Cook Islands 101

Lush green hills, shallow blue lagoons, white beaches and humpback whales give Rarotonga a magical tropical feel. The combination of old world traditions and modern conveniences make visitors feel comfortable and enchanted. Friendly smiles light up local faces as we're greeted in New Zealand accented English, interspersed with Maori phrases. Flowers, dancing, singing and food make up the traditional components to the culture. Women wear flower wreaths on their heads for all occasions or none at all. Grocery store clerks, waitresses, and church goers all adorn themselves with frangipani, bouganvilia, and leaves as naturally as we wear jewelry. Wreathes are on sale for $8 at the Saturday market to wear to church the next day. Tourists wear them, but they just don't pull it off as well as the beautiful Maori women with the waist long black hair. Local men use leaf wreaths in the dancing, but not as a daily accessory. They wear shorts and brightly colored tropical print shirts. The women wear western style shirts and wrap around floral print skirts. Church is a colorful place, with all the patterned fabric and woven hats made of dried palm leaves.

Fifteen islands make up the Cooks, which are spread out over 1000 miles north to south. Several islands are uninhabited, several have small populations and Atutaki and Rarotonga are more developed and touristy. The Maori of New Zealand come from the Cook islanders, who come from northern populations such as Samoans and Polynesians, who claim to come from the northern Hawaiian people. The Hawaiians claim to come from the South. No one really knows how the first Polynesians and Maoris came to the islands, even science does not agree if they are from Asia or the Americas.

Dancing still makes up an important part of the lives of young and old. Tuesday night rehearsal is full of little girls learning the routines, and young adults practicing for the daily hotel shows. Drums made of hollowed out logs are the main instrument in the music with guitars filling in some of the slower melodies. Visitors to the Cooks are invited to join in with the beginners at the weekly rehearsal. A big group of us cruisers joined in last week, much to the delight of Ellie and the other little girls. They've been wiggling all over the boats ever since. Standing in the back row during rehearsal doesn't always save embarrassment because a good amount of the dances are done facing away from the audience. Those in the back are all of a sudden in the front. The women do the traditional hip shaking and graceful arm movements. The men do an Elvis like knee knocking and lots of stomping to show their vigor and strength. It was fun to see the performers in full costume on Saturday night at a hotel show, and recognize them from the rehearsal.

Food here on Rarotonga comes mostly from New Zealand. The two main grocery stores stock a small selection of most things. The outer islands rely on supply ships and planes to deliver their orders. Some do not have stores, the families just order what they need. When the supplies run low, they revert to the old ways of eating. Fishing, coconuts, papayas and some root vegetables make up the basics of local food. Depending on the soil citrus, mangoes, bananas and some vegies can be grown. The young people are coming to rely more and more on prepared food and disposable diapers.

The economy, although not as rich as French polynesia, is supplemented by family members who work in New Zealand. The populations on the outer islands are dwindling as young adults leave for career opportunities. The cars on the island are smaller and older than the standard 4x4 in the Societies. Most people get around on scooters, which are practical in the warm climate and inexpensive to fuel up. Tourism is thier major money maker. New Zealanders and Australians come here for honeymoons and winter get aways. Coconut, black pearls and clothing are exported in small amounts as well.

Hope you enjoy a geography lesson from time to time. We're trying hard to learn as we go and appreciate the cultures for what they are. You can learn through us and hopefully come away with an appreciation for diversity and how easy life is in the US.