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Dave Parker (far left) with a group of friends and tourists he brought to Rarotonga. They were pictured at a party in Wayanaas last Wednesday. 24082208
An 82-year-old New Zealander who fell in love with Rarotonga during a chance visit in the 1970s is making his 63rd visit to the island.
Dave Parker’s love affair with Rarotonga and the Cook Islands began in 1974 when he discovered the island by accident.
Fifty years ago, a young Parker went on vacation to Tahiti, and after three days in French Polynesia, all he wanted to do was leave.
“Something dragged me away from Tahiti,” he recalled.
When Parker tried to catch the earliest flight back to New Zealand, he had no idea he would end up in Rarotonga.
“I went to the New Zealand office in Tahiti and I said ‘I’m leaving. When is the next flight?'” he told the Cook Islands News.
“They said there was a flight to Auckland the next day and I said I would take that flight.”
After everything was confirmed, Parker was told that the flight would first fly to Rarotonga.
“I said I’d never been to Rarotonga. I got off the plane, went through customs, and ran into an old friend who I’d met through Scouting, who I’d known from a training course in New Zealand,” Parker shared.
“He put his hand on my shoulder and asked me to come live with his family, and from that point on, it was people like him and others at the time who introduced me to the island and I just fell in love with it.”
Since that trip, Parker’s love for Rarotonga has only grown, and he has built connections and relationships with the locals.
He started working here after marrying his ex-wife, who had ties to Rarotonga.
In 1985, after returning to New Zealand, Parker and his wife returned to Rarotonga and lived there.
He began his career at the Edgewater Resort and Spa, which was run by an Australian manager.
His daughter was born in New Zealand and grew up on the island, and later, their other child was also born and raised here.
After working at the resort, Parker was able to translate his experience into marketing tourism in the Cook Islands.
He gives back to the Cook Islands by leading groups of tourists exploring the islands.
“We only lived here for two years because there was a hurricane on the island and our family was living in terrible conditions, with no facilities, no running water, nothing, so we decided to go back home, but that didn’t stop me from coming here. We have a strong bond here,” Parker said.
“It’s not just tourism, it’s also about the connection with the Cook Islands. I’ve helped the Cook Islands Scouts with various trainings and have obtained thousands of dollars’ worth of musical instruments from various sources in New Zealand as gifts for them to keep them going.”
In his 63road
Parker also brought another group of about 20 personal friends on this trip, some of whom had been to the Cook Islands before.
He showed them around the islands and shared the culture of the Cook Islands with them.
“In the early days I took two groups of tourists every year, and at most four groups, so they were very familiar with the island.
“We have made a huge contribution to the tourism industry over the years. As a self-employed person, I have brought over a hundred people and I always think that all the people I have brought have contributed to the tourism industry.”
Parker said Cook Islands tourism plays an important role not only in boosting the local economy, but also in promoting the country’s culture, sharing its hospitality and uniqueness with the world.
“The bottom line is that tourism is a great industry to be a part of and we can share their culture, their country and their hospitality,” he explained.
“I think it’s important that we know that through tourism we can unite our cultures and work together, but I really love this industry and consider Rarotonga my second home.”
Parker said that whenever he and his now-wife return to “home” to Rarotonga, he stays at his old home in Arorangi, where his love affair with the island began.
His advice to the people of the Cook Islands is to continue to maintain and be proud of their culture and use tourism to promote and share this warm hospitality with the world.
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