All About Rito: The Beautiful Weaving Craft From The Northern Cook Islands.

Sarah Steiner

12 months ago

In the remote expanse of the Northern Cook Islands, lies Penrhyn – also known as Tongareva. This is an atoll renowned not just for its breathtaking lagoon and black pearls. But for an exquisite weaving that speaks volumes of patience, skill, and cultural heritage: Rito Craft.

From elegant hats to delicate earrings and intricate decorative pieces. Rito crafts are a testament to the ingenuity and artistic spirit of the Penrhynese people.

What is Rito?

The magic of Rito crafts begins with its unique raw material: Rito.

This isn’t just any part of the coconut palm. Rito is the fine, soft, white natural fibre derived specifically from the young, unopened leaves of the coconut palm tree.

The process of obtaining this precious fibre is delicate and sustainable. Islanders carefully select a young palm, and only one of the two immature leaf spathes emerging from its crown is cut. Taking both would reportedly harm or even kill the tree. This again is a testament to the deep respect for nature embedded in their practices.

Learning about the first stages of Rito craft from Tini.

Learning about Rito craft in Rarotonga Cook Islands. — Learning about the first stages of Rito craft from Tini.

Looking at the different fronds of the coconut palm – each age and stage is used for a different craft.

Hey! We are Away With The Steiners. Wondering about living in Rarotonga, Cook Islands?

The Rito Craft from Penrhyn

Once harvested, the journey from raw frond to lustrous fibre is a meticulous one, largely carried out by the skilled women of Penrhyn.

Ever since we moved to Rarotonga I have been in awe of this incredible craft. At any formal event at the auditorium or on a Sunday at church in Rarotonga you can see a sea of proudly adorned men and women wearing intricately woven Rito hats.

But I have a very dear friend – Matareka Tini – who makes this beautiful Rito craft here in Rarotonga with her family from Penryhn.

With the fresh, young Rito fibres arriving on the ship from the Northern Cook Islands in time for Te Maeva Nui 2025. Tini took the time to show us all about this special craft.

It was fascinating to learn about Rito craft from Tini and her Auntie’s, here from Penryhn for Te Maeva Nui.

The Preparation of Rito Fibre – Rito Craft from Penrhyn

The fibre is separated from the actual leaf, boiled and dried.

Stripping the Leaves: The long, unopened frond is carefully stripped, separating the individual leaves.
Removing Thick Edges: A knife is used to meticulously remove the thicker, coarser edges of each leaf, leaving only the fine central sections.
Separating the Fibre: This is a laborious and crucial step. The fine rito fibre must be painstakingly separated from the rest of the leaf material. This often involves careful scraping and stripping to isolate the delicate strands.
Cleaning and Boiling: The separated fibres are then thoroughly cleaned. They are traditionally boiled in water, sometimes with lime juice, which serves to further whiten and prepare the fibre. This boiling process also softens the Rito, making it more pliable for weaving.  
Drying and Bleaching: After boiling, the fibres are laid out to dry, often under the sun. For the signature pure white Rito, they might be further bleached naturally using lime juice and sunlight.

While white Rito is highly prized, weavers also create colourful pieces. Rito can be coloured using synthetic dyes or traditional natural dyes, such as ngara’u (ashes), which imparts a distinct greenish hue.  

Showing how to strip the inside of the coconut palm fronds.

The inner frond layers are stripped and cleaned then soaked in water.

The ready Rito, dyed and coloured for weaving.

Preparation – Rito Craft from Penrhyn

Once prepared, the Rito fibres are bundled and ready for the intricate art of weaving.

This craft is more than just a skill; it’s a social and cultural activity. Women often gather in each other’s homes, weaving, sharing stories, singing, and passing down techniques from elder generations (the ‘Mamas’ and Aunties) to younger women.

This communal aspect ensures the continuity of the tradition and strengthens community bonds.

Tini and her Auntie’s preparing the Rito for craft.

Crafting Rito Hats (Pare) – Rito Craft from Penrhyn

Rito hats, or Pare, are perhaps the most iconic of Penrhyn’s Rito crafts. These beautiful woven hats are renowned throughout the Cook Islands and beyond for their exquisite fineness.

The Foundation:
Each hat begins with a foundation, often a central disc or oval segment of black-lipped oyster shell (pārau). These shells are harvested from the lagoon by freediving men, who then meticulously cut, grind, drill, and polish them at their workstations. The Rito fibres are then skillfully attached to the perforated edge of this shell, forming the starting point of the hat. Older, more experienced weavers can also create a durable, solid crown entirely from woven Rito. Weaving without a shell ‘crutch’ is a testament to their mastery!

The Mould:
The weaving then progresses outwards, with the beginning of the hat tied to a wooden mould (pu). These moulds are typically carved from branches of local trees and come in various styles, shapes, and sizes, allowing weavers to create a diverse range of hat designs.   

Weaving the Crown and Brim:
The Rito fibres are meticulously plaited and interwoven around the mould. The patterns are rarely written down; instead, they are held in the weaver’s mind, a testament to years of practice and innate artistic vision. Weavers create intricate designs and textures by varying the plaiting techniques.  

Finishing Touches:
The brim is shaped and finished, sometimes with a delicately turned-under edge or a zig-zag pattern. Some hats are further adorned with mother-of-pearl shell inlays or other natural embellishments. An experienced weaver can complete a hat in a few days of dedicated work, though with other domestic duties, it typically takes two to three days.   

Beautifully weaved Rito hats all the way from Penryhn.

Rito Earrings and Other Crafts – Rito Craft from Penrhyn

While hats are prominent, Rito fibre is also transformed into a variety of other beautiful crafts:

Earrings: Rito earrings are incredibly popular and showcase the fibre’s delicate nature. Weavers create intricate woven patterns, often incorporating small pieces of polished black pearl shell, paua shell, or other natural elements as central adornments. The lightness of the Rito makes them comfortable to wear, while their intricate designs make them eye-catching.

Fans (Tā’iri): Rito is woven into elegant hand fans, prized for their beauty and effectiveness in the tropical heat. These often feature elaborate patterns and can also incorporate shell elements.

Baskets and Purses: Smaller, finely woven baskets and purses are also crafted from rito, demonstrating the versatility of the fibre and the weavers’ skill in creating three-dimensional forms.

Belts and Decorative Items: Rito can also be used to create belts and various decorative pieces, showcasing the adaptability of this traditional weaving technique.

The polished black pearl shell for the middle of the earrings.

Beautiful Rito decorative pieces at Tini’s stall at Punanga Nui Market.

Shopping – Rito Craft from Penrhyn

Wondering where to find these beautiful hats and Rito earrings in Rarotonga?

The best place to find and array of Rito is at the Saturday Punanga Nui Market in Rarotonga. There are several Penrhyn stalls with Rito craft. But if you head towards the main stage – just to the right of the performance platform is Tini’s beautiful stall.

You can see right there how she makes the Rito. Watch her weaving the earrings with colourful strands of Rito and talk to her about this incredible Cook Islands craft.

Tini weaving the intricate Rito earrings at her market stall.

Rito Craft from Penrhyn

The beauty of Penrhyn’s Rito crafts lies not just in their aesthetic appeal, but in the story they tell – of a vibrant culture, sustained by traditional knowledge passed down through generations, and a deep connection to the natural resources of their island home.

These handcrafted treasures are more than souvenirs; they are pieces of Penrhyn’s heart and soul.

More about travel planning for Cook Islands and beyond

These are the companies we use while traveling as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel.

Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation and it’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally.
Skyscanner– This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world. Everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads including those who have already left home. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE TRAVEL INSURANCE BEFORE TRAVELING TO COOK ISLANDS!