Remote island's simple lifestyle good for health

Rapa Nui teenager Yvonne Tuki Pont with some of the famed statues on Easter Island. Picture / Angela Gregory

Rapa Nui teenager Yvonne Tuki Pont and New Zealand school principal Dawn Mitai-Pehi peer over the Turakina Maori Girls College magazine and chuckle at how much weight the exchange student put on after nine months living in Marton.

"It was the fish and chips," said Yvonne who blamed the batter.

In Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, the fish is fresh from the ocean and simply cooked along with locally grown vegetables.

There is not a fish and chip shop in sight let alone a McDonald's to tempt the 4000 residents who live on the most isolated populated island in the world, 3700km off the Chile coast.

Back home from her stint in New Zealand last year Yvonne has shed the extra pounds as she resumes a lifestyle of healthy food and exercise including riding horses, swimming and traditional dancing.

She got to catch up with Mrs Mitai-Pehi for a day during the recent visit to Rapa Nui of New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff.

Mr Goff said the visit was important as there were key connections between Rapa Nui, part of Chile which calls it Isla de Pascua, and New Zealand, as the Polynesians from each were closely related linguistically and culturally.

New Zealand was also interested in building relations and looking for trade opportunities with Chile, he said.

Yvonne said she noticed words in common with Maori and the Rapa Nui language and noted how both cultures placed great importance on respect for family.

She went to New Zealand with another student who stayed for the planned month while Yvonne pleaded to stay the whole academic year because she enjoyed it so much despite finding the water cold and "missing my Dad".

Yvonne's mother Ana Pont Pate said her daughter had come back from New Zealand with a free mind and more ideas.

"She also got speaking English."

Mrs Mitai-Pehi said more exchanges would follow and three girls from her school and two boys from Hato Petera College in Northcote went to Rapa Nui earlier this year.

"The girls who speak fluent Maori came back speaking Rapa Nui and the others came back speaking Spanish."

Easter Island

Land area:117sq km
Population: 4000 (2003)
Main town: Hanga Roa
Religion: Catholic
Language: Spanish
Currency: Chilean Peso
Economy: Taro, kumara, sugar cane and yams are grown. Tuna is caught mainly for consumption and limited export to Chile. About 30,000 tourist visit yearly.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade