The opening ceremony of Te Maeva Nui 2024 has left a great impression on most of the visitors who got to witness the uniqueness of the Cook Islands culture.

And according to a visiting Aotearoa New Zealand Maori couple, the event highlights the connection between the Pacific Island countries.

Lloyd Smith and Aroha Yates-Smith have been in Rarotonga for about a month and just a few days before they leave, they were left with a remarkable highlight of their trip having to witness the country’s most significant event of the year.

This is not their first time on the island, but it is their first time witnessing the cultural festival in person, especially its eventful opening ceremony yesterday, which featured the annual float parade and activities like dancing and traditional races.

Yates-Smith highlighted the similarities between the Cook Islands culture and her Maori culture adding that the Cook Islands culture has different connections and similarities to other cultures in the Pacific.

“It’s beautiful and I couldn’t get enough of it. Walked up and down just to see the various grace and the similarities of some of the moves and tunes to our people back home in Aotearoa,” she said.

“And also, just being here, an ancestral spot looking out towards the moana (ocean) and seeing the beautiful mountains on the other side is just so magical.

“That essence of the beauty is just unexplainable and hearing the beautiful music takes me back to Hawai’i and Aotearoa as well as Tahiti, it just shows the connection between Pacific Islands countries. Even some certain words that we use which are so similar.

“We’ve been here several times now and this is our first time witnessing the Te Maeva Nui event and it’s just amazing.”

Smith highlighted the beauty of not only the culture but also the environment as well as the connection between the dancers and the people who witnessed the event.

“It’s very exciting and a great introduction to the great competition and it was just exciting to watch with the sound, the colours and dances was just unbelievable,” he said.

“Couple of things that are really beautiful, one the landscape and the sea and the intersection of those two.

“In the sense of the language being taught more to the young ones more starting earlier and the moment with the young ones hearing more of them speaking the language is amazing. The second thing is the roses on the sides of the roads.

“The thing I loved about the parade is the interaction of the people watching on the side and jumping in to dance along with the dancers on the parade.”