Manihiki Magic - Slow Food

Picnic on Motu Atimoono - Fresh fish Tunupaka

Tunupaka, BBQ, microwave. All are ways of cooking that developed in different eras. Yet, all of them are still used daily, it just depends where one is from. 

Yann feeding the fire with Puru

Peace in Tukao Bay

While joining a Cultural Tour around Rarotonga as an interpreter for French passengers of the cruise ship Costa Luminosa, I learnt quite a lot of new information about the Cook Islands. One of the facts, told in this cheeky island way by our knowledgeable local guide James, was about the traditional way of cooking. "In the Cook Islands, we used to cook in an underground oven called Umu. Volcanic rocks heated in a fire are put in the ground with meat, fish, local spinach dishes wrapped in banana leaves. The lot is covered and left to cook for several hours. We also like to cook on an open fire building flames with coconut husks and drift wood. In Australia, they call that... a BBQ ! In the States, it's called a microwave!". Now you can imagine the bus filling with laughter after my direct translation into French! 

Sunset - Manihiki style!

Aunty Ka cooking for the family - a half drum and chicken wire - cheaper than an gas stove and much tastier!

In Manihiki, cooking on the open fire is called Tunupaka. “Tunu” means cooking and “Paka” refers to that crispy burn and smoky flavour on the outside. In Rarotonga, they call it Tunutunu. More than a way of cooking, it is a lifestyle! When living on this remote island where gas is rare and expensive (NZD80.00 for a 9kg bottle vs. NZD36.00 on Rarotonga!), but wood and coconut husks are abundant and free, building a fire is part of the routine. The days are lived on this northern paradise. They are not rushed or endured. And if cooking takes 2 hours instead of a fraction of an hour, then it is the opportunity to spend time with each other. 

Courtney and Tim defrosting the steaks while enjoying a cool after-work Heineken - Australia cold (that means as cold as the frozen meat!)

Family time waiting for the ember to heat up the hot plate

Tunupaka is used to cook all sorts of delicacies!

Rino preparing a double drum...

... for Puaka Taviri - local "pork turning"- or Puaka Spit!

Tunupaka with a view

Kavou Tunupaka - my all-time favorite - Coconut Crab!

 

Pots of coconut crabs

Pasta Tunupaka - while camping on the motu

 

Birthday Morning Coffee Tunupaka

Tim and his dive crew would finish work around 3pm. A quick rinse off and time to get started on dinner. Yann always wanted to join our neighbours Winnie, Papau and their children Helina and Frederick to feed their pigs. They had about 40 at the time that we were there. Papau's sister was getting married the following year so they were preparing a large contribution as part of the tradition. Pigs up there only feed on coconuts, so there were piles of Puru, the maori name for coconut husks. Tim would reuse an onion sack to transport what we could call the local charcoal. Two full sacks of puru would make a fire to cook dinner for four. Courtney would collect wood to give the fire body and stability. Looking back, many aspects of this Tunupaka way of life made it so special. How often can one say that cooking dinner actually recycled rather than created rubbish? Fish speared within 5km of the cooking location, burning energy sourced locally and giving an umpteenth life to a packaging. For us Europeans, it was one of those realization moments that we actually can have a lower impact !

 

Family shopping walk to Mama Metua's shop

Supplies available at Mama Metua's shop

Manihiki only had a couple of convenient stores on each of the two inhabited islands. Where we lived, in the village of Tukao, we would visit Mama Metua. Really, it was more for local gossip and village news that were traded than actual goods. The few supply boats were mostly late – we even had the case where goods for Manihiki were delivered to another island because of a funeral there! But we always learnt something new when visiting Mama Metua’s shop. The friendly shopkeeper originally from Aituatki has come to the island of Manihiki with her husband to farm black pearls. And though he has since passed away, Mama Metua calls Manihiki home. Sitting in her fare – home – overlooking Tukao Bay and eating a Moon Pie ice-cream, we could totally understand why she is not planning to move anywhere! Conversations with Mama Metua always started the same way: “Kia Orana Mama, what’s the news?” Followed by: “What’s left? Any onions?” Enough to say that there was no fresh meat or produces to be found! Luckily we arrived prepared to the island and had a large chest freezer full of frozen meat and veggies delivered by boat, rather irregularly. Luckily our landlord and neighbour Trainee would go spearfishing and regularly bring us fish. Our favourite was parrot, a beautifully white fleshed fish that was much nicer to eat for our European taste buds than the local delicacy Pava – Yellow spotted Trevally which was a bit oily for us… but the fish for the chiefs in Manihiki!

Captain Yann wondering what to do with these delicious Parrot Fish!

Once meat was out of the freezer, fish gutted, husks and wood piled up, it was time to get the fire going. One of the advantages of living in constant 30 degrees Celsius is that we did not have to plan defrosting meats in advance, as it happened within 30 minutes while the ember was building in the fire drum! That was usually a job for Tim or Courtney as I was most of the time on baby duty. Breastfeeding is much more time-efficient than cooking tunupaka I must say!!! Initially, we were simply using a petrol drum cut horizontally in half. A couple of rocks on the bottom to stabilize it and a hot plate on top. 

Tunupaka - open fire cooking (the potatoes were unfortunately not a success! When in Rome as they say)

Day's catch for lunch!

And it tastes even better when shared!

Tim and Courtney made it an after work project to build their own Tunupaka barbecue, and the result was spectacular! Needless to say that the view was also hard to beat! One way or the other, starting up this dinner cooking remains one of the highlights of our time in this "laid back" destination. The fire would take a good half hour to burn, another half to turn into coal and a little longer to heat up the hot plate.

Original drum cut in half

Tim turning an used pallet into the bench top

Courtney using free local material to balance her drum - black pearl oyster shells

Busy bee

 

The dive team enjoying the newly-build Tunupaka corner!

Most of the time passersby would stop and have a drink and a chat. What did you catch today? How's the weather going to be tomorrow? How was life here before cyclone Martin? So much to share, bringing different cultures and stories together. Taking the time. Spending time. This is what it is all about. 

Aussie Courtney and German Tim mixing cultures with Vegemite fried eggs on toast - Tunupaka!

After a couple of drinks and "let's change the world" conversations, our dinner was finally ready to be cooked! That was in the end the quickest part of the whole process. And the result was worth the wait - every time! That view, that company, that smokey flavor and crispy texture! Take me back! Aue te mone! "Wow, this is delicious" 😋 and it was.

Developing taste buds starts early - Isaac mouth full of fish, waiting for round 2!

Yann, Tiana, Asinta and Frederick grilling their very own sausages. We were spending the night on the Kaoa - islet in the middle of the lagoon.