Vai Nauri The Cook Islands

A real highlight in this region is the deep sparkling-blue Vai Nauri, Mitiaro’s natural swimming pool. Local women used to hold gatherings known as terevai at Vai Nauri and at nearby Vai Tamaroa, where they met to swim and sing the bawdy songs of their ancestors. With Mitiaro’s declining population, the terevai tradition is now largely limited to holiday periods like Christmas and New Year when islanders return to Mitiaro from their homes in Australia and New Zealand.