Ruta Mare Metuataopu loves to share her passion for Cook Islands food in Rotorua. Photo / Grace Grace Tinetali-Fiavaai
Ruta Mare Metuataopu loves to share her passion for Cook Islands food in Rotorua. Photo / Grace Grace Tinetali-Fiavaai
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Ruta Mare Metuataopu’s business Rutah’s Kukihut started with a passion to share Cook Islands cuisine in Rotorua.
She moved to New Zealand with her family in 2007 and began cooking and selling Cook Islands food to fundraise for their church and community.This led to the idea of setting up Rutah’s Kukihut, which wasn’t initially a part of her career plans.
“I looked around and saw none of our food. It gave me the passion.”
“We all love cooking from home and that’s what made me thrive as well.”
She shared her story to mark Cook Islands Language Week, which started on Monday.
The theme for this year’s language week is “Ātuitui’ia au ki te au peu o tōku kāinga Ipukarea”, which translates to “connect me to the traditions and culture of my homeland”. The focus of the week is to bring together and connect Cook Islanders to their rich heritage.
She and her family were excited to celebrate and share their culture, as they do through the business.
Her planned festivities began with the raising of the flag accompanied by traditional drumming, officially marking the start of Cook Islands Language Week.
The Cook Islands Community Hall also planned to host various activities, including arts and crafts workshops, where Metuataopu would be teaching.
Metuataopu had an open invitation for all to join the celebrations.
“We will have all our food and we’ll have dancing and all of that,” she said.
