Sherree Corbett shares with us why she would come back to Rarotonga for a second time. In this episode Sheree explains what she finds so special about The Cook Islands, and her why to fly two national and two international flights to get back for another holiday.

We chat about her recent Aitutaki day tour,  waterfall spa experience, restaurants, her accommodation and more.

She also speaks about her experience and the benefits she believes with her personal use of CBD Oil (Cannabidiol oil)

"Sad to be leaving tomorrow but I will be back she says" 

Kia Orana, May you live long
Aere Ra, Farewell
Kia Manuia, Good Luck and Good Health

--------------

Get the unofficial official guide to Rarotonga — for free!

The helpful 8-page PDF gets you completely ready for your holiday to Rarotonga. Inside the guide you'll find information on Transportation, WIFI, Customs, SIM/eSIM cards, Scooter Rental, and so much more/

Download the Rarotonga Holiday Guide & Checklist

--------------

The Kia Orana Podcast was created as a result of lock down Covid restrictions, in 2020.

Tina Ngata shares with us why she wrote a book titled, Kia Mau: Resisting Colonial Fictions. In this episode Tina tells us why she started a Podcast named, What a Load of Colony: Māori and Indigenous Political analysis with sass.
 
We also chat about her duration of time while she worked for the United Nations.
 
She speaks about her views on Environmental/Scientific Racism, ie plastic pollution into our Mother Earth.
 
She has been described in New Zealand as "Ngāti Porou (A Tribe in New Zealand) Scholar" and the "The Non Plastic Māori".

Listen to her podcast on Apple or Spotify

Kia Orana, May you live long
Aere Ra, Farewell
Kia Manuia, Good Luck and Good Health

--------------

Get the unofficial official guide to Rarotonga — for free!

The helpful 8-page PDF gets you completely ready for your holiday to Rarotonga. Inside the guide you'll find information on Transportation, WIFI, Customs, SIM/eSIM cards, Scooter Rental, and so much more/

Download the Rarotonga Holiday Guide & Checklist

--------------

The Kia Orana Podcast was created as a result of lock down Covid restrictions, in 2020.

Nerida Williams is the Senior Humanitarian Communications Advisor for IPPF and has been visiting the Cook Islands for the past three weeks with photojournalist Hannah Maule-ffinch. They have been focusing on telling the story of the great work of CIFWA (Cook Islands Family Welfare Association) and capturing stories around humanitarian preparedness, women’s health, youth issues and LGBTI+ inclusion.

Sometimes it’s hard to talk about these issues, especially in our culture, but I your host Chantal Napa believes that there is power in vulnerability and power in normalising issues that we all need to get out in the open!

They sat down with me (Chantal) to chat about an issue close to my heart, mental health awareness and youth access to reliable (and safe!) comprehensive sexuality education, plus much more.

For more information about IPPF, see here: ippf.org

Hannah Maule-ffinch’s vast portfolio of photographic works can be viewed here: hannahmauleffinch.com

For more about CIFWA, including their contact info to make an appt, go to their website or call +682 23 420

Kia Orana, May you live long
Aere Ra, Farewell
Kia Manuia, Good Luck and Good Health

--------------

Get the unofficial official guide to Rarotonga — for free!

The helpful 8-page PDF gets you completely ready for your holiday to Rarotonga. Inside the guide you'll find information on Transportation, WIFI, Customs, SIM/eSIM cards, Scooter Rental, and so much more/

Download the Rarotonga Holiday Guide & Checklist

--------------

The Kia Orana Podcast was created as a result of lock down Covid restrictions, in 2020.

Kia Orana everyone, 

Welcome back to our show Kia Orana Podcast. A show about what you will find and what you will not find in the Cook Islands. 

Our guest today is Mel Groves, visiting us from New Zealand for a relaxing midwinter break. I met Mel and her partner Darren at sunset sessions, held at Vaiana’s bar and bistro. A conversation began, a connection of life stories exchanged, which you will hear more of during this episode. 

Mel is also an experienced DJ, as she will explain more in this episode and I appreciate her chatting with me. 

7th minute: Listen in as Mel describes her statement never to have an agenda, have a few goals and let the wind take you along your journey. 

8th minute: Mel suggests taking the bus as a convenient way to travel around Rarotonga.

10th minute: We talk about my concierge flipper & snorkel hire honesty box system at the office. As we are located @ Fruits Of Rarotonga, Tikioki, Titikaveka, South Eastern side. One of the best snorkeling reserve lagoons in Rarotonga. 

13th - 23rd minute: Then Mel flips the coin and starts interviewing me, Chantal and asks me where my now and future goals are and where am I going professionally with my business Kia Orana Podcast & Chantal’s Concierge these days. 

24th minute: Mel and I ask to also interview her partner Darren. Yay he spoke about his Rarotonga holiday experience. Local impromptu party bus, snorkeling and lagoon fish, drinking local coconuts, our beautiful warm weather, our delicious tasting food.

26th minute: We discuss different seasonal times to visit us here in Rarotonga. 

Kia Orana, May you live long
Aere Ra, Farewell
Kia Manuia, Good Luck and Good Health

--------------

Get the unofficial official guide to Rarotonga — for free!

The helpful 8-page PDF gets you completely ready for your holiday to Rarotonga. Inside the guide you'll find information on Transportation, WIFI, Customs, SIM/eSIM cards, Scooter Rental, and so much more/

Download the Rarotonga Holiday Guide & Checklist

--------------

The Kia Orana Podcast was created as a result of lock down Covid restrictions, in 2020.

Kia Orana Everyone, 

I appreciate John Batty joining us on the Kia Orana Podcast to discuss a subject that I dont know a lot about, Construction/Infrastructure and what that looks like In Rarotonga, Cook Islands today. 

John’s professional title is Bid Manager - Project Manager for Landholdings Ltd. 

To our listeners outside of the Cook Islands who might not know, Landholdings Ltd would be one of our largest Construction companies in the Cooks. 

Listen in as John Batty takes us back to his 4 years of training & apprenticeship days in New Zealand when he was 16 years old, earning .45 cents an hour (50 years ago). Then he brings us along his life journey to how his family eventually integrated into life here in Rarotonga.

For our young local listeners John lets you know how tradespeople can get into this trade in the Cook Islands. 

The reason for the title from Land to Sea, John also invests a lot of his volunteer time to our Rarotonga Sailing Club and youth progression of skills to sail on our waters. 

Kia Orana, May you live long
Aere Ra, Farewell
Kia Manuia, Good Luck and Good Health

--------------

Get the unofficial official guide to Rarotonga — for free!

The helpful 8-page PDF gets you completely ready for your holiday to Rarotonga. Inside the guide you'll find information on Transportation, WIFI, Customs, SIM/eSIM cards, Scooter Rental, and so much more/

Download the Rarotonga Holiday Guide & Checklist

--------------

The Kia Orana Podcast was created as a result of lock down Covid restrictions, in 2020.

Kia Orana, welcome back everyone,

My guest today is my nephew Ironui Tyrone Hinchey. Born in the UK, to a Kiwi (New Zealand)  dad, raised in Sydney Australia and with blood line roots also to the Cook Islands through his mother Jacki Ironui Tangiiau Crummer.

We chatted about his mothers recent 70th birthday held here at their family home in the suburb of Turangi. Ironui, his two siblings Teige and Vita plus his dad Kevin thank fully due to the boarders having opened to Australia were able to come home to celebrate.

“I didn’t grow up here he says, but the more I come back, the more my Cook Islands heritage slowly makes sense. Its an important thing for me to know. My Mum 70 and Nan 96 are now living here, so I will be back home more to visit.”

4th minute: Speaking about his family connections and the local food he enjoyed while visiting.

6th minute: Their coined name ‘The Breezeway’ new family home that they have built recently, on the old family plot of land.

13th minute: We chat about Sydney Australia where he lives now and where I used to live.

21st minute: Ironui speaks about his work life so far in Australia and his new steel framework construction industry business with his friend Chris.

31st minute: He mentions how much it cost them in airline tickets to fly here from Sydney.

33rd minute: Statement - “This is the only place that Ive ever been to that I don’t need a holiday from the holiday. I feel so recharged here. Its everything, the food, people, air, weather - and its not over developed”.

Website is http://www.chantalsconcierge.com/

Kia Orana, May you live long
Aere Ra, Farewell
Kia Manuia, Good Luck and Good Health

--------------

Get the unofficial official guide to Rarotonga — for free!

The helpful 8-page PDF gets you completely ready for your holiday to Rarotonga. Inside the guide you'll find information on Transportation, WIFI, Customs, SIM/eSIM cards, Scooter Rental, and so much more/

Download the Rarotonga Holiday Guide & Checklist

--------------

The Kia Orana Podcast was created as a result of lock down Covid restrictions, in 2020.

Rashneel Kumar first came to the Cook Islands in 2009. An interesting story in itself he says. The Cook Islands hosted the Pacific Mini Games that year. John Woods at the time was the managing editor and publisher of Cook Islands News. John Woods sent a request to the University of the South Pacific, Suva, the main campus, suggesting that maybe a young sports journalism reporter would like to come for an attachment.

Rashneel’s university lecturer Dr Shailendra Singh recommended him, and it was his first trip out of his country, Fiji. He came here and felt a connection – riding on motor bikes and island friendly vibe covering stories. He stayed for nine days, returned to Suva, finished his university studies and began working for The Fiji Times newspaper.

He worked there for five years as a sports journalist. Then in 2015 out of nowhere, John Woods contacted Rashneel and asked if he would like to come to Rarotonga to work for Cook Islands News!

He accepted the challenge and came to Rarotonga. He started as a general reporter at Cook Islands News and it’s been quite a journey of which he is so grateful, Rashneel says.

I first met Rashneel mid-year 2020, he was the journalist that was assigned to break our story of the Kia Orana Podcast in the Cook Islands. Rashneel mentions that Haydn and I were pioneers in the Cook Islands back then in the podcasting arena for our country. At the time during the height of the Covid pandemic we didn't have a podcast coming out of the Cook Islands. Now we have several, Yay!

“The podcast space is going to become more a way of getting connected. It’s kinda like radio but online. A dynamic way of transmitting information to everyone,” Rashneel says.
“Being an editor is not an easy job … there are lots of challenges, tough decisions, late nights, etc.,” the 33-year-old Rashneel says. It has been a humble beginning for him, he says with great support from the publishers and team at Cook Islands News. “Every day is a challenge for me in this space,” Rashneel says. “But I wake up every day feeling happy about my professional challenges and willing to take them on.” Rashneel believes that you are only as successful as your team. He is proud to lead our daily national newspaper that covers our 15 islands in the Cook Islands.

Cook Islands News website (www.cookislandsnews.com) gives access to the newspaper and its daily content to readers worldwide – delivering information that Cook Islands News endeavours to present in an authentic and fair way. “We revamped our website with a significant investment just before Covid to give our digital space (website) a fresh, vibrant look. We aim to be a community newspaper where community issues are national issues given the size of the country we live in, with people and culture driven stories being our major focus. We want to promote humanised stories where Cook Islands people and their culture is celebrated,” Rashneel says.

Cook Islands News currently has a team of three reporters for daily news, Rashneel as the editor and also there is an online editor who looks after online and social media platforms. There are three people in production who do layout and designing, two people in print, proof readers

Kia Orana, May you live long
Aere Ra, Farewell
Kia Manuia, Good Luck and Good Health

--------------

Get the unofficial official guide to Rarotonga — for free!

The helpful 8-page PDF gets you completely ready for your holiday to Rarotonga. Inside the guide you'll find information on Transportation, WIFI, Customs, SIM/eSIM cards, Scooter Rental, and so much more/

Download the Rarotonga Holiday Guide & Checklist

--------------

The Kia Orana Podcast was created as a result of lock down Covid restrictions, in 2020.

Kia Orana everyone,

Chantal’s Concierge also represents a small portfolio of Rarotonga visitor property management houses, that we host and assist for owners.

This is how I met our podcast guest today, Mr. Mark Whitmore and his wife Hannah along with their two little girls. As the on island host of Manea Beach Villas, our Concierge job is to communicate prior and on island with our guests. Our purpose aims to help streamline guest visits and facilitate guests holiday needs where possible.  In July 2022, Mark Whitmore booked through the airbnb app his stay at Manea Beach Villas. His first message said, “Hi there, we’re a family of 4 visiting Rarotonga from Wellington - New Zealand, we have two girls 6 and 3. Looking forward to our stay”.

So begins our holiday pre-communication together. I introduce our team here, ask Mark how he would like his bed setup in the 3 bedroom house, send him a pre holiday suggestion check list and also give him directions to the premises etc. Normal check in instructions to their villa.

The day after Mark and his family check in. I’m at my Concierge office approximately 2.5 kilometers from his accommodation. I see this man (Mark) stop at the front of Concierge office and he looks like he’s out for an exercise run. Mark says, “Are you Chantal, I’m guessing yes as your name is on the building. Are you the same Chantal who has been communicating to me regarding my holiday at Manea Beach Villas?” “Yes I reply, nice to meet you.”

One hour of chatting later, I say to Mark, “Would you consider recording a podcast episode with me inside my office for our show The Kia Orana Podcast?”

We have a saying at Concierge, “You start off as a client, You leave as a friend, You return as family!”

Listen out while Mark Whitmore, shares with us all his life till now. With nostalgic family journey memories taking us all around the globe Rarotonga, New Zealand, Sydney Australia, Germany. Meeting his wife Hannah, getting married and becoming a parent. I appreciate you sitting down with me Mark, thank you.

Thank you, Chantal TD Napa: Concierge, Dawn Breaker Game Fishing & Kia Orana Podcast. Phone (+682) 77058

Website is chantalsconcierge.com   

Kia Orana, May you live long
Aere Ra, Farewell
Kia Manuia, Good Luck and Good Health

--------------

Get the unofficial official guide to Rarotonga — for free!

The helpful 8-page PDF gets you completely ready for your holiday to Rarotonga. Inside the guide you'll find information on Transportation, WIFI, Customs, SIM/eSIM cards, Scooter Rental, and so much more/

Download the Rarotonga Holiday Guide & Checklist

--------------

The Kia Orana Podcast was created as a result of lock down Covid restrictions, in 2020.

Boba Inu is a new Bubble Milk Tea shop located in front of the Cook Islands News on the Main Road in Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands.

Offering a variety of flavored, dairy-free, gluten free and vegetarian drinks.

Let me tell you a story about our guest today, the owner of Boba Inu: Ms. Mata Puia

Mata was born here in Rarotonga, then in the 1980’s her parents emigrated to New Zealand.

Mata studied I.T in the early 2000’s, has worked for Australia and New Zealand Government including private sectors, within the I.T industry. 

I (Chantal)  first met Mata in Sydney, Australia around 2005. Young, single and care free, a social friendship connection began between us. With Mata in the IT industry, she was earning AUD $50 an hour at the time. Much to my awe and admiration, of which I am appreciative as Mata was so generous that she almost always paid for our evenings out together!  

In October 2019 Mata decided to move back to Rarotonga for a break from the Corporate lifestyle and to spend time with her father who was turning 80 at the time.  A month later, (November 2019) Mata loved being home and the slower paced lifestyle and decided to start an I.T company called Raro I.T Solutions

5 months later March 2020: Covid closed our boarders…… So Mata decided to volunteer and work with the Ngatangiia/Matavera Rugby  League Club as the Secretary and Junior Development Manager.

Then in January 2021, the idea of starting a Bubble Milk Tea shop fruitioned. The business is called Boba Inu, Boba is the tapioca pearls and Inu means drink in our Cook Island language. 

Our target audience are mainly those that suffer from food intolerances like Mata, as she is lactose intolerant. With flavors such as Taro, Honeydew, Matcha, Watermelon, Thai, Mango, Vanilla, Strawberry, Coconut, Blueberry, Raspberry, Passionfruit, Lemon, Pineapple, The Pacific Wave and many more.

Mata’s tips for other Cook Islanders thinking of returning home to live: 
Have a plan when returning home, build your own house here, bring your knowledge and a skill set that is much needed here or even start a business that doesn’t exist here. Or start a business that will fill a gap here. Theres a lot of opportunities here, get involved in community work, network and meet a lot of people!

Boba Inu Shop Phone Number (+682) 28760
Boba Inu Email is [email protected]

Kia Orana, May you live long
Aere Ra, Farewell
Kia Manuia, Good Luck and Good Health

--------------

Get the unofficial official guide to Rarotonga — for free!

The helpful 8-page PDF gets you completely ready for your holiday to Rarotonga. Inside the guide you'll find information on Transportation, WIFI, Customs, SIM/eSIM cards, Scooter Rental, and so much more/

Download the Rarotonga Holiday Guide & Checklist

--------------

The Kia Orana Podcast was created as a result of lock down Covid restrictions, in 2020.

Ko Hikurangi te toka tapu
Ko Waiapu koka huhua te awa
Ko Ngati Porou te Iwi
Ko Koha Te Rehutai Eruera Rogers awau 
Tihei Mauri ora 

Hikurangi is the sacred rock
Waiapu te mother river of many 
Ngati porou is the tribe
My names is Koha Te Rehutai Eruera Rogers
Let there be life 

I am a product of my maori ancestors of the east coast of the north island of New Zealand. I was born in Te Puia springs near Ruatorea in 1992, and grew up in Ruatorea. 
I am an educator of 9 years, and currently teach in the small central North Island town of Taumarunui. 
As you will hear in the podcast, my passion sits squarely within the revitalization of the Maori language(the indigenous language of NZ) and its customs. 
My life goal has  been to see and hear the language flourish within upcoming generations. 
However, reviving a language can be taxing at the best of times, so a trip to Rarotonga now again is the absolute ticket to rejuvenate, tuku(release) and realign the self, so that I can push through any obstacles that I come across. 

It was an absolute privilege to sit with my cousin Chantal and talk about my life and visit to Raro. 

Nga mihi nui 
Meitaki nunui
Thank you

Kia Orana, May you live long
Aere Ra, Farewell
Kia Manuia, Good Luck and Good Health

--------------

Get the unofficial official guide to Rarotonga — for free!

The helpful 8-page PDF gets you completely ready for your holiday to Rarotonga. Inside the guide you'll find information on Transportation, WIFI, Customs, SIM/eSIM cards, Scooter Rental, and so much more/

Download the Rarotonga Holiday Guide & Checklist

--------------

The Kia Orana Podcast was created as a result of lock down Covid restrictions, in 2020.