ANNE GORDON OFF TO THE COOK ISLANDS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC
       For blog visitors, I will be leaving for the Cook Islands on Saturday, 25th February returning to Canada on Sunday, 4th March.
       Polynesians claim that black pearls were the gift of the God Oro to his paramour when he descended to earth on a rainbow.  With such a romantic provenance it's hardly surprising that Empress Eugenie wife of Napolean III and Catherine the Great of Russia, both wore necklaces of black pearls believing they were symbolic of their station in life.
       Farmed in spectacular lagoons alongside the islands of Manahiki and Penrhyn the pearls are cultivated in the protective shell of the giant black-lipped oyster and nourished by a dark pigment exuded by this mollusk.
       For news about the fabulous Cook Islands: its black pearls, Polynesian feasts, candlelit dinners on a beach beneath the stars, fishing for bonefish from the idyllic atoll of Aitutaki, joining a lagoon cruise from One Foot Island, a cultural visit to "the lost village" Highland Paradise in the mountains, shopping at the Pungana'nui Market and more, watch my blog...

Image: copyright Maggie Tilley, a Canadian artist and Anne Gordon's daughter-in-law

Posted by Anne Gordon on Sunday, 19th February, 2012.