Cook Islands Sun Magazine

CoOK ISLANDS SuN
ATUTAKI
29
Voyager, sail forth,
to seek and find
GENERAL MANAGER OF TAMANU BEACH IN
AITUTAKI, NICK HENRY, HAS ACCOMPLISHED
SOMETHING MOST OF US ONLY DREAM ABOUT, AND
THAT IS CAPTAINING A POLYNESIAN VAKA FOR
TWO YEARS AROUND THE PACIFIC OCEAN ON A
MISSION TO SAVE THE OCEANS, AND GETTING PAID
FOR IT!
Grandson of the Cook
Islands’ first premier,
Albert Royle Henry,
Nick could not be more proud
of his family and his family’s
history.
Built on family land, Tamanu
Beach has been in existence for
eighteen years. Nick said the
resort was his father Hugh’s
vision: “Dad always wanted a
beachfront resort. He made a
sketch of it years ago, which we
still have,” said Nick.
Nick’s father sadly
died a few years before
the definitive Tamanu
Beach opened in 2006,
but two of Nick’s older
brothers Michael
(from the original Are
Tamanu 2000) and
Stuart (who developed
the neighbouring Manea
Resort 2004) partnered
up choosing to name the
amalgamated property
Tamanu Beach in honour
of their father.
“As the youngest
brother, it’s now my
turn to contribute
to the operation and
development of our family
resort,” said Nick, who arrived
at the Aitutaki resort in 2015
with wife Diane and newly
born son Harry.
“This year we have had
another son Arapati, named
after his great-grandfather
Albert Royle Henry.”
Nick said the family name
Henry originated from
Reverend Henry Royle: ‘He
was in Aitutaki preaching
the gospel with the London
Missionary Society in the mid-
1800s. Our ancestor Tetaura
Raru sought permission from
the Reverend to "borrow" his
name and then placed the
name "Henry" on his Son”.
The name Henry ended up
later in the century being
used as a surname: “So by the
time my grandfather was born
on 1907, he was Christened
Albert Royle Henry. My
full name is Nicholas Royle
Henry!”
“Grandpa died when I was
12 in 1981, so we knew our
grandparents well. He insisted
on having his children and
grandchildren around him
every week”.
Albert Henry spent many
years in New Zealand before
Island Night dancers performing beachside
returning to the Cook Islands
in the mid 1960s. “He wanted
to help change the way the
Cook Islanders were living. As
independence was in the air, he
got into politics,” said Nick.
Albert son, and Nick’s father,
Hugh was brought up in New
Zealand, as was Nick’s mother
Helen. Nick said that Albert
Henry had told Hugh in the
late 1960s: “It's time to come
home”.
Nick Henry and son Harry at Tamanu’s island night
Hugh returned in 1969 with
his wife and boys: Michael,
Paul, Stuart, and Nick. Sister
Katherine was born in 1972:
“Dad became Secretary of
Public Works working in the
Government.”
After a stint at uni in
Auckland, Nick returned
to Rarotonga to work for
the Cook Islands Tourism
Corporation in sales and
marketing. By1996 Nick was
with Edgewater Resort’s sister
property Club Raro as general
manager. Soon he left Club
Raro to help set up the Bond
Liquor Store.
After seven years with Bond,
Nick left and created a video
production company, The
Digital Factory, with two
partners making commercials,
documentaries and videos on
sporting and cultural events:
“I also helped start 88 FM in
Rarotonga around that time”.
With his video experience
Nick became involved with
the Cook Islands Voyaging
Society, through its president,
Ian Karika.
“In 2008, I was at Trader
Jack's having a drink with
Ian and I asked him if I could
go on the vaka and make a
documentary during their
forthcoming trip to American
Samoa.
“He told me they had no room
for a cameraman on the vaka,
but had room for a crew!
“This was a voyage to the
South Pacific Festival of Arts
in American Samoa. There
were sixteen crewmembers,
and after lots of preparation
we sailed off encountering
some massive storms, which
damaged our sails, so we
limped into Pago Pago seven
days later. We were the heroes
of the South Pacific Festival of
Arts - these unshaven warriors,
the only Pacific Islanders to
come by sea. Everybody had
flown in!”
“It was an unforgettable
arrival with a big crowd
at the harbor, and the
Governor there to greet
us. I remember hearing
the Cook Islands drums;
just an incredible feeling!”
Even though Nick
wasn’t supposed to shoot
video: “I became a crew
with a camera. I made
a documentary called
‘Seven Days to Pago
Pago,’ which aired on
Cook Islands Television,
and we showed it at the
Festival of Arts. I edited
it there on my laptop!”
Nick became an active
member of the Cook
Islands Voyaging Society,
ultimately as a captain: “I went
to New Zealand to get the
qualifications. So that really
was my next career move - to
move from the media into
this ‘cultural revival’. Then I
just sailed for two years. I got
paid as a captain of one of the
vakas by an organisation called
Okeanos (Foundation of the
Sea).”
…when Aitutaki
people are ready
to develop more
tourism, then that’s
when it should
happen
In 2010, Okeanos began
working with voyaging
societies across the Pacific to
develop and build a fleet of
seven traditionally designed,
fossil fuel free double masted
Vaka Moanas, representing 26
island nations.
Nick was involved in the
famous voyage Te Mana O
Te Moana (The Spirit of
the Ocean), which began in
April 2011 and launched a
renaissance in traditional vaka
culture, ocean stewardship
and engagement. Over the
course of two years, hundreds
of sailors navigated from
Aotearoa to Hawai’i to the US
with a historic arrival at San
Francisco Golden Gate Bridge
and back, making stops at 15
Pacific nations along the way.
After the voyage, Dieter
Paulmann of Okeanos gifted
four Vaka Moana from the Te
Mana O Te Moana fleet to
Tamanu bungalows facing the lagoon
Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti and Cook
Islands.
The voyage demonstrated
the genius of Pacific vaka
design and the power of the
almost lost culture of celestial
navigation.
Nick then headed off to Tahiti
for a couple of years. On his
return, he was asked by the
Prime Minister, Henry Puna
to chair the 50th Anniversary
Ph. [682] 31 810 Fax. [682] 31 816
reservations@tamanubeach.com
AITUTAKI • COOK ISLANDS
www.tamanubeach.com
Our well-maintained and modern fleet includes
• small 4 door hatchback cars • 8 seater MPV's • 15 seater vans • automatic scooters
Phone: (682) 31379 Email: fishing@popoara.co.ck www.popoaraoceanbreeze.com
boatshed@popoara.co.ck
of Independence Committee,
which took place in July and
August 2014. In 2015, Nick
headed off to Aitutaki to take
over the family business as
general manager of Tamanu
Beach.
Tamanu Beach is a friendly,
adults-only (12+), airconditioned,
roomy bungalowstyle
resort overlooking
the beach, lagoon, ocean,
or tropical gardens on the
sunset side of Aitutaki. With
23 bungalows and all the
amenities anyone needs for a
tropical holiday, including a
spa and massage, a beachfront
restaurant and bar, and two
fresh water pools, Nick
describes the resort as ‘Casual
Luxury.’
After five years Nick believes
in ‘Aitutaki for Aitutaki’,
meaning that when Aitutaki
people are ready to develop
more tourism, then that’s when
it should happen. Not before!
“My sentiment is I want
Cook Islanders to own Cook
Island tourism. I think that
Aitutakians should decide
what they want. Right
now, there is not enough
Aitutakians on this island to
grow the industry. So until
they come home, or until the
Aitutakians here are equipped
and ready to take tourism to
another level, only then am I
happy for us to go to that next
level”.