In the Cook Islands, I’ve recognised that age is not a factor when it comes to bombing. Wherever there is water you will no doubt see people of all ages competing with whoever is there. For the locals, this is an ideal way to cool off from the piping hot sun or to relax after a hard day’s work.
Before I continue, I think it is important to explain the type of bombing used for this blog. It’s not bombing as in terrorist bombing, but diving into the water.
I have no idea where the term ‘bombing’’ came from but I’m guessing that it has something to do with the sound made when you do one. If you know some information of its origin, share it in the comments below. What I do know is that if you can bomb, you will definitely wow the locals while holidaying in the Cook Islands.
In Rarotonga, Cook Islands, my family have our own ‘local’, a spot where my extended family celebrates special occasions or to just chills with our children and watching them swim and jump off our diving rock (a large piece of a natural coral reef). The diving rock is in the middle of the clear blue lagoon not far from the water’s edge, and it’s coral can be seen above the water, particularly during low tide. We call this place Manini beach.
Recently, while I was holidaying in the Cook Islands and swimming at Manini beach, my uncle told me that as a young boy, he would jump off the diving rock with his brothers and friends daily to compete over who could bomb the best. Today this tradition continues, and my cousin Jo, a born and bred local from Rarotonga, Cook Islands, is here to share his experience of bombing from the very same diving rock. Here are his four self-taught bombing techniques for you to practice, so you can to impress the locals on your next Cook Islands holiday.
V-Bomb
Leap off the edge
Lean backwards until your body is at a 45 degree angle
Before you touch the water, or when you are just above the water, form a ‘V’ shape with your body, tuck your hands in or use your hands to cover your face
Once you enter the surface of the water, straighten your body into a vertical formation
Staple
Leap off the edge
Lean forward so that you are looking at the water
Point your hands and feet to the water creating a ‘U’ formation with your body
Once you enter through the surface of the water, straighten your body into a vertical formation
Gorilla
Leap off the edge into a diving formation
Once your hands touch the water and break through the surface, straighten your body into a vertical formation
Shotgun
Leap of the edge
Once you are in the air, open your body so it is straight and parallel to the water to face the sky or ceiling
Once you are near the water, tuck your body into a v-bomb formation (don’t forget to tuck away your hands)
Once you enter through the surface of the water, straighten your body into a vertical formation
Extra tips from Joseph:
Your body should hit the water in a way where on impact you don’t make a slapping sound, otherwise you will find out that it really hurts, and people will laugh at you.
The aim of the game is to create the highest vertical splash
Check depth and the safest area to land in the water
Identify any danger zones i.e rocks, shallow areas.
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE and have fun!
So there you have it. Have a go and let us know how it all went by sharing a photo/footage, or use the following hashtags: #thepeopleofoceania and #manaui.
I’ve been told so many times about the deliciousness of the Niuean takihi and that it is a crime that I hadn’t tried it already – ekkk! So naturally, I messaged my Niuean faves and asked them if they could demonstrate how to cook Niuean Takihi. In true Pacific people style, as soon as word got out that there was takihi at my place this demonstration day turned into a feast with nine adults and seven children.
Today our guest cook is Yetta Simi whose family migrated to New Zealand from Niue many moons ago. As far as she knows this is a dish that is unique to Niue, like mainese in the Cook Islands and ahi poke in Hawaii. When you hear takihi, Niue comes to mind straight away.
As a young girl, aged around 4 years old, living in Niue, Yetta remembers watching her parents pulling at the taro – rooted deep in the soil – with a long, hooked stick, then plucking sweet, ripe, yellow pawpaw off tall trees and collecting brown coconuts to husk and grate to make freshly squeezed coconut cream.
All of these were harvested from their family plantation. Once prepped and assembled, the takihi went into an umu (underground oven) to be cooked the traditional way. In those days, Niuean takihi was saved for special occasions and was a treat that Yetta’s family looked forward to.
Here’s how to make Yetta’s perfect Niuean Takihi.
This recipe is enough for 15 Pacific-people portions.
Niuean Takihi
Koni
This beautifully creamy, sweet yet savoury Niuean treat is made from taro, coconut cream and pawpaw. Recipe by Yetta Simi.
2large orange kumarato use in case you run out of pawpaw. Pawpaw is expensive in New Zealand
1.5litresrich coconut cream. Since we're not in Niuewe used Kara for its thick, rich, creaminess.
tapioca flour
salt
large baking tray
foil
large roasting oven bagsweird I know but wait for it
Instructions
The prep
Preheat your oven to fan bake at 180 degrees celsius.
Peel off the skins from the taro, pawpaw and kumara, then slice thinly (approximately 50mm thick).
Prepare your baking tray by lining it with foil. Cut open the roasting oven bags and continue lining the tray placing them on top of the foil. You will want some of the oven bag lining to hang over the sides of the oven tray to fold over the mountain of assembled Takihi.
Assembling the dish
It's the layering time. With the first layer, make sure that the bottom of the oven tray is completely covered. The layering is in this order - taro, pawpaw, salt, tapioca lastly coconut cream. Continue the layers until all the ingredients are used up, or until the tray is full If you run out of pawpaw, use the kumara as the substitute.
Cover the assembled Niuean Takihi with the overhanging oven bag liner and foil, then cover the entire top with 2 layers of extra foil.
Place it in your oven to cook for at least 90 min and let the sweet aroma fill your home.
Once cooked, pull it out of the oven and let it cool for at least 30 min - 1 hour before cutting to serve.
And we're done!!! Your home is now filled with the sweet aroma of Niuean Takihi and you probably have at least two extra families visiting unexpectedly because somehow they heard through the coconut wireless network that Takihi was on your table lol.
Notes
Yetta's Niuean Takihi tips: - Lining the oven tray with foil and oven bags will help keep the shape, helps evenly cook the takihi and keeps it moist, and reduces the elbow work in cleaning the oven tray. - Slightly brown on the bottom indicates your Takihi is perfectly cooked. - Is best served with Niuean raw fish - This tip is probably the most valuable - prepare the Takihi love, care, laughter and fun with your family and friends. I can assure you that you will enjoy each bite and taste the love and joy that created it. This is the real secret to Yetta's perfect Niuean Takihi
For first-timers, a pink potato salad combined with mixed frozen vegetable can look weird and borderline ewww. But actually, this is one of the most well known salads in the Polynesian community… it’s so yummy, you can never get enough of it.
What was tricky about this dish is its name, and also, ‘how do we spell it?’.
I asked my Cook Island family and friends to help me figure out the correct name of this pink potato salad dish, but not surprisingly, we have many variations of it. So here on Manaui, we created a poll: “How would you spell the name of this dish” (go ahead and have your say. It takes one click).
So far, the winning name/spelling from our poll is MAINESE. So that’s how we’re spelling it for this recipe – the famous pink potato salad from the Cook Islands called Mainese.
I am yet to meet a Cook Islander who is not critical when trying someone else’s Mainese recipe. It’s quite competitive and there is always someone who thinks they make it best or knows someone who does. But, you know what I think…? So long as the potatoes are cooked to the perfect texture, and as long as you’ve added enough salt, the quantities of ingredients for the rest of this recipe is up to your personal preference.
For me, I’m extra… I like my dressing rich with extra of everything else. I want to taste every single ingredient and not just a hint of them. Oh, and we always, ALWAYS make our pink potato salad dressing from scratch – none of this using Best Foods (unless you like it, up to you).
This recipe comes from what my old school aunties taught me combined with flavours and technique that I just like.
So let’s get into it.
Mainese: that pink potato salad from the Cook Islands
Koni
Some people call it mainaise, some say it's mayonnaise, some call it minus, we're calling it mainese - that famous pink potato salad from the Cook Islands. This way of making it is how Koni likes it, adaptated for Manaui.com.
7medium to large potatoes(I prefer to use Agria potatoes)
5hard boiled eggs
1cupmixed vegetables
400gof drained canned beetroot slices
100gChow Chow
Salt to taste
The Dressing
1wholeegg
5 egg yolks
1litresalad & cooking oil(it's best to use a very light oil)
1tablespoonDijon mustard
white vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice(to taste)
salt(to taste)
Instructions
The Salad
Using a large pot or stock pot, bring water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt (like when cooking potato mash) and add the 7 potatoes WHOLE and WITH THE SKINS ON. Cook for approximately 35 minutes or until it is cooked but firm enough that it won’t mash up.
While the potatoes are cooking, in a smaller pot, bring your eggs to the boil together with your mixed veges. (Or you can use 2 small, separate pots - its up to you). No need to add any salt at this step.
Once cooked, drain the mixed vegetables, peel the eggs then set them aside to cool.
When the potatoes are ready, let them cool enough to handle with a tea towel, then peel potato skins. I’ve been taught to use a butter knife to carefully pull away the skin while the potato is still quite warm.
Dice the potatoes into 1 ½ cm cubes and set aside to cool. Remember, the potatoes continue to cook well after they are drained so it is important not to over cook them.
The Dressing
Add the whole egg with the egg yolks into a large bowl and whisk using an electric egg beater until it thickens and is light in texture.
Mix in the dijon mustard, then while stills whisking, slowly drizzle in the oil. This takes time and practice so don’t rush it. You wouldn’t want the eggs and oil to separate.
Whisk in the vinegar or lemon and the salt, until it meets your taste
Assemble the Salad
Now that all the ingredients have cooled, add the diced potatoes to a large mixing bowl.
Dice the sliced beetroot into pieces that are similar in the size to the mixed vegetables; add the beetroot to the bowl of potatoes.
Add the now cooked (and cooled) mixed vegetables plus the chow chow.
Grate 2 eggs on to the rest of the ingredients then carefully combine everything together.
Add approximately ½ to 1 cup of the freshly made mayonnaise dressing to the potato mixture until the entire salad is evenly coated. Save some mayonnaise to dress the top of the salad.
The flavour from here is up to you. Taste the salad and add more salt, mayonnaise or any other ingredient until it's perfect, to you.
Pour the salad mixture onto a tray and carefully smooth down the potatoes over with a spoon, until the mound of salad looks like an upside-down bowl.
Cover this entire mound of salad with an even layer of the reserved, freshly made mayonnaise, then garnish it by grating the remaining boiled eggs evenly over the dressing.
Our languages are important but unfortunately, they are at risk of being lost if it is not preserved and cherished. Language is important because it communicates vital parts of our culture that without it, we wouldn’t understand.
![Bombing techniques for your next trip to the Cook Islands [video]](https://manaui.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/waterbombing.jpeg)
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