New life for Vaka Te Au O Tonga
Atiu relic fetches $176,000 at auction
New hands at Muri club
‘Cookie in the Cooks’ comes to town
Taku puka tata’anga no te au ra
H Factor pays tribute to CI legend

Vaka Te Au O Tonga featured in the film Johnny Lingo. 04041912

Vaka Te Au O Tonga is currently undergoing a reincarnation in Aitutaki that will see the canoe take on a new role at the island. In its new life, the people of Aitutaki will use the vaka to tour its lagoon with visitors to the island. But the Cook Islands Voyaging Society says it is still adhering to the principles it took on at its birth in 1995, carrying on the dream of designer Sir Tom Davis to see it revive the art of vaka voyaging in the Cook Islands.

Sitting atop concrete blocks and partially covered in tarps at the Aitutaki harbour, Vaka Te Au O Tonga is surrounded by saws, hammers, nails, wood and wires.

A generator buzzes off to the side, powering the equipment sitting around and underneath the 72-foot vessel.

The tangle of tools, woodchip and noise are all signs of progress.

The next voyage Vaka Te Au O Tonga will take will be a short one – just a matter of metres into the lagoon by its side. The Cook Islands Voyaging Society hopes that will happen in around two months’ time.

Before then, the champion of the modern era of Cook Islands voyaging will stay on shore.

Vaka Te Au O Tonga is currently receiving a $50,000 overhaul at the hands of the voyaging society’s 22 Aitutaki members.

With $30,000 on loan from three of those members and $20,000 granted to the job through the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation, the refurbishment is the second biggest repair job that the vessel has undergone since it was completed in 1995.

The works will include some substantial repairs to the vaka’s hull and kiato (crossbeams). It will also have repairs carried out on its decking and its bulkheads replaced.

The vaka will keep its old rigging, masts and sails but it will take on the shrouds recently removed from Vaka Marumaru Atua in San Diego, California, during its layover in the United States over the summer.

Once those repairs, upgrades and fittings are complete, Vaka Te Au O Tonga will base itself permanently at its new adoptive home of Aitutaki.

Cook Islands Voyaging Society president Ian Karika said it would be a proud day to see the vessel back in the water albeit a little heart-rending for some society members who were sad to see it leave Rarotonga.

All things considered, Karika said it was a blessing that the people of Aitutaki wanted to take Vaka Te Au O Tonga on and keep it sailing.

“There are many other nations building vaka and, except for Hawaii, many of them don’t have the longevity of Vaka Te Au O Tonga,” Karika said.

“We want to keep her going for as long as we can, so for the people of Aitutaki to take this on is a blessing.”

Tourism, training on the lagoon

Vaka Te Au O Tonga will spend the majority of its time on the Aitutaki lagoon, taking the island’s tourists on lagoon cruises and visits to selected motu such as Rapota and Motutakau.

The vaka will also be used, sometimes simultaneously, to help train people on the techniques of vaka sailing and preserve the ocean-going knowledge of the Cook Islands.

It’s an idea that carries on Vaka Te Au O Tonga’s original purpose and one that helped attract the funding from Cook Islands Tourism Corporation, said chief executive officer Carmel Beattie.

The grant, provided under the corporation’s destination development fund, was gifted to the voyaging society because the project involved the development of a new project – lagoon cruises, which would potentially add to the number of tourists coming into the Cooks and because it also had a cultural significance.

“Apart from helping to restore an important part of Cook Islands history, we also saw the commercial and social possibilities of restoring the vaka,” Beattie said.

“We are very excited about the project and with all the voyaging community looking forward to her taking her rightful place on the ocean again.”

Karika said Vaka Te Au O Tonga would be a new experience for tourists visiting Aitutaki.

He said people aboard the vaka would be actively involved in its sailing alongside Aitutakians being trained on its decks.

“The tourists will be part of the crew. When you go on Te Au O Tonga you’ll be asked to pull sails, drop sails... it’s an experience that’s unique for Aitutaki,” he said.

Keeping up culture

Vaka Te Au O Tonga captain and project leader Mike Henry said aside from taking visitors out on the lagoon once or twice weekly, the canoe was also sticking to its original aims in its new role in promoting a traditional pastime, preserving the Cook Islands seafaring culture and passing on knowledge to a younger generation.

Henry said there were long-term plans to have the vaka back on international waters and also making stops at all of the Cook Islands 15 islands.

The first international trip will see the vaka return to its mother marae at Tahiti to receive a new blessing as it begins its new life.

The vaka, now more than 15 years old, has completed about 75,000 nautical miles of sailing during its lifetime.

International voyages include visits to French Polynesia, Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Aotearoa New Zealand and New Caledonia.

Henry said the people of Aitutaki and its members of the voyaging society were proud to now have Vaka Te Au O Tonga call their island home.

“She’s the mother of the new generation of vaka,” Henry said.

“The vaka travelling from the United States through Rapa Nui and the Cook Islands were based on her.

“We expect the hulls and the decks will be completed in time for their arrival at Aitutaki in May.”

For the time being, Vaka Te Au O Tonga will remain dry, sitting by the harbour at Aitutaki.

What is clear is that its current home will definitely not be a permanent one – the love for the canoe is clearly evident in the people of the Cook Islands Voyaging Society who are more than eager to see the vaka back sailing soon.

• Eric Parnis

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Partially under tarps and surrounded in the signs of progress – Vaka Te Au O Tonga at Aitutaki. 12021721

 

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Vaka Te Au O Tonga is currently on land at Aitutaki – its new home. 12021718

 

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Repair work on Vaka Te Au O Tonga’s hull was needed before the canoe could return to water. 12021720

 

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Vaka Te Au O Tonga is undergoing a refurbishment that will see its kiato (crossbeams) receive some work. 12021716

 

An Atiu artefact recently sold for US$146,500 at a San Francisco auction. 12021635

An Atiu artefact sold for US$146,500 (NZ$176,000) at a San Francisco auction this month, fetching significantly more than any other Oceanic artefact on offer.

The akatara, or ‘pole-club’, was projected to sell for between $75,000 and $100,000, but its final purchase price far exceeded auctioneers’ pre-sale expectations.

The artefact was the lead object in a Bonhams auction on February 11. It is carved from the heart (taiki) of the toa (ironwood) tree and has a broad, scalloped blade with a needle-form tip. Its collar has two ‘eye’ motifs on each side and its butt features chevron design. It is finished with a rich, dark brown patina.

The akatara was passed down from Arthur Sewall (1835-1900) of Bath, Maine, to his descendents. Seawall was a candidate for Vice President of the United States and ran against William Bryan in 1896, and was one of the earliest and most prominent shipbuilders of Bath.

Bonhams has not disclosed how Seawall procured the artefact. Additional highlights among the auction’s 150 lots of unique and fresh-to-the-market works from Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Indonesia and Australia, included a Maori hei tiki from New Zealand, that sold for $21,250 against its pre-sale estimate of $6000-$8000. The finely-carved amulet has paua shell-inlay eyes. Also a success was the $10,625 sale of a rare Telefomin shield from Papua New Guinea (pre-sale estimate of $8000-$12,000).

Fredric Backlar, Bonhams’ specialist of African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian art, said of the auction: “We are extremely pleased with the results of today’s inaugural auction of Oceanic art in San Francisco – the gateway to the Pacific. There was spirited bidding from both domestic and international collectors, many of which were first-time bidders, illustrating the continued growing demand for good quality, unique and fresh-to-the-market works of art at all price levels. “We were pleased to see many new and experienced collectors and dealers in town for the plethora of Tribal Art-related events that took place both at the De Young Museum and the San Francisco Tribal and Textile Arts show. After the auction, we were pleasantly surprised to experience brisk post-sale transactions.”

Other weapons and tools on offer originated from Kiribati, Rennell Island, the Hawaiian Islands and Borneo Island.

• Release/RR

The Club managers Willie Kauvai and Donal Campbell welcomes you to the best place to party in the country – the Ngatangiia-Matavera sports club rooms right on the stunning Muri beach and lagoon. 12021729

‘The Club’ is the party place to be on the country side of the island.

That’s the Ngatangiia-Matavera sports clubroom bar right on the stunning Muri beach and lagoon.

New bar managers Donal Campbell and Willie Kauvai are on board to grow the bar’s reputation as the place to be on the weekends for locals and tourists alike.

The club has a popular following among visitors to the island who are keen to mix it with the locals.

“This is where tourists get a real local experience socialising with local people,” says Campbell.

“Our arms are open far and wide to accept all,” adds Campbell with arms stretched out.

Kauvai says unlike other sports club bars that only cater for their own members – the club is for everyone from all over the island including visitors.

“People seem to think that town is the only place to go but where else can you find a sports club bar right by the beach – how can you beat that?” says Kauvai.

The pair say there will always be hot bar specials and themed nights at the club which will be announced on their blackboard at the road entrance to the sports club in between Miro’s Caf and the Muri Mart store.

Tonight, after the club’s rugby league match against the Avatiu Eels, there will be a Valentine’s themed night at the club with great bar specials on offer.

• Matariki Wilson

An acrylic on canvas entitled ‘New Zealand Man in the Cook Strait’ by Michel Tuffery. Photo BCA Gallery 12021702

Michel Tuffery’s work featured on the side of a building. Photo BCA Gallery 12021704

The Beachcomber Contemporary Art (BCA) Gallery is displaying an exhibition at the Volta show in New York City from March 8 to 11, but before it goes to the Big Apple the gallery is giving its sponsors a sneak peek.

This is the second year BCA was invited to Volta – an invitational solo project fair for world contemporary art, which attracts approximately 20,000 visitors each year. The fair is closely affiliated with Armory Art Fair, which attracts a further 120,000 people from the US, Europe, Asia, Australasia and the Pacific.

But for the first time BCA is opening its New York-bound exhibit to Rarotonga.

The first exhibition to be previewed next week is ‘First Contact’, which opens on Tuesday and wraps up on February 26.

The following week it will be replaced by a Nanette Lela’ulu exhibit, ‘Unsung Song’, which is also headed for Volta.

BCA will roll out its exhibits, one by one, over the coming months.

The exhibit opening on Tuesday is a digital installation featuring paintings and sculpture – the work of Michel Tuffery.

Tuffery is of Cook Islands, Tahitian and Samoan descent and based in Wellington. Renowned as a printmaker, painter, sculptor and digital and performance artist, he has done exhibits around the world and in 2008 became the youngest recipient of a member of the New Zealand Merit of Order in the Queen’s Honour’s list for service to the arts.

‘First Contact’ is a digital installation that questions the period of European ‘discovery’ of the South Pacific. Tuffery uses material recorded by scientists and artists who were part of Captain Cook’s three voyages, and watercolours painted by Tupaia aboard Cook’s first voyage in 1786.

Tuffery’s work delves into how Tupaia and Mai – the first Polynesians to travel to England – influenced the Western psyche at the time.

The artist also focuses on Cook, painting him with markers of Pacific identity – a tattoo, a frangipani, a hibiscus and a dog skin cloak – to illustrate how the explorer was impacted by his contact with islanders.

He explores the introduction of bulls, horses and sheep to Polynesia, using the animals as a metaphor for the introduction of imported food that would forever alter the Polynesians’ traditional diet and lifestyle.

He has collections being displayed all over the world – at the British Museum in London, the National Gallery of Australia, and in museums in Germany, Japan and all over New Zealand.

• Rachel Reeves

12021725

Takitumu Primary School students have been learning to keep a daily diary that features some of the activities they get up to at school and at home. Playing, doing household chores and playing with friends are the main highlights children are documenting in the daily dairies. Today we share some of what grade three students at the school have been up to.

Kanga poro

Peperuare 8.

I nanai kua kanga maua ko toku mami I te poro.

I reira kua kaikai matou.

Kua aere maua ko toku mama ki te are toa e kua oki maua kit e kainga.

Na William Andrew

Pupu 3

Kanga!

Peperuare ra 8.

I nanai kua aere au i te pai tai.

E oti, kua aere au i te kai.

I reira kua aere au ki te kainga.

Peperuare ra 9.

I nanai kua aere au kanga kia Georgia e oti aere au ki te kainga.

Na Luca Murray

Pupu 3

Pai tai!

Peperuare ra 6.

Inanai, kua aere au i te pai tai.

Kua aere au ki runga te motoka o Natana.

Peperuare ra 7.

I te Tapati kua mataora tikai au.

Kua aere au pai tai.

Kua aere matou ko Luca e Kaia i te kanga.

Kua aere au kaikai.

Na Oliver Dearlove

Pupu 3

Oko pona apii

Peperuare ra 2.

I nanai, kua aere au e toku mama na runga i te toroka ki te toa i te tiki i toku pona apii.

I reira kua oki maua ki te kainga.

Na Natana Mataio

Pupu 3

The songs and recordings of Cook Islands legend Apiti Nicholas will return to the stage tonight at H Factor. 12021730

Two more contestants will be leaving the H Factor tonight during the competition’s second elimination night.

Before that happens the eight that remain in the competition will perform a tribute to the late Apiti Nicholas – a legend of Cook Islands music.

The H Factor would like to pay tribute to her enormous contribution to Cook Islands music and at the same time bring her music back to life through our contestants.

Contestants have been asked to perform one or a medley of her songs that she has either written or recorded while on stage at Hidie’s Bar tonight.

Organiser Thomas Mereana-Ngauru said the week had been an eye opening experience for some of the younger contestants to research and learn her music.

“The H Factor competition will pay tribute to the many founding musicians each year to help keep our musical history alive,” he said.

“Also part of the challenge is they must select songs solely sung in Cook Islands Maori.

“It is very important to help preserve our culture and language and what better way than through song.

“An added bonus is the contestants will have live backing by local band Simply Kukis who I would also like to thank for giving up their time during rehearsals and assisting with the contestants songs.

“Having the live accompaniment definitely brings back memories of the Song Quest Competition which was last held over a decade ago. But the H Factor is happy to bring this aspect back to the stage.”

Tonight’s show starts at 7.45pm and doors open about two hours before that with a $3 cover charge. Those who are present at the live show also get the opportunity to cast special votes for their favourites as well a chance to win door prizes.

H Factor is sponsored by Hidie’s Bar, Bergman & Sons, The Bond, Teura Music, id.CK and CITV.

• Eric Parnis

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Teariki Terekia and the other seven remaining H Factor contestants return to Hidie’s Bar tonight. 12021731

 

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Two more H Factor contestants will be eliminated from the competition tonight. 12021732