RSSCICC Churches
Some of the biggest buildings on the Cook Islands are coral limestone churches dating back to the early 19th Century. Five of these churches are found on Rarotonga, one in each village and there are one or two on each of the other islands.
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The Titikaveka CICC Church was the first to be built and was initiated by Cunningham, an English planter/builder. Limestone for the church was quarried from a 2km stretch of beach and hand passed along a human chain to the church site. The blocks are a meter or 3 feet deep. The timber came from the mountains in Titikaveka and Arorangi and it was soaked in mud on the Titikaveka rugby field for preservation purposes. This process was to make the wood bitter to avoid an attack of borers. |
The original church had three roofs, the traces are still visible, that were later combined into one. The square structure symbolises the equality of all men in its presence. The small altar at the front was carved out of a tree, which a young legendary princess used to swing from. The preacher living across the road shall willingly explain the history of the church to you or the local TV station also a documentary on this church.
