By Rashneel Kumar of 
Cook Islands couple Mac and Kairangi Ama at a Pasifika UAE event held at the end of January 2026. Photo: Cook Islands News / Supplied
Amid widening conflict in the Middle East, a young Cook Islands couple based in Dubai has described the environment as 'scary' following explosions across the Gulf states over the weekend.
Iran launched retaliatory attacks on United States assets in the region following strikes by the US and Israel that killed its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking officials on Saturday.
A fireball lights the sky following a missile strike on Tel Aviv on February 28, 2026. Photo: JOHN WESSELS/AFP
According to AFP, Tehran hit both the Dubai International Airport - the world's busiest for international traffic - and Kuwait's main airport during its retaliation.
Explosions rocked Dubai's Palm Jumeirah man-made island and drone debris caused a fire at the Burj Al Arab ultra-luxury hotel as waves of Iranian missiles targeted the UAE among others on Saturday.
Cook Islanders Mac and Kairangi Ama, who marked their second anniversary in Dubai on Sunday, described the situation as "scary" but assured family and friends that they are safe.
"We are safe, the situation is probably going to continue for a bit more before ending, but we have full trust in the UAE government," Mac told Cook Islands News via Messenger on Sunday Cook Islands time.
"There's a community of Cook Islanders and Kiwis here who are always checking in on each other to make sure everyone's alright."
Explosions from the interception of an Iranian projectile are seen in the sky over Dubai on 1 March 2026. Photo: AFP / Giuseppe Cacace
Describing the day of the attack, the couple said they were at home on Saturday morning watching news about a planned US-Israeli attack on Iran.
Mac, a project manager, said he had left for work after lunch to meet a client when he received a message from a friend asking if he was okay.
"I'm confused, why is he asking? What's happened?" he recalled. "He tells me that interceptor missiles have been fired from DIP (DIP is a community in Dubai) towards missiles headed to the American naval base located in Jebel Ali. We live in Jebel Ali!"
On social media, he said the "Kiwis in UAE" group chat started going off, with people sharing the "bangs" and "booms" they heard across different areas of Dubai.
"No one is sure what exactly is going on, then others start sharing messages from the different embassies telling their people to shelter in place."
He called home to his wife, Kairangi, an interior designer, to check on the situation.
"She said there was a loud bang that everyone thought was construction noise maybe, I told her what was happening and to get inside until we know for sure what's happening."
On his way home, Mac said he felt "the booms from the second wave of interceptor missiles" while driving.
"Everyone on the street gathered outside pointing at the sky, and you can see the clouds of smoke from where the missiles exploded!
"By this stage social media is going crazy and the group chats are popping off with people sharing reports, videos and photos of areas being damaged."
He said the official statement from the UAE Ministry of Defence confirmed they had successfully intercepted Iranian missiles, and residents were advised to shelter in place and remain indoors.
"The airport and airspace are closed till further notice, so Kai and I start discussing what we should do," Mac shared. "Other Kiwis on the chat suggest registering on the safetravel.govt.nz website should we need to leave. We do that. We gather our official documents, passports ID, etc. Prepare a small travel bag."
During the conversation, another bang echoed, and after losing connection for about 15 minutes, Mac returned online, describing it as "probably the loudest, scariest one yet".
"Honestly felt like it was just outside the window, the whole apartment shook," he said. "It was about four explosions with each getting louder."
Mac said the situation is scary but they have full trust in the UAE government.
"While we have full trust that the UAE government will do the utmost to protect its residents and citizens, it's still a very scary situation to be in," he said.
"There're no warnings when there's going to be another explosion and being outside is scary because no telling where the debris would land.
"Is it scary? Definitely. Do we feel unsafe? No. We have full trust in them (UAE government) to keep everyone safe."
