Cook Islands Kukicast

What do the best breadfruit stew, the unveiling of 15 stunning murals and a colourful and noisy parade of dancing, drumming and singing in the streets have in common? They're just some of the events …

The Cook Islands is having the biggest celebration in its history.  2025 sees a whole year of events marking 60 years of self-government and this is a special edition of Kukicast  as the main events …

This is a very personal story of a young family from London, England who moved to the Cook Islands to work as missionaries at a pivotal point in its history.  It’s told in a new book by way of some o…

2025 marks 60 years of self-rule in the Cook Islands and big celebrations are planned. Emile Kairua from the Ministry of Cultural Development is organising them and in this podcast he gives an insigh…

PALMERSTON ISLAND, 500kms North West of the capital island of Rarotonga, is populated by the descendants of Englishman William Marsters who settled there in 1863. And although it’s part of the Cook I…

Meet the man who knows more about the Cook Islands than nearly anyone else…because it’s his job to know.  Rashneel Kumar is the editor of ‘Cook Islands News’, the six days a week national newspaper. …

The Cook Islands are a very long way from anywhere unless you happen to live in New Zealand…and even then they’re a three and a half hour plane journey away.  So how do you persuade people from the U…

Aitutaki is the second most visited of the Cook Islands and a picture-perfect paradise with a lagoon so blue you’d think someone had painted it that colour!  Swimming or snorkelling among its colourf…

The idea of living alone for years on a deserted island might be a nightmare for some, but for Tom Neale it was his dream come true. He spent 16 years of his life on remote Suwarrow in the Cook Islan…

Find out what KUKICAST is all about in this short introduction with clips from some of the episodes.  Presenter John Roberts tells of his love for this Polynesian paradise in the South Pacific and ho…

The Cook Islands are a world away from Edinburgh in Scotland where best selling author, Ian Rankin lives and his novels about Detective Inspector John Rebus are set. But in this episode, Ian recalls …

WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES THE COOK ISLANDS SO SPECIAL? Karla Eggelton definitely knows because she’s lived there all her life and is uniquely placed to tell us as she’s Chief Executive of tourism. In thi…

Trader Jacks near the harbour on Rarotonga is iconic. In this episode, Jack's daughter, Vanessa talks about its colourful history and its legendary owner.  Sadly, Jack Cooper died in June, 2022 but h…

24 year old Tom Robinson from Brisbane, Australia was on an 8,000 nautical miles voyage from Peru to Australia aiming to become the youngest person ever to row single-handed across the Pacific.   He …