Rarotonga
p. 58 · Read in the full issue
No Ships For Record Orange
Crop
“Bush Beer” Parties In Rarotonga
IT is estimated that there are 100,000 cases of oranges available in the Cook Islands, as the result of a good season—4o,ooo in Rarotonga and 50,000 in Mangaia—and New Zealand has a ready market for them; but there is insufficient shipping, and probably not more than 20,000 cases will reach the Dominion.
As there is little else to be done with the fruit, the Cook Islands natives are turning it into “bush beer.” Orange juice is squeezed into a container, sugar or other fermenting agent is added, and it is treated and sealed up. The resulting liquor is palatable, and usually it has a high alcoholic content. “Bush beer parties” are a feature of social life among some classes in Rarotonga; but for obvious reasons are discouraged by officialdom.