Searching for Rare Plants16/04/2026Gerald McCormack, CINHT It has long been hoped that pristine forests at the base of remote and almost inaccessible cliffs might have thriving populations of some of Rarotonga’s rarest plants – maybe even the Pilea, which has not been seen for 80 years. In July (2010) the Natural Heritage [continue reading…]- Polynesian Dogs16/04/2026What did Polynesian Dogs look like? After Europeans arrived in Polynesia their dogs interbred with and rapidly replaced the docile Polynesian Dogs. The only preserved specimen is of a hunting dog collected in 1876 from southern South Island NZ. White was the favourite colour of NZ Māori dogs and [continue reading…]
- Ātiu – the “land of birds”14/04/2026Gerald McCormack, CINHT Mariri was the first settler of Ātiu, probably around 1300AD, and he called the island ‘Enua Manu, “land of animals”, in response to the great abundance of animals. The oral traditions do not define the type of animals, and it is commonly thought they were birds, [continue reading…]
- Geckos and Skinks – Accidental Tourists31/03/2026Cook Islands lizards are geckos and skinks. What is the difference? How did they arrive? Lizards in the Cook Islands are either day-active, glossy-scaled skinks or nocturnal, matt-skinned geckos. The geckos are famous for walking up glass windows and across ceilings, a feat achieved by minute, [continue reading…]
- 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…]
