Miss Cook Islands, Engara Gosselin

This week we bring to you Miss Cook Islands Engara Gosselin as she prepares to partake in the Miss South Pacific Pageant in Suva, Fiji next month. Engara was crowned Miss Cook Islands in April and took out the majority of categories during the pageant. At the moment she’s preparing for the pageant which is held from the 21st – 28th November. 10 other contestants will join Engara on the catwalk from countries like American Samoa, Fiji, Niue, New Zealand (Aotearoa), Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tonga, Samoa and Tuvalu.
Born in Australia, the reigning Miss Cook Islands will take on one of her biggest challenges – and that’s competing in the Miss South Pacific pageant next month. Born to parents, James (Jim) and Maota Gosselin, Engara hails from a musical family, with her sister Melissa being a well-known Cook Islands artist. Since the age of 8-years, Engara joined the Girls Brigade along with her sisters where they were given the opportunity to sing solos in church choirs and youth groups. She says not only does she enjoy listening to other Cook Islands artists; she enjoys listening to the beautiful voices of Mere Darling and Tara Kauvai who she thinks is awesome.
At the age of 13, Engara too turned her singing talent into a career after taking out the overall prize in the Song Quest in 1999, later she was asked by various artists to appear as a guest artists on their albums, such as the Taokia Bros and Katu after this, the beauty queen then launched her own album ‘My Rarotonga,’ in 2006.
Having the pageant in Fiji is a huge advantage for Miss Cook Islands who attended USP and returned at the end of last year after majoring in tourism and Hospitality, already, she’s received much support from her friends back in Suva who are excited and have given her support to be there by her side during the week-long pageant. And to add that extra cherry on the top, she’s excited
To top things off, her parents are based in Fiji too and she’s looking forward to seeing them. She’s hoping to complete her last 2 courses next semester or during summer school after the Miss South Pacific pageant.
Since the Miss Cook Islands Pageant, Engara has gained a lot of confidence but admits she still becomes shy at times and to overcome this she’s thankful that CITV has offered to assist her overcome these by offering her to do the opener and closers during the CITV local news twice a week. She says this will help her improve her public speaking skills and boosting her confidence.
Since April, Miss Cook Islands beauty says, she’s enjoyed the many opportunities given to meet and work with different people and creating friendships with one thing that’s captured her interest is to improve on her Cook Islands dancing.
At the moment preparations leading up to next months event has been full on for Miss Cook Islands and her team. Her team consists of her dress maker Eunice Vaikai, her costume and the designing and making of her costumes by her chaperone Gina Williams and assistant Aunty Kaukura. She says that the thought of the actual preparations into next months event has been there for sometime but because of her teams involvement in the Pacific Mini Games has set them back, however, since the crowning of Miss Cook Islands, this was the appropriate time for her to keep up with current and world issues and being able to keep an open mind for anything that may pop up that would benefit her for the pageant.
With just under a month away from the Miss South Pacific pageant, Engara was fortunate enough to catch up with former Miss Cook Islands and Miss South Pacific Krystina Kauvai who was able to provide her with some useful tips to assist her with next months pageant.
She says with next months Miss South Pacific being her first international pageant she’s leaving her faith in the Almighty to lead her and her team during the preparations and their journey to Suva and keeping in mind that not only is she representing her family but most importantly the people of the Cook Islands who believe that she can do well.
Engara will be accompanied to Fiji by her Official Chaperone, Georgina Williams, Clee Marsters and Metua Vaiimene (Assistant Chaperones), her family, Melissa, Pomare and Marianna and Aunty Kaukura.
She would like to thank the people of the Cook Islands, the Miss Cook Islands Pageant Association, the Rarotongan Beach Resort & Spa, Budget Rent-A-Car who have offered her a vehicle to assist her with her preparations before her departure next month.
We wish Miss Cook Islands Engara Gosselin the best of luck for the pageant next month.

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