News Briefs
Hosting Divas in Paradise
Rolling off the hugely successful OPERA IN PARADISE which starred leading Pacific Tenors Benjamin Makisi and Bonaventure Allan Moetaua; New Zealand / Cook Islands based Production Company Motone productions is bringing DIVAS IN PARADISE to the stage in Rarotonga for the 28th October at the iconic Club Raro. Combining the soulful talents of Bella Kalolo with members of her band the Soul Symphony, New Zealand’s singer songwriter and rocking front woman Julia Deans off her successful tour with the New Zealand superband “ The Adults and two of Rarotonga’s best female performers Kura Happs and Tara Kauvai, DIVAS IN PARADISE will be a one night only treat.
Bella Kalolo having just returned from performing at Glastonbury 2011 is proving to be a live show that shouldn’t be missed. In 2011 Bella has supported Fat Freddy’s Drop on The Road to Opononi Tour, international hip hop star Mos Def and is one of New Zealand’s most exciting artists having worked with Don McGlashan, Dave Dobbyn, Hollie Smith, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Tina Cross, Jackie Clarke, Susan Lynch, the NZSO, Carl Doy and Nathan Haines to name a few. Recently seen on the small screen as the vocal coach on FRESH TV Bella is a versatile performer with a groove that is all her own.
Julia Deans known for her time as Fur Patrol’s charismatic and charming front-woman has been performing to New Zealand and Australian audiences since the late 90′s. Her radio singles Lydia and Andrew penetrated the New Zealand psyche and became favourites for many building fans that when given the chance to see her live were not let down. Not only has she recently toured with John Toogood and Shane Carter as part of “The Adults” Julia has also been on the road with Anna Coddington performing new songs from her recently released solo album” Modern Fables”.
Tara Kauvai is a well respected artist in the Cook Islands with her rich smooth voice creating a loyal following in New Zealand, Australia and across the Pacific. She has released three CD’s produced locally in Rarotonga and is regularly played on Radio and on Cook Islands Television. Tara performs at a variety of clubs and resorts in Rarotonga and has toured to New Zealand performing at Pasifika festival and other Pacific artist events.
Kura Happs is Rarotonga’s answer to India Irie, An accomplished singer, song writer, she has toured the USA, Canada and France. Kura is a much requested entertainer in Rarotonga and is a regular entrant in the ‘Composer of the Year’ competitions. 2010 saw Kura release her first CD which she produced and has distributed herself. Kura plays 6 nights a week at various resorts, cafes and bars in Rarotonga.
Combining four dynamic talents for the one night in a tropical setting is the style of gig that is Motones thumbprint. Cocktails, suntans, warm weather, good audience good vibe
For more information contact: Glenda Tuaine – email: glenda@motone.biz Cell: +682 55885 or Maurice Newport – email: mo@motone.biz Cell:+682 54461
Island Living
On Tuesday evening Mina and Louis Enoka along with family and friends celebrated the long awaited opening of their shop “Island Living” in Matavera. Describing it as being island shabby chic Mina said she is very happy with the way it has all come together. The unique boutique stocks naturally Cook Islands products selected by Mina for sale.
Before one even steps inside the shop there is evidence of Mina’s artistic eye and creativity from the garden settings at the entrance to the quirky funky ways the products have been displayed. The shop is full of surprises and there are a lot of interesting items for sale from the quirky colorful bamboo chandelier to the finely made children’s rito hats. And while the front half has items for sale the open plan interior also allows one to see into the workroom at the rear of the building. Mina said this will enable visitors to see for themselves how the different products are made. “They will be able to watch the different crafts people from the weavers to the women making their tivaivai.”
While Louis is quick to credit Mina as being the one responsible for putting it all together he along with other members of their family have also contributed towards the project in various ways. According to Mina’s sister Vicky a lot of love and consideration has gone into establishing the shop.
“Everything that has gone into this place has been gone into with a lot of love, from the sanding down and painting of the display stands to the products themselves.”
The shop will be open every day except Saturdays when Mina and Louis are at their Punanga Nui Market stall and Sundays, however in saying that Mina said that they are willing to open up outside of regular hours if required to do so.
Hospital staff fund with fun
Last Friday the staff from the Cook Islands Hospital held their 7th fundraising activity event in Nikao. The theme was Glitter’s and Sparkles.
The Herald caught up with Lee Marie, Head Nurse of the Surgical Ward for details on the fun monthly event. “The event was basically planned out for staff only, because the fundraising is for the Hospital’s end of the year social function, but because we had a lot of the families and friends of the staff wanting to join in on the fun, we just had to make it into a family and friends affair, though everyone still puts in $5 fee.”
Marie told the Herald that every month the theme and activities will be decided by the different staff areas.
” This month’s choice for the theme and activities is the Surgical Wards, they have chosen the theme Sparkles and Glitters and the activities they have chosen for everyone today is coconut husking, 100 meters, coke drinking, everyone has a lot of fun,” said Marie.
With prizes to be won every month and the staff having a great time, its no wonder many people will stop and watch or join in on the fun.
Cowboys Corner
Welcome to “Cowboys Corner”, 15 a-side rugby is finally kicking off again this weekend of which the Reds will host the Cowboys at the valley however before we get into 15 a-side news, we will quickly review our performance at the pre-season 7’s three week tournament. We will then thank the many that supported our Quiz Night Fundraiser and review this weekend’s games against the Reds.
Last weekend marked the end of pre season 7’s and this was hosted by the Panthers at Victoria Park. We are pleased to announce that all our teams made it into top four positions which is a remarkable effort considering we were at the “bottom of the barrel” last season with only our junior teams making the top four spots in 7’s rugby. This year after a very long pre season 7’s tournament, our U13’s were the first runner up, our U16’s took the title and our U19’s and Senior grade finished in fourth position and Cowboys admin are happy with that as although they are small steps...they are in the right direction.
Last weekend, the Cowboys held a Quiz Night fundraiser event. This was a successful event with many teams representing business and social groups trying out their luck at the many spot prizes on offer but more importantly showing their support for Arorangi Rugby. The hosts for the evening (Clee and Metua) kept everyone entertained with their digs at participating groups and novelty activities that we will not mention outside of the club. The winners for the night and recipients of the “Brainbox” title were the “CISNOC financial advisors” who “edged” the runner-up “Babes & Boozers” by half a point. At the other end of the spectrum and bringing up the rear...the team that lived up to their name and awarded the “Lunchbox” title...”No Idea”. The point’s difference between the “Brainbox” and “Lunchbox” award was a mere 20 odd points. The surprise for the evening was a team made up of Cowboys U19’s players calling themselves “Blacks Studs” that finished strongly considering they took home the “Lunchbox” award in the last Quiz Night fundraiser.
We acknowledge the support of all the teams that participated at our Quiz night and a special thank you to Clee Marsters and Metua Vaiimene for their tremendous support and not forgetting the team behind the scenes lead by “Big Si” that made everything happen.
This week, we thank Prime Foods Ltd and Pitt Media Group for assisting us in our Club fundraiser in every way they could. A very big thank you to all.
This weekend, we head to the valley to take on the Reds and the last time we met, the Reds came off second best however the Cowboys know that when facing the Reds...history and records mean absolutely nothing.
Playing the Reds on their home ground is always a challenge for any Senior A team as they (Reds) have very “Beefy” and mobile forwards and when the temperature drops in the valley...notably in the last game...Senior A, the “Beefy” Reds get their “second wind” and always finish strong.
This week’s competition will be in the Senior A, Reserve Grade and U19’s of which the Reds are known to have many tricks up their sleeves. No doubt the Club will be lead by the veteran Vase Samania who is notably the backbone of Reds Rugby. The Cowboys look forward to the challenge of the Reds this weekend...especially the forwards who have had a four (4) week break watching 7’s rugby.
Next week, we will bring more rugby news from the Cowboys Rugby Club 2011 campaign and acknowledge another supporting sponsor of Cowboys Rugby. Good luck to all our teams this weekend.
Paris France calling
Cook Islander Kirimoke Drollet has just returned to UNESCO Headquarters in Paris France after a stint in Cambodia at UNESCO’s national office at Phnom Penh. She was posted to Cambodia in April 2009. The national office comes under the Asia/Pacific Region Office Headquarters which is in Bangkok. Her return to Paris is to take up a three year contract in a senior position within the finance division of UNESCO. Her partner Kane Epati and two young sons Etua (13yrs) and Kelvin (3yrs) are with her. On 6 January 2011 Kirimoke and Kane were married at St Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral in Avarua. We wish Kirimoke and her family the best.
My girls and I
t was just another dumb Saturday, and my mum wanted me to help her out at work. Gosh, doesn’t she know I have a life to live. Anyway, I say yes (because going with Mum means getting paid) and we hop onto our g-ride and head for town. At 7:30 in the morning, when there is hardly any traffic on the road. That way, Mum can’t cause a traffic jam with her “20k per hour” policy. I’m not dissing her. After all, she does make it home safely, even if it takes one whole hour to do it. Better safe than sorry.
So we arrive at Mum’s workplace, haggard as ever, and we open the doors to Staircase. Sigh. Let the working day begin. As I was sweeping the floor (depressing ain’t it) I was praying for a miracle to come and somehow rescue me from cleaning the dishes (my next job on the list that I wanted to avoid) and what do you know, I receive a call from my friend. Maybe the lord was listening to my complaining after all. I wanted to get up and go at that very moment. But I had a few things to take care of first.
I asked my mum and she was all good with it (Breathe a sigh of relief!) and as soon as they arrive I would escape with my friends. Woopdeedoo! Of course, Mum said I had to do a bit of work before I went (to her, a “bit of work” means taking out the rubbish, cleaning the kitchen and wiping down the bar all at the same time) and it was a must that I finish all of that in 10 minutes, then, mission accomplished.
It was only natural that I didn’t tell my mum that my friends were coming on their bikes “unsupervised”. So my best chance was to rush out there as fast as I could and hope my mum didn’t see me. Of course, this is just wishful thinking and my mum didn’t appreciate the fact that I was trying to run away. But as soon as my mates arrived, I was out of there like a shooting star and there was nothing Mum could do about it. So I gave my mum a farewell, hopped on the bike and Woosh! I was out of there.
Robyn, Stephanie, Shalom and I went to the Victoria Park in Tupapa to see what was the happenings at the rugby. We also went to spy on some cute guys, but honestly, we were wasting our time. There were no cute guys out on the field. (The truth is harsh. Lolz.) So we just sat there, gazing at the rugby players, hoping that somebody would trip and make us laugh. It didn’t happen. The players were just too skilled to make mistakes. But we had fun, horsing around and laughing. That made myday. - Norma Ngatamariki
Week 18: Nutritional Program
Kia Orana and welcome to our weekly update on our progress to a ‘healthier new us’.
Well last Wednesday was our 2nd group activity in the 12week Mind & Body Challenge, I must say we did ‘OK’ but by the second round our bodies began to give up on the 1-minute circuits. Alex and Mack had turned up after the first round of the circuit so their bodies were able to handle it, by the 3rd round, me, being the team captain just generally wanted to quit as I could feel my body aching and legs wanting to give way.
For us already on the program, it has been a long 19-weeks, Alex has now set another new goal weight after having already met his goal weight about 2 weeks ago, for Harriet, she hasn’t got long to go to reach hers and me well, I’m now just shy of over 6kg’s from meeting mine (hooray!) As for Mack, things may change for him as he’s now with 2 of our other staff members at the South Pacific Games in New Caledonia helping with coverage of the games for the next 2 weeks, so it could possibly change with all the temptation and free access to food while he’s there.
Team Determinators however (our team in the M&B Challenge) seem to be living up to its name ‘Determinators’ and each member has been working pretty hard and taking advice from the Fitness Revolution team and learning more about ‘burning body fat’ and fitness and healthier living.
Well with our 3rd group challenge coming up, hopefully we’ll be able to provide photos of our team and others in the Mind and Body Challenge.
Fitness Revolution Mind & Body Challenge: 2nd Explosive Group
Our second group activity took place on Wednesday 17th August, at the Te Atukura Grounds. Record numbers again turned up, for fun, exercise and an opportunity to bond with each other. The vibe was pulsating and the heat was on with teams vying for different prizes on offer. Our prize winners for last week were:
• Westpac Banking Corporations BSA Account with a $50 credit awarded to Keraleini Matenga
• Edgewater Resort & Spa $50 Spa Voucher awarded to Vaepae Nooroa
• Telecom CIS $20 Top Up awarded to Ngaputa Manuela
• Team Of The Week went to the RIP DAT BODY SQUAD who all won FR T-shirts.
The next FR M&B Get Together will be this Wednesday, 24th August, 5pm at Te Atukura Grounds – so get your teams together, embrace the challenge, represent hard and be in to win some more amazing prizes.
Thank you to our sponsors Air New Zealand, Edgewater Spa & Resort, Westpac Bank, Prime Foods, Manea Foods, Telecom and My Hair & Beauty & Cooks Bus Service.
Sports Reporter plays Volley
Alanna Smith, CITV’s popular sports reporter, leaves next week Tuesday 30th August as a member of the first ever Cook Island National Women’s Beach Volleyball team which will be competing at the South Pacific Games in Noumea.
Though the sport Beach Volleyball is new to the Cook Islands, Alanna feels pumped and ready to go. She started training six months ago and is looking forward to playing in the tough competition against the other Pacific Countries.
“I want to see what the competition is like, especially from the top teams Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Tahiti. This will definitely be a great experience for me,” said Alanna.
Throughout her childhood Alanna played 6 man volleyball in top competitions around the island, but has always wanted to play Beach Volleyball.” I love playing Beach Volleyball; it’s a two man game so that means I get the ball all the time, although it also means I have to be extremely fit all the time as well,” said Alanna with a laugh.
When the Herald asked she felt about representing the Cook Islands at the South Pacific Games in New Caledonia, she replied. “I feel very privileged. I want to do the best I can for those who’ve trained me, for those who have cheered me on and those that did a lot of fundraising for me to go to the SPG such as the Titikaveka Club and my Aunty Tua. So I am feeling very proud right now and I hope to do my best for these people and my country.”
GO ALANNA.!!
Herald Issue 554 09 March
- Norm exposes Trio of Doom
- Briefs from PM’s media conference Tuesday
- Tourism Industry ponders $5 million draft strategy
- Norman George resigns from Cook Islands Party
- Letter of Resignation from CIP
- Norman selfish says Prime Minister
