Some performers at the Cook Island's Te Maeva Nui Cultural festival and Pacific Mini Games will have to wait until the middle of next week before they can return home after their original method of transport broke down.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Development Sonny Williams says just under 300 passengers from the Northern Cook Islands travelled on the ship Tahiti Nui to Rarotonga for the cultural festival last month.
He says the Government was informed a week later the ship needed repairs, so alternative travel arrangements were made with Air Rarotonga to send the group home in a ten seater plane.
"For this we're sending thirty flights up north, so that's going every day. Air Raro is able to reschedule their flights. So it's been flying since the weekend and there's another four flights to fly up there today and another four tomorrow. So every day to transport all the outer islanders back."
Sonny Williams says the last of the group should hopefully arrive home by the middle of next week.
