Avaiki Nui Social Returns live in Wellington

Feel the heat of the Pacific with the music of Cook Islands String Bands. ‘Avaiki Nui Social Returns’ brings music from the 15 islands that make up the Cook Islands to Wellington. The Michael Fowler Centre will reverberate with song, dance, and stories. The show is an amalgamation of what you can hear in community halls, family homes, backyard gatherings, and garage parties around Rarotonga and beyond.

Kia Mau Festival organisers are bringing the show back by popular demand. A previous version played at the 2023 festival and was a rousing success. Artists from around the Cook Islands will be joined by musicians from Tāmaki Makaurau and Porirua. They will be playing their own instruments on he ngaru nui (the mainstage). Adding to the night of Pacific bliss are storytellers Tuaratini and Jarcinda Stowers-Ama.

“The audience sang at full volume, and by the end of the first verse the line of dancers had arrived… It was a mutual serenade, a celebration of a lush musical history from which flowed a myriad of memories.”

Pantograph Punch

Main image credit: ‘The Raro Dog’ ©Roct Photography