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Popstars, Politicians
& Publications.
Keep your eyes peeled too, because Traders is the
favoured watering hole of the rich and famous when they
come to Rarotonga.
 If you look closely
you will see a winebox with an axe through it
mounted on one of the walls of the bar –
this act of seemingly mindless violence was perpetrated
by The Trader to commemorate a visit from New
Zealand politician Winston Peters,
the man behind the infamous winebox inquiry. He’s
a frequent visitor these days and an honorary
regular at Traders. “Don’t talk to
him about fishing quotas though,” is Jack’s
advice. |
Other recent visitors include
All Black flyer Dougie Howlett,
former Silver Fern and TV presenter April
Bruce, Bernice Mene,
John Rowles and Pat Rippen. |
No South Seas island would
be complete without its share of shady characters
and Rarotonga is no exception. Notorious property
developer Mark Lyon could often
be spotted here and in other bars around town
while he was living in the Cook Islands awaiting
trial for various offences in New Zealand –
in the end he was deported after being convicted! |
| Kiwi author Graham Lay has launched a book at Trader Jacks, and the bar can boast something of a literary tradition – quite a few regulars have put themselves in print. Alan Sefton, former executive director of Team New Zealand and the author of numerous sailing books (including the biography of his good friend, the late Sir Peter Blake) is a regular visitor. |
| Then there’s Don ‘Slick’ Silk, one of Jack’s nearest and dearest and the former harbourmaster at Avatiu. His memoirs, entitled From Kauri Trees to Sunlit Seas, recount his experiences here and in his native New Zealand and are available over the bar. |
Another regular, Ewan
Smith the manager of Air Rarotonga, has
published a stunning collection of aerial shots
of the Cook Islands – it is cleverly named
The Cook Islands. |
 Cartoonist Kata,
who can often be found refreshing himself at the
bar, also launched a collection of his work called
Kooky Island Politics. For a
taste of Kata’s humour, which helps keep
the politicians feet on the ground pick up a copy
of the daily Cook Islands News.
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| Not one to miss an opportunity Trader Jack himself plans to join his comrades in print. Many years in the making and still a work in progress his, probably explosive, autobiography ‘40 Years Behind Bars’ promises to lift the lid on the man behind the myth and could well lead to a large number of court cases. In the meantime, we’ll just have to settle for another Bombay. |
Winston Peters and Jack Cooper (The Trader)
Cartoon by Kata
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