Meet a very good friend

Meet our very good friend Tai (Tie).

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Over the past three years that we have visited the island of Rarotonga both Deborah and I have got to know the Cook Islanders quite well. The one person we have found to be very friendly and goes out of his way to ensure that we are wanting for nothing is our very good friend Tai. Both Tai and his wife work at the resort, she as housemaid and he as a general handyman and gardener. Like most Cook Islanders they have been associated with the tourist industry most of their lives, and know how important it is to look after their guests.

Tai is a very quiet person and only by returning every year I have been able to draw him out of his shell. I only found out this year that he holds quite a position in his village as an elder and chief and he takes care of village affairs which includes the village hall, which interestingly enough is called "The Kent Hall". It was opened by the Duke and Duchess of Kent during one of the Royal visits. This information came from another Maori friend.

What makes our visits to these wonderful islands great is the chance to get to know these people and their way of life. Their cultural history which has been so well preserved, together with the influence that the missionaries have had on them.