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When local Cook Islanders and tourists alike began lingering in the driveway of Apartments Kakera to comment on its design style and originality Kiwi born Cook Islander Andrew Ponga and his wife Melinda Morris-Ponga knew they had achieved their vision.
Having immigrated to the Cook Islands from New Zealand in 2001 with their three young children, Andrew and Melinda lived in a small cottage on family land at Ngatangiia, Rarotonga.
In these modest surroundings the pair dreamed of a revolutionary new eco style of home and Pacific guest apartment villas.
Passionate about creating a reality out of their dreams, the couple would climb a large tree on the family-gifted land and gaze out over the section to savour the panoramic views, breathe in warm, ocean breezes and imagine how their new haven would appear.
At night, they'd lie on the grass, watching the sunset over the rainforest covered mountains till a myriad of stars appeared in Rarotonga's clear southern sky and visualise the new modern Pacific eco Apartments that would be built where they lay.
Here they fell in love with their piece of Kakera - a word in Cook Island Maori which means land that the sun rises over.
Andrew Ponga is a New Zealand trained builder who sought out innovative products to design and almost single-handedly build Apartments Kakera with eco-friendly, cyclone safe products.
Melinda Morris-Ponga is an artist who has made a name for herself in Rarotonga as a hair and make-up specialist for weddings, after many successful years operating hair design businesses in Auckland, New Zealand.
Her creative abilities find form in her flax and clay garden design, her interior design flair on display in Apartment Pepe, Apartment Ra and Apartment Karanga and her beauty work.
Andrew and Melinda aim to offer a new style of building and guest accommodation to Rarotonga.
Their approach provides personal care and service to their guests while maintaining eco-friendly practices.
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