missing

Friday 5 January 2018 | Published in Local

A large number of dogs have strayed from home after Rarotonga’s New Year’s fireworks celebrations, particularly in the Muri area.

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School in strife over island visit

Friday 5 January 2018 | Published in Local

A Dannevirke, New Zealand school paying the lion’s share of a trip to Rarotonga and five schools in financial strife are among Manawatu institutions facing the gaze of officials probing educational spending and financial practices.

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'Stop rubbishing our beaches'

Friday 5 January 2018 | Written by Rashneel Kumar | Published in Local

A Muri-based environment activist says there is a need for more education on proper rubbish disposal in the Cook Islands.

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Lunch with Winston Peters draws a crowd

Friday 5 January 2018 | Published in Local

New Zealand deputy prime minister and Foreign Affairs minister Winston Peters was guest speaker at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon for 2018, at Tamarind House Restaurant and Bar on Thursday.

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Visitors ignore warnings on helmet law

Thursday 4 January 2018 | Published in Local

Tourists are continuing to play Russian roulette with the country’s motorcycle helmet laws despite continued warnings from the Cook Islands Police Service and from motorcycle rental outlets.

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Some Christmas cheer for our women in India

Thursday 4 January 2018 | Published in Local

While many Cook Islanders living overseas have returned home to celebrate the festive season with family and friends, three of our women are braving the cold in Tilonia, India, to complete their training on independent solar systems for lighting and desalination.

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Explorer remembered in silver coin issue

Thursday 4 January 2018 | Published in Local

The Cook Islands in cooperation with Downies Coins, has issued a set of three one-ounce silver $5 coins honouring English explorer Captain James Cook. The 2018 coins commemorate the 250th anniversary of the voyage that placed Cook in the history books. James Cook’s first notable efforts were the detailed maps he created of Newfoundland (part of modern-day Canada). Following that triumph, Cook made three voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. Cook was largely unknown when appointed to command the HMS Bark Endeavour on an expedition to the Pacific in 1768, the first of those three voyages. The stated objective of the first mission was to sail to Tahiti to observe the transit of Venus, but that was only part of the story. Cook also received some additional, secret orders: find the fabled “Great South Land”. With Cook’s astronomical observations complete in 1769, he set sail for home. His ship needed repairs, so he stayed close to the coastline — Australia’s coastline. Cook and his party subsequently claimed the east coast for Britain, charting 2,000 miles of the continent i

Local

Police clarify official rules on truck rides

Thursday 4 January 2018 | Published in Local

Comments posted on social media following an accident in which a child was injured just before Christmas show many people are unsure what the law says about passengers riding on the back of trucks.

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Appeal on purse seine issue

Thursday 4 January 2018 | Written by Rashneel Kumar | Published in Local

An appeal has been filed against the High Court’s judgment on the development of the Cook Islands purse seine fishery.

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