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Circle Island Tour of Rarotonga     


Trip Day Eighteen: Tuesday, October 9, 2007     

Farming In Eastern Rarotonga

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Coconut Tree

These versitile and useful trees are ubiquitous all over the island.
They Polynesians use every part of them. They weave the fronds into hats, mats or baskets. Coir, the fibrous husk of the coconut is used in a surprisingly large number of ways. Think of all the ways that fiber is used and you can imagine a few of them. And the list goes on. We haven't even mentioned the uses of the edible part of the coconut. Learn about this useful tree at the Coconut Museum Website.
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Something that all of these places share in common is that they are all neat and clean. You see no junk collecting in the fields, yards, or around the buildings. This is no accident. The local Health Department demands it. Folks not complying with the law are fined. The Cook Islands became a New Zealand Protectorate in 1901, and we believe the standards of cleanliness is a result of that historical relationship.

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