- El Niño: Droughts, Cyclones and Coral Bleaching26/03/2026Gerald McCormack, CINHT During the summer of 1982-83 Rarotonga experienced a severe drought. Although some water continued to flow into the mains, there was only enough for those near the source – remote areas, like Nikao and Arorangi, were lucky to have a trickle after midnight when the upstream [continue reading…]
The long-tailed Cuckoo – Part 224/03/2026Gerald McCormack, CINHT This post is the second in a 2-part blog about The Long-tailed Cuckoo (Karavia, Urodynamis taitensis) which winters in tropical Polynesia and migrates to New Zealand in October and November to breed by duping other birds to incubate its eggs and raise its young. Part 2 [continue reading…]- The Origin of the Coconut Palm23/03/2026Gerald McCormack, CINHT Did the Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera) originate in the Americas? Was it in the Cook Islands when the first Polynesians arrived? The first Western record of Coconut Palms was in 545AD by Cosmos, an Egyptian, who saw them in India and Sri Lanka. Other reports followed, and [continue reading…]
- The Young Coconut Crab23/03/2026Gerald McCormack, CINHT Is it true that hermit-crabs develop into Coconut Crabs? The Coconut Crab (Birgus latro) is the world’s largest land-crab, often reaching 5kg. They take 7-12 years to reach sexual maturity, and can live more than 50 years. They are nocturnal omnivores, with a [continue reading…]
- Cook Islands Green Turtle, ‘Onu – a migratory turtle20/03/2026Gerald McCormack, CINHT Turtle tourism has become a popular year-round activity in Rarotonga, with both Government and civil society groups working to make it safer for turtles and people. The industry is built around “resident” Green and Hawksbill Turtles. Recently, Te Ipukarea Society [continue reading…]
- The Kura on Ātiu – the 10th anniversary19/03/2026Gerald McCormack, CINHT Ten years ago, on 24th April 2007, Air Rarotonga flew 27 Kura (Rimatara Lorikeets, Vini kuhlii) on a direct flight from Rimatara to Ātiu, where the bird had been absent for 200 years. This was the first transboundary reintroduction of a bird in the Pacific and was reported [continue reading…]
- The Bottle Gourd (Hue, ‘Ue) of ancient Polynesia17/03/2026Gerald McCormack, CINHT The ancient Polynesians brought many plants into Polynesia from Melanesia and Asia. Was this the source of the Bottle Gourd or did it come from the Americas? In the Cook Islands there are 39 useful, or formerly useful, plants that were purposefully introduced by the [continue reading…]
