Monday, April 14

Rarotonga's Highland Paradise


The weather's been terrible recently; cloudy with a lot of wind. No good for flying the Phantom but I managed to get some flights in a couple of weeks ago at Highland Paradise (http://www.highlandparadise.co.ck/) and at last had a bit of time to get this video finished.
Highland Paradise covers about 200 acres on mount Maungaroa, inland from Puaikura vaka (district).
The mountain refuge covers many historical sites including a 600-year-old village, home of the Tinomana tribe. The village was abandoned with the arrival of Christianity in the 1800s when the whole tribe moved down to the coast to what is now Arorangi.
Some 25 acres have been developed into a botanical delight full of native, introduced and medicinal plants. And the views of mountains and coast are magnificent.
The background music is appropriately enough a Puaikura pe'e. The pe'e is a chant based on a legend significant to the village concerned. It was written by Katu Teiti, a well-known local composer, choreographer and drummer. It was most prpbably written for The Maeva Nui, the Cook Islands constitution celebrations culture festival but the CD (Paradise Mixx 4) doesn't have a date.