Our KakakTua
The KakakTua Story
KakakTua means cockatoo in Bahasa Malaysia (the Malay language). It is also the title of a famous old Malay folksong, Burung KakakTua. We chose the name for the guesthouse and community space because the folksong is a symbol of our shared Malaysian roots and heritage regardless of our ethnic backgrounds (a tune that any Malaysian can sing, hum or whistle). KakakTua is also the root word for the English word cockatoo — a word that came from Bahasa to Dutch to English.
KakakTua is a coffee shop and guesthouse with a purpose. We wanted to create a café in town which not only served good coffee and yummy wholesome cakes, but also provided a space for community to run and attend programmes and events. A space to develop community-led tourism, a space to pull together the history of Mersing town and collect the stories of the community. A human space for meaningful interactions and engagement.
People Behind KakakTua
KakakTua is the little sister to Batu Batu Resort on Pulau Tengah. The resort and guesthouse are independently run and guided by a belief that business can be harnessed for good. Drop us a message if you are interested in getting involved or joining us on our journey.
Our Beliefs
We feel strongly that tourism businesses can support both environmental and community initiatives and have positive impacts. We hope to make KakakTua a living, breathing example of this belief. We also believe that we are stronger together which is why KakakTua remains a blank page or an open book so that we can create magic together.
At KakakTua we also try to tread lightly on the environment. Our charming furniture is preloved from our friends at Hock Siong because we believe that we could lighten our footprint by reusing! A few other things we try and do:
No plastic straws
No single-use plastics — in fact we’re aiming for only compostable single-use items (watch-this-space)
LED lighting throughout (lower energy)
Water refills for non-customers needing a refill at 50 cents to RM 1 per bottle (depending on size) — minimise purchase of plastic bottles.
We recycle in partnership with our friends at Clean & Happy Recycling, Mersing