Te Marumarurua before the fire Photo: Cook Islands Voyaging Society
A Cook Islands opposition MP is asking the government to come to the rescue of the country's flagship ocean voyaging canoe which was seriously damaged by fire two months ago.
It was estimated repairs would cost about $US170,000 and MP Tama Tuavera said the government should assist the Cook Islands Voyaging Society to pay for it.
He said Te Marumaruatua, the double hulled canoe which has been traditionally navigated thousands of nautical miles around the Pacific, has served the country honourably and brought pride to the Cook Islands.
He said the canoe was a national treasure that belongs to the people of the Cooks which the government has a duty to help save.