As published in the Cook Islands News 18th September 2021, by Alanna Smith. Photo credit Rudy Heijmen Native to the Cook Islands and across the Pacific, the Rupe is found on most southern group islands as well as Palmerston, Pukapuka and Manihiki. The Rupe or Lupe pronounced in Pukapuka (Pacific Pigeon, Ducula pacifica) is a […]
Governments and NGO members of the IUCN congress have voted in overwhelming support of a moratorium on deep sea mining, with an overall combined support from governments and NGOs of 93%. This sends a very strong message to world leaders of the global concern around the potential environmental impacts. The International Union for Conservation of […]
Everything is connected and particularly so when it comes to water. If we want to improve the water quality of the lagoon, we also need to protect the streams. This is the message the Muri community is sharing, not just through words but through action. For the past few months they have been encouraging people […]
In our recent vaka voyage to the northern group we were fortunate to see the native seabird Lulu (Masked Booby/ Sula dactylatra) nesting on a couple of the islets along the Seven Sisters in Suwarrow. The Lulu is not common in the Cook Islands and is listed in the Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage […]
A special part of the recent northern group vaka tour was being able to experience the local foods, traditions and even some examples of local fishing practices carried out on each of the islands. Rakahanga is made up of a central lagoon surrounded by a rectangular shaped atoll and outer reef. Its nearest neighbour is […]
Pukapuka is well known in the Cook Islands for having an intact traditional conservation system. We were fortunate to see examples of this during our recent voyage to the northern Cook Islands on the Marumaru Atua, as a part of the Tāua e Moana journey. We asked Levi Walewaoa, Mayor of Pukapuka, about some of […]