You may have heard of the Cook Islands, you may have heard of its capital, Rarotonga. However, have you heard of its most beautiful island of Aitutaki?
When you see promotional photos of the Cook Islands, the pristine beaches, the clear waters and white sands and amazing aquatic life, what you are seeing is Aitutaki, the second most populated of the Cook Islands with a population of around 1,200 people.
Aitutaki is about a 45 minute flight from the main island and capital of Rarotonga. Raro (as referred to by the locals) is the most common destination of holiday makers, but those in the "know" that are looking for a more traditional and much less commercialised experience will take the 45 minute flight to Aitutaki.
Flying into Aitutaki is an experience unto itself. If you have a clear day, and look down from the plane, you will see the main island of Aitutaki anlong with the lagoon that is surrounded by other little sand islands. The lagoon is an amazing place to be explored with coral reefs, giant trevally, tropical fish life, giant clams, turtles and so much more. There is a reef that surrounds the outer perimeter of the islands. There is also lots of accommodation, most of which is on the outer side of Aitutaki, however we stayed on the inside (lagoon side) at the Aitutaki Village Resort. The water here is pristine, the view is spectacular and the cover (top most) photo was taken from our accommodation!
Aitutaki is one of those places that neither words nor photos can do it justice, so here is my advice...... Just go. And when you get there, stay at Aitutaki Village Resort. Hire a car, scooter or bike and explore the island. It's only about 14km from end-to end, so it wont take long!
Look up Christopher at Platinum Cruising Aitutaki https://www.pcaitutaki.com/ and book a private cruise to One Foot Island, Honeymoon Island and ask to go snorkelling to see the coral bommies with the giant clams and exotic fish life - I promise it will be worth your while and Christopher knows all the great spots.
Tell him that Andrew and Stephanie said to say hi!
The view from One Foot Island appears above. There is a legend that is associated with this place, ask your local cruise guide to tell it to you.
You don't have to look far to find amazing wild life. Hermit crabs cover the island as do land crabs. land crabs are everywhere and can be just picked up walking along a road and you have an instant lunch or dinner. There are thousands of them and they come out at night. During the day you will see lots of crab holes along the beach and roads.
If you are lucky enough, you may even get to see a coconut crab. These are a Pacific Islands speciality and, as you can see below, they can grow to quite a huge size.
These crabs actually eat coconuts and hence have big powerful clwas to crack them open! As such, if you have one for dinner, you will find that they also taste a bit like coconut too!
The beaches and snorkelling in the lagoon are awesome. The water is warm and inviting and the air temperature is aconstantly around 28C.
If visiting the Cook Islands, Aitutaki is MUST VISIT.
The people are just too friendly and you will soon get the hang of waving to everyone that you pass by while riding your scooter around the island! There are a number of small general stores for supplies, restaurants that serve beautiful locally caught fresh seafood as well as your normal non-seafood meals.
If renting a car or driving a scooter, you'll need to go to the local police station and apply for a local licence. It will cost you $2.50 and is good for 1 year. It takes 10 mins to do and you can even drive there to get it!!!! Just remember to take your Australian, NZ or International licence with you.
Aitutaki is a step back in time to when life was not so busy, people were friendly and there was a strong sense of community. If you're looking to truly escape the rat-race, then this place is it.
Andrew & Stephanie
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