Captain Tama`s Lagoon Cruizes - Lagoon Day 2010 24/08/2010 Captain Tama’s Lagoon Cruizes are proud to have been a sponsor of Takitumu Lagoon Day since it’s inception in 2008.  The one day event proved to be so informative and well attended in 2008 that the following year the event expanded to 2 days. Lagoon Day 2010 is an open air expo where public, private sector and non-government organisations unite in an effort to raise awareness of our lagoon problems and most importantly, to provide solutions. It is the public face of ongoing behind-the-scenes endeavours to empower people to make the necessary changes for the wellbeing of our lagoon. Without a healthy lagoon, some say, we will be without tourists,  money and in poor health both physically and culturally. They observe that fish poisoning, which has plagued Rarotonga for more than 15 years, is endangering an integral part of Cook Islands culture. Young ones, having only been brought up with ocean fish when affordable, cannot manage the task of eating the smaller sweet lagoon fish, either direct from the sea or cooked, and have no desire to try, let alone learn Maori fishing techniques and other ways of the sea that not long ago were a part of who we were as a people. The first Lagoon Day was held in 2008 and focused on Vaka Takitumu, as this was the district hit a few years earlier by an irritant syndrome that caused school closures, various skin and respiratory ailments, and even some families to depart our shores for good. At that first Lagoon Day the results of two years of water testing carried out by the Ministry of Marine Resources with the support of Cook Islands Marine Resources Institutional Strengthening (CIMRIS), an NZAID funded organisation, were presented along with displays showing what was impacting our lagoon and what could help to lessen that impact. As Teariki Matenga, the driver behind this initiative says “We are the problem, we are the solution”. We must change our ways to lessen negative impact on the lagoon. Septic and waste water Following are issues that Lagoon Day addresses. As most of our water ends up in the sea, it is up to every household to ensure their waste water and septic runoff is purified before it gets to the sea. While the health department have brochures regarding regulations and a model that you can pour water through to watch what happens to in a septic system, PTS the Plumbing Shop and Rarotonga Plumbing are setting up a life size septic tank and eco-trench, as a water treatment option – showing primary, secondary and land application water treatments, reducing nutrients in the lagoon via the eco-trench. Water usage Less water used means less water straining our septic tanks and water treatment systems, and therefore less potential lagoon pollutants. For handy hints on how you can reduce your water usage come along to Lagoon Day. Nutrient and chemical impact Down our sinks should only flow products that are biodegradable with low, preferably no, phosphate or nitrate content. Growers and breeders must be aware that every chemical sprayed or laid on the ground and animal waste not contained has a chance of ending up in our lagoon when the rains come. Come and see MMR water testing and learn the effect of these intruders on our lagoon. Touch pools offer an opportunity to see some of our lagoon life impacted and learn how they attempt to find balance in their environment.