tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849Sun, 01 Sep 2024 17:48:40 +0000otherculturesporttourismRarotongaTe Maeva NuinaturedanceCook Islandssevens in heavenrugby sevensPacific mini gamesnetballPandawaction songrugbyvakadrum dancekapa rimaVaka Eivaura pauMekongmaeva nuioutrigger canoePukapukaAranui 3MyanmarPenrhynpe'etriathlonAtiuBurmaCambodiaNikaohulainternational sevensinternational sportsevenszumbaConstitutionManihikiMarquesasMarquesas IslandsRarotonga International TriathlonWYNCcanoeenvironmentrunweatherMuriNgatangiiaPacific netball seriesRV Angkor PandawSamoaTakitumuTongarevacarvingdancingswimtravelArorangiFrench PolynesiaMangaiaMaukeMotonePapua New GuineaPuaikuraTereora collegeVietnamathleticschantcycledancer of the yearentertainmentfloat paradeindoor stadiumnorthern groupwetlandsANZACAvatiuCatholicCook Islands Black PearlsCreative CentreDOTYDVDFV AnaFijiHash HouseKura HappMekong riverPNGQueen's BatonRakahangaScotlandSingaporeTuramaaround Rarotongaconstitution celebrationscycloneexercisefoodgoprograveship hopoe vakaphantomprimary schoolspunanga nuiquadcopterrugby leaguesoccersportstrade daytri-seriesutewandering tattlerwreckAitutakiArokoAtacama desertAustraliaAvaruaAvateaBlack RockBorneoCai BeChau DocChileCommonwealth GamesCreative TrailEsther HoneyFight-DoFilm RaroHiva OaHo Chi Minh CityKampong ChamKatha PandawKiribasKiribatiLao PDRLaosMandalayMaoriMarumaru AtuaMataveraMitiaroMo NewportMuri beachMuri lagoonNatasha AreoraNikao beachOceania championshipsPacific GamesPacific voyagersPhnom PenhPicton CastleRarotonga week of runningRotaractRound Raro Road RaceSa DecSaigon RiverSarawakTahitian PrincessTakamoaTe Are ManuThe Offshore PirateTop ShapeTopshapeTriggerfishTuamotu IslandsWalesWorld Health Dayaerialbig wavesbirdsblack pearlsblessblessingcliniccompetitioncricketcruisecup finalcyclone Patdance competitiondji phantomearthquakeeducationfiddler crabfishfitnessfootballfundraisergolden oldiesgolfhip hop 4 kidzholidaykuririlagoonlawn bowlsmotorbikenuttersoperaouter islandspa enuapeepetsplaypublic healthrailwayreo metuasister islandstiare festivaltouch rugbyva'avetvolleyballwaterwater tanks1965201286 birthdayADBAaron EnokaAir New ZealandAitutaki SharksAkuraAlaskaAlbie MarshAlexisAll BlacksAll Souls EveAniAsia PacificAtu Pare MaraeAvatiu harbourAvatiu valleyAwaAyeyarwadyBargayarBeach night outBen MakisiBombay HawksBonaventure Allan MoetauaBoys of HarmonyBrookeCISPCAChhloungChicagoChoeung EkChong KohChristchurchChristmasChristmas carolsChristmas in the parkClub RaroCook Islands Ministry of Cultural DevelopmentCook Islands Noni MarketingCook Islands Triathlon AssociationDVDsDeborah KapoheDieter PaulmannDivas in ParadiseDog Save The QueenEarth HourEasterEuropeFakaravaFatu HivaFilmRaroFitness RevolutionFood FestivalFrankieFrankyGeoff HenryGeorge GeorgeGina KeenanGokteikGood FridayGospel DayHCMCHaciendaHakahauHalong BayHanmenuHawaiiHidie'sHighland ParadiseHolland America LineHospital ComfortsIiponaInnwaIronmanIrrawaddyIrrawaddy dolphinsIsland GrooveIslandsJacko GillJames TalbotJerome KainoJohn RobertsJulia GillardKaveraKevin IroKorero MaoriKratieKuchingLady NaomiLaoLashioLittle Girl's War CryLos AngelesMOCDMaha GanayonMark BrownMark FranklinMarshall IslandsMatutu mileMaungateaMekong River dolphinsMekong Unexplored highlightsMelMere BoyntonMiss GMou PiriMovemberMy ThoNCDNanaNana HirataNew ZealandNiueNocturnal HabitzNorth VietnamNu TrixxNuTrixxNuku HivaNukutereOC1OceaniaOkeanosOkeanos FoundationOrama Sonny WilliamsPMGPNSPacific ForumPacific golden ploverPalauParingaruPasschendaelePetePhilippinesPhillipinesPolynesiaPuamauQBRRRRRRV Laos PandawRadical FitnessRajang riverRarotonga TinmanRarotonga airportRarotonga weatherRarotongan CompanyRidge PoniniRio TaripoRoshan FerraoRotterdamS21SUPSagaingSaigonSantaSeabourn OdysseyShanShweboSilent LadySir Geoffrey HenrySir Jerry MateparaeSloveniaSolomon IslandsSommeSt Joseph'sStations of the CrossSu Paung KyunTAVTISTa'akokaTaakokaTahuataTara KauvaiTe AtukuraTe Hiva NuiTe Mato VaiTe Uki OuTeimurimotia StallionsTejaThe SeedTikiokiTinmanTitikavekaTongaTonle SapTunisia holidayTuol SlengTupapaTurangiTuvaluU BeinUa PouV1V6VanuatuVenusVientianeWW1WaitakereWaleWat HancheyWeb Ellis TrophyWellington festivalWolfgrammWorld War 1World War OneYadanar SimiYandaboYpresaerial videoairportanniversaryaround Raroarsonartastrofestastronomyathleteauditoriumbasaltbasketballbeachbeach concertbig bangbikebirthdaybluffboatbodybuildingboilerboiler swimboulderbowlsboxingbristle-thighed curlewbrowniesbushwalkcandlecareercassiacatcelebrationscemeterychestnutchoirclean up the worldclimate changecoastal erosioncoconut crabcommissionercoralcross-islandcruise shipscyclone Pat appealdanger islandde-sexingdiabetesdivedogsdronedroughtdrummersdrummingdrumse-bookebookelectionevens in Heavenexpatexpofanzonefashion showferriesfesivalfestivalfight dofirst world warfishermenfishersflamboyantfloodfloodsflutesfrangipanifruitfundraisefundraisingfuneralgame fishinggamesgangnam stylegendergirl guidesgirls' brigadegovernor generalgovernor-generalgroovesgymhanoiharriersheronhigh speedhikinghistoryhorseridehospital hillhumpback whaleshumphrey islandhymnsinter-houseinternational rugbyinternet problemsjamboreejuicekapakidkidskoiti raukurakotukukukupalagoon daylegendlion dancelocal musicmaori art exhibitionmaraemarchmarine lifemarketmatarikimathematicsmeaemicrolightmorinda citrifoliamotumoustachemoviemusic festivalmustachenational development teamnetball Cook Islandsnetball in paradisenew year concertnight marketnon-communicable diseasenoninukuopera in paradiseoverseas orderspaddleboardingpaddlingpapa'aparadeparadiseparliamentparliamentarianspartypearlpearl authoritypearl festivalpearl market daypercussionperforming artsplantationpolicepony cartpotterypride 25proposalprostate cancerprotestpurse seinepurse seiningquakeracerangersred and blackrelayreligious dramareservoirresolutionrimaround Raroround the rock relayrubbishrugby sevens tournamentrugby world cuprunningsailingsailing shipsalessalt marshsaltmarshschoolssea levelsea surgeshotshot putsilksnorkelsolar eclipsesopranosspay daysport. soccersquashstand up paddlingstate funeralstormstrokesunrisesunsettable tennistackletall shiptangi ka'aratangi kaaratatautattootattooingteak bridgetelescopetennisterminalteuethe mekong unexploredthings to dotidal wavetikitime lapsetime-lapsetimelapsetoreatotalitytour de rarotournamenttrailertraintransit of Venustreestrevallytritriathletetropical cyclone Victortsunamiu19 boysumuumukaiunder 19 boysuraura fitnessvaevaevegetablesviaductvideowakawatweavingweaving. carvingwedding proposalwhaleboatwhaleswhite rajahworld cupyear plannerRaroLens video blog | Rarotonga videos, Cook Islands videos, photographs and comments from Rarotonga, Cook Islands; dancing, culture, carving, scenery, sport and more.http://www.rarolens.com/noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Blogger345125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-6695839577206770770Mon, 24 Jan 2022 03:32:00 +00002022-01-24T11:22:29.900-10:00big wavesRarotongastormweather Update Monday:Blue sky, white clouds, sun shining, seawall road open, boats back in harbour, tourists out and about, debris cleared from roads and harbour surrounds.  We’ve had a rough few days on Rarotonga with heavy rain, high winds and huge waves pounding the coastal areas as a tropical depression passed by. The harbour has been evacuated for the past week, with fishing boats andhttp://www.rarolens.com/2022/01/weve-had-rough-few-days-on-rarotonga.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-1619129526486007731Fri, 12 Mar 2021 04:17:00 +00002021-03-11T18:17:01.837-10:00CISPCAclinicCook Islandsde-sexingpetsRarotongaspay dayTe Are Manuvet  Strictly speaking, World Spay Day falls on the fourth Tuesday in February which would have been 23 February this year.However here on Rarotonga we had been lashed by wind and heavy rain for about a week before the event, organised by Te Are Manu and CISPCA, so it was postponed until Wednesday 3 March.It turned out to be a wise decision. The warm, sunny weather probably encouraged more http://www.rarolens.com/2021/03/spay-day-on-rarotonga-was-great-success.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-8654092658164361064Sat, 30 Jan 2021 05:04:00 +00002021-01-29T19:04:04.081-10:00coconut crabCook IslandsCook Islands Black Pearlshumphrey islandManihikinorthern groupouter islandspa enuasister islands Manihiki was once known as Humphrey Island and is also called, informally,  the island of black pearls.The northern group coral atoll has over forty motu (islets) surrounding a deep lagoon about nine kilometres wide. The two main motu are Tukao, where the airport is situated, and Tauhunu where we stayed for two nights.To get from the airport to Tauhunu we climbed aboard an aluminium dinghy http://www.rarolens.com/2021/01/manihiki-island-of-black-pearls.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-9155080650388275679Sun, 20 Dec 2020 00:28:00 +00002020-12-19T14:28:13.392-10:00Cook Islandsdanger islandnorthern groupouter islandspa enuaPukapukasister islands Pukapuka – the Cook's most isolated island Pukapuka was once known as Danger Island; John Byron, commodore of a British naval ship named it when he sighted it in 1765 but couldn't land because of rough seas, high surf and reefs.The other name, the Island of Beautiful Girls, is a different matter. 'Other Cook Islanders' are supposedly the people who call it that but it only appears in http://www.rarolens.com/2020/12/pukapuka-cooks-most-isolated-island.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Pukapuka, Cook Islands-10.8499532 -165.8388698-39.160187036178847 159.0048802 17.460280636178844 -130.6826198tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-2724636550543253069Tue, 15 Dec 2020 04:26:00 +00002020-12-14T18:26:48.515-10:00Cook IslandsManihikinorthern groupPenrhynPukapukaThe Northern Group Discovery Tour Tourists are few and far between in the Cook Islands at the moment (because of Covid-19 travel restrictions) so Cook Islands tourism, Air Rarotonga and Island Hopper Vacations got together to organise packages to some of the Pa Enua. The idea was to keep tourism alive on the outer islands and to give locals on Rarotonga the chance to see some ofhttp://www.rarolens.com/2020/12/the-northern-group-discovery-tour.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Cook Islands-21.236736 -159.777671-90 59.597329 57.611846096110135 -19.152670999999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-3566490873310868201Mon, 15 Jun 2020 04:02:00 +00002020-06-14T18:05:30.706-10:00Cook Islandsdance competitionRarotongaTe Maeva NuiThis year's TeMaeva Nui cultural dance festival has been cancelled because of the coronavirus situation. Although the country is Covid-19 free, the social distancing and ban on large gatherings made rehearsals and costume-making impossible. So here are a couple of flash-back videos, from 2011 and 2013 as a reminder of the singing, dancing, drumming and all-round excitement. See more on http://www.rarolens.com/2020/06/te-maeva-nui-cancelled-for-2020.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-8062288966878804644Tue, 26 May 2020 03:05:00 +00002020-05-25T17:07:15.871-10:00RarotongaTe Mato Vaiwaterwater tanks Rarotonga's water issues have been around for a long time. I've just remembered this video, published in 2011, saying back then that Rarotonga was very lucky compared to many countries. We usually had enough water and the streams and springs were not polluted - with industrial or farming pollutants at least. Our main problems were wastage (30 to 70%!) and lack of storage. Even in times of http://www.rarolens.com/2020/05/rarotongas-water-issues-have-been.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Rarotonga, Cook Islands-21.2292371 -159.7763491-21.3476411 -159.9377106 -21.110833099999997 -159.6149876tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-4592191119060418024Tue, 19 Mar 2019 20:20:00 +00002019-03-19T10:20:55.668-10:00clinicCook IslandsRarotongaTe Are Manuvet Te Are Manu is the only vet clinic in the Cook Islands and it's now a busy, well-equipped place. But it didn't start out that way. In July 2017 we leased a building behind the Ministry of Agriculture in Arorangi. Cook Islands Investment Corporation did a great job of cleaning and painting our new clinic. The back yard needed clearing of discarded rubbish. Volunteers and board members puthttp://www.rarolens.com/2019/03/the-story-of-te-are-manu.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-37860177256222521Sun, 03 Feb 2019 03:39:00 +00002019-02-02T17:43:11.317-10:00Cook IslandsCreative CentreCreative TrailRarotonga Foundation The Creative Centre was founded in 2002 as a place where people with disabilities, over the age of sixteen, could get together and find a pathway to as much independence as possible. The programme included activities, lessons about various crafts and visits to the outside community. In the past these have included street festivals, watching the annual float parade, exercise http://www.rarolens.com/2019/02/rarotongas-creative-centre.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Cook Islands-21.236736 -159.777671-36.718244 179.56803200000002 -5.7552280000000007 -139.123374tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-7696247781214988176Tue, 29 Jan 2019 03:00:00 +00002019-01-28T17:00:43.196-10:00Creative CentreCreative TrailJames TalbotRarotonga This story by Barbara Dreaver, TVNZ's Pacific Correspondent, is about James Talbot who is walking the length of New Zealand to raise money for the Creative Centre. At the beginning of her media career Barbara worked for Cook Islands News. She still has a soft spot for the Cooks and is very popular here. See this story about James Talbot on the Cook Islands News website. Follow James Talbot's http://www.rarolens.com/2019/01/kiwi-walker-helps-rarotongas-creative.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-3825223972295415443Sat, 24 Feb 2018 21:32:00 +00002018-03-12T15:47:53.019-10:00 19 sq mi of lagoon 6.97 sq mi land pop about 2000 cat population: “unknown” large feral population plus owned cats Beauty of Aitutaki: unparalleled. “the Most Beautiful Lagoon in the World” (Lonely Planet quote) Cats, Paying it Forward, and the Kindness of Strangers A year go my husband and I came to this beautiful paradise, and as most people do, we fell in love with the islands, the http://www.rarolens.com/2018/02/19-sq-mi-of-lagoon-6.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-3651295640033992684Wed, 05 Jul 2017 00:41:00 +00002017-07-04T14:47:00.844-10:00basaltbluffboulderbushwalkflutesgroovesMaungateanatureother Hmmm. Loooooong time since I added anything to RaroLens. That's because most of my videos these days are of various travel destinations so I've decided to put them on a new blog: www.havepension-willtravel.com But today I have a Rarotonga-based video so here it is. A group of friends recently hiked up to Maungatea Bluff, heading into the hills on the northern side of Rarotonga. We were going http://www.rarolens.com/2017/07/maungateas-mysterious-basalt-boulder.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-8497623731360015159Mon, 02 Jan 2017 03:55:00 +00002017-01-01T17:55:36.751-10:00Atacama desertChileHaciendahorserideother   While we were in Chile tweaking the settings of Phil's remote telescope(El Sauce Observatory), we stayed at the Hacienda Los Andes.The Hacienda is in the valley of the Hurtado River at the southern end of the Atacama Desert in the foothills of the Andes. It is well away from the usual tourist routes and surrounded by pure wilderness although the valley itseld is green and fruitful.The http://www.rarolens.com/2017/01/the-golddigger-trail.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-6342402631388946022Mon, 02 Jan 2017 01:34:00 +00002017-01-01T15:34:33.551-10:00Atacama desertChileothertelescope   Since retiring Phil's been hankering after a remote observatory.When we first came to the Cook Islands over thirty years ago it seems that the night skies were clear and the Milky Way looked magnificent for most of the year. I'm sure that's an exaggeration; you remember the things you want to as time goes by. But certainly the sky at night is much cloudier than it was when Phil first http://www.rarolens.com/2017/01/telescope-in-atacama-desert.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-3276338339781761062Thu, 03 Nov 2016 03:54:00 +00002016-11-02T17:56:00.377-10:00Aranui 3Fatu HivaFrench PolynesiaMarquesasMarquesas Islandsother Here's a flashback to 2010 when we sailed aboard the Aranui 3, a combination cargo/passenger ship that carried goods and tourists to the Marquesas Islands. Back then I edited videos from several of the islands but, as is frequently the case, I didn't get all of them finished. (I have gigabytes worth of unedited video on my hard drives.)I was reminded of this when I checked out the Aranui 5, http://www.rarolens.com/2016/11/fatu-hiva-marquesas-islands-on-board.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-4329062494592241395Sat, 29 Oct 2016 04:57:00 +00002016-11-02T17:56:47.435-10:00Food FestivalLaoLao PDRLaosotherVientiane Before our Mekong river cruise on the Laos Pandaw in early 2016, we stayed in the Lao capital Vientiane for a few days and checked out a food festival in Chao Anouvong Park beside the Mekong River. ------------------------- The annual Lao Food Festival is a fascinating celebration of Lao cuisine,that takes place in late January in Vientiane. This year the weather wasn't great but that didn't http://www.rarolens.com/2016/10/lao-food-festival-vientiane.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-8971153087417776008Thu, 22 Sep 2016 01:07:00 +00002016-09-21T15:07:11.089-10:00Cook Islands Noni Marketingculturejuicemorinda citrifolianaturenoniotherplantation  This video started life as a look at scarifying noni seeds to speed up germination. Scarifying didn't make much of a difference as the seeds germinated and grew anyway but the video also grew and it now covers seedlings, planting, picking, pressing and bottling. TRANSCRIPTMorinda citrifolia is better known as noni.Its knobbly egg-shaped fruit goes from green to yellow to white when ripehttp://www.rarolens.com/2016/09/cook-islands-noni.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-5974098544441308759Wed, 21 Sep 2016 22:44:00 +00002016-09-21T12:47:52.126-10:00constitution celebrationsculturefloat paradeTe Maeva Nuitourism This year's Te Maeva Nui (constitution celebrations) just featured teams from Rarotonga but the float parade that started things off was as popular as ever. The route was somewhat shorter than it has been in the past. It started from Punanga Nui market and travelled sown the sea-side of the main road to the VIP tent which was set up on the area that looks like waste ground most of the time http://www.rarolens.com/2016/09/te-maeva-nui-float-parade-2016.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-5619604410574971532Wed, 21 Sep 2016 22:22:00 +00002016-09-21T15:08:18.318-10:00cruiseholidayLao PDRLaosMekongMekong riverotherPandawRV Laos Pandawtimelapsetravel Hmm. I havaen't been very active on RaroLens recently. Well, that's a bit of an understatement as you can see; the last video was added towards the end end of January so it's time to catch up and add a few more. In March we went on another Pandaw cruise, this one was on the Mekong River in Laos. Fabulous, as all the Pandaw cruises are. The boat was newly built (https://www.pandaw.com/vesselshttp://www.rarolens.com/2016/09/cruising-mekong-river-in-laos.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-2453996872092180519Fri, 22 Jan 2016 22:02:00 +00002016-01-22T12:02:11.608-10:00international sportrugbyrugby sevenssevenssevens in heavensport Just realised that I never put my video round-up of the 2015 Sevens in Heaven rugby tournament so here it is. It was another fun-filled occasion - until the last game - the men's cup final - which had to be called off because of a brawl. Men's cup winners were local the local Fiji community side Tabusoro; women's cup winners were Suburbs Angels from New Zealand. http://www.rarolens.com/2016/01/sevens-in-heaven-2015.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-683616464740399248Tue, 19 Jan 2016 04:06:00 +00002016-01-18T18:06:13.455-10:00big wavescycloneothertropical cyclone Victor 18 January 2016: Tropical cyclone Victor is currently passing to the west of the Cook Islands - very slowly. It originated near Samoa and for a while looked as though it was going to head east towards the Cooks but, fortunately for us, it moved more or less south and is now projected to go west towards Tonga and then turn south again. We've had several days of strong easterly winds and, http://www.rarolens.com/2016/01/kids-enjoying-cyclone-victors-big-waves.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-3686042318844800381Sat, 07 Nov 2015 21:09:00 +00002015-11-07T11:09:37.242-10:00international sevensotherproposalrugby sevenssevenssevens in heavensportwedding proposal It's Sevens in Heaven time again and the entertainment on the second day of pool play was made extra special when New Zealand rugby ref Pete Willis proposed to his partner Kavitha Singh in front of the appreciative spectators. Congratulations and best wishes for the future. (More sevens coming soon as well as some beach volleyball.) http://www.rarolens.com/2015/11/wedding-proposal-at-rarotongas-rugby.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-5524707099843741259Sat, 07 Nov 2015 21:04:00 +00002015-11-07T11:04:57.742-10:00astrofestHawaiiother Hmm. Bit of catching up to do here. This video is of an astronomy conference held on the Big Island of Hawaii. I went along for the holiday. Good fun, especially the visit to the Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea where the group got to see it from the inside. Since we got back I've been doing some heavy duty gardening - in a climate like ours the weeds don't take long to turn into a jungle even http://www.rarolens.com/2015/11/astrofest-in-hawaii.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-5731319300544302976Sat, 08 Aug 2015 00:28:00 +00002015-08-07T14:28:56.291-10:001965anniversarybirthdayJohn RobertsotherThis year the Cook Islands celebrate 50 years of internal self governance in association with New Zealand.* A long-time friend of the Cooks, John Roberts, has produced a video birthday card, Cook Islands 50 Beginnings, looking back on some of the events since 1965. John's website, www.cookislands.org.uk, is a great place to find out all about the Cooks, its islands, people, traditions, tourism ..http://www.rarolens.com/2015/08/birthday-greetings-from-cookislandsorguk.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334783243501223849.post-3786589679535458931Sun, 28 Jun 2015 01:11:00 +00002015-06-27T15:11:29.666-10:00artcarvingculturemaori art exhibitionmatarikiweaving. carving We've got a new New Zealand High Commissioner on the island. Nick Hurley was appointed in April this year, taking over from Joanna Kempkers. He recently hosted the Matariki Maori Art Exhibition, a five day carving and weaving fest by artists from the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) based in Rotorua, finishing off work they started in New Zealand. They were joined by local http://www.rarolens.com/2015/06/matariki-maori-art-exhibition-rarotonga.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)