Cook Islands: Queen Krystina glad to be home

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Winning the Miss South Pacific pageant was never an easy thing to do and Krystina Kauvai will be the first to tell you that she is loving being back home.She was back at work yesterday, behind her desk at Portcullis TrustNet (Cook Islands) Limited, minus the crown and sash - back to normal as one would say."It feels so great to be back home. Apart from work, it's such an awesome feeling not having to do 'anything' or worry about things such as talent practice, question and answer sessions and costume making," says Kauvai. In Samoa last week, Kauvai won the Miss South Pacific crown, presented to her by former holder and fellow Cook Islander Dorothea George.When the prizes were being announced, Kauvai thought she may come in as the second runner up because she didn't win any of the judged sections. "I didn't mind that much because I don't believe that a competition is all about winning. Winning is only a bonus to a competitor and within me, I felt very confident that I had done the best that I possibly could in all sections I participated in - so to me this was an achievement on its own," says Kauvai. However, she did win and actually broke what was somewhat of a trend - the runner up Miss Cook Islands winners winning the South Pacific title instead of the actual Miss Cook Islands.In fact, Kauvai's achievement extends to her being the first to win the Miss Tiare (2002), Miss Cook Islands and now Miss South Pacific.And we are lucky Kauvai titles made it as far as joining the Miss Cook Islands, because after her first pageant it didn't seem like she was heading back there again. "Pageants are not easy, there is a lot of hard work involved, stress and tears that go into it and a lot of our people think that if you have the looks or a good figure, you'll be successful - it's not that simple. You require a lot more than just the looks," she says.Helping her through this entire experience has really been her faith in the Lord and the support from family and people dear to her. "The Miss South Pacific pageant I must say was quite difficult and stressful but throughout the pageant I was constantly praying and putting things into God's hands, believing that what ever the outcome was for this pageant, it was part of His plan for my life," she says.Those plans will now include Kauvai being a part of the South Pacific Games, not as an athlete however. The deputy prime minister of Samoa announced and confirmed at the prizegiving ceremony that Kauvai will be required to be back in Samoa next year to help host the South Pacific Games.See Saturday's CINews for more from Krystina Kauvai about her Miss South Pacific experience. - Tara Carr