(Aitutaki, Cook Islands)

Magnificent Aitutaki

After seeing and experiencing Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands, South Pacific, you must also do Aitutaki too! This sidetrip to one of the Cook Islands outlying atolls is a real island adventure. Lying 140-miles and a 40-minute flight north of Rarotonga, Aitutaki is a spectacular triangular shaped atoll some 27-miles around, surrounding a sparkling lagoon. If you’ve never seen an atoll, prepare to be stunned. Aitutaki is simply magnificent.

The atoll is like a necklace with the pendant a hook-shaped main island flanked by the 15 or so motu along the eastern barrier reef. The brilliant blue green of the atoll lagoon contrasts sharply with the dark blue of the ocean, like an oasis in a desert. With a land area of just seven square miles, the main island’s highest point, Maungapu, is only 420 ft. According to local legend it is the top of Rarotonga’s Paemaru Peak brought back by raiding Aitutaki warriors. Sandy beaches and shoals of the motu converge into the blue green depths of the lagoon.

The vivid beauty of Aitutaki almost appears to be a mirage, afloat as it is on azure seas. Here there are only long languid days and brilliant starry nights. It’s populated with some 2300 Polynesians who follow a simple lifestyle unencumbered by the tensions of the modern world.

The people of Aitutaki live in or near the small villages along the coastal road encircling the island. Some live in the lush forested interior sections on their farms where they tend gardens and orchards of taro, cassava, sweet potatoes, melons, vegetables, papaya, etc.

In 1942, during World War II, on a narrow peninsula of land at the top of the island, U.S. servicemen arrived and built the present Aitutaki Airport. It's the only airport in the Cooks with two runways. In the early days of flying, Aitutaki served as a stopover for the trans-Pacific flying boats from New Zealand used by Tasman Empire Air Lines, the forerunner of Air New Zealand. Even before Rarotonga had an airport, Aitutaki was the Cook Islands’ only outside air link. Aitutaki lagoon was used as the landing strip and Akaiami motu was used as the refueling stop for the flying boats.

Aitutaki-A Special Place

To see Aitutaki closeup, hop on a motorbike or bicycle and take a spin around the island. The main roads are paved near the coast and gravel across the interior. Escapees from urban congestion and freeway madness will appreciate the fact that there is hardly any traffic and no traffic lights on Aitutaki! Traffic isn't a problem here, yet. It's that kind of place.

Arutanga, the main town, is about three miles or so from the airport. It's a typically languorous old South Seas port town that spends most of its time drowsing in the sun. The main street is lined with old island trade stores, the post office, government offices, general stores and such. Near the center of town is the sports field and the Arutanga Cook Islands Christian Church. There is a small open market near the wharf which sells local goods and produce and there are sometimes a few handicraft stalls selling island made arts and crafts. There really isn't a whole lot to see in Arutanga other than a vivid slice of life in a genuine sleepy South Seas port.

The roads in the interior of the island pass through lush forest areas and neat farms and gardens of Aitutakians living in the rural areas. There's a wave or a word for just about everyone along the road. On Aitutaki, everybody knows, or is related to, everybody else.

Aitutaki has that unique island sense of community and caring about others where every individual is important. It comes from the smallness of the place, the slow pace of life in general, and the endemic lifestyle of the islands often called "the Pacific Way" which westerners don't quite fathom. But as a visitor, you quickly notice it, respect it and, yes, even envy it. It’s what makes Aitutaki such a special place.

The Aura of Aitutaki

The protective coral reefs, lagoon and the several motu riding on the fringe are Aitutaki’s major visitor attractions. Lagoon cruises for snorkeling and diving are very popular with visitors and are a featured activity. The cruise out to the motu and reefs across the lagoon takes perhaps an hour or so. It's one of the most sensual parts of the entire Aitutaki adventure. The brilliant blue greens of the lagoon make the white sand beaches and groves of coconut palms on the motu stand out vividly against the puffy white clouds and blue South Pacific sky. Some have described Aitutaki as the most beautiful island in the South Pacific. It’s a hard point to argue perhaps.

After a mid-morning departure on the cruise catamaran, the first stop across the lagoon is at one of the desert motu for a short beach combing stroll and exploration. It’s just a few minutes walk around the eight to ten-acre sized motu, following the shoreline at low tide. The small islet has a dense stand of coconut palms along the gorgeous sandy beach and heavy vegetation in the interior. The shoreline has some outcroppings of basaltic rock, indications of the islet’s volcanic origins eons ago.

Then it’s back on the catamaran for a short cruise to a good snorkeling spot in the lagoon. After anchoring the boat carefully, it’s into the water for cruise guests and time to snorkel among numerous colorful fish and corals, seashells and mollusks, sea anemones and blue starfish. Aitutaki’s lagoon has many colorful species of tropical fish such as parrotfish, wrasses, angel fish and much more.

Meanwhile, the crew prepares a real atoll-style lunch of fresh ahi and mahi onboard with breadfruit, salad, fruit and more. After lunch, the boat pulls ashore at the motu called Tapuaetai, or One Foot Island. Here visitors can swim, relax, or have another chance to play Robinson Crusoe and explore the small coral islet surrounded by blue green waters. The lagoon cruise is a highlight of the Aitutaki adventure and leaves an indelible impression.

It’s the aura of Aitutaki. Perhaps it’s the rural nature of the place and its relative isolation, off the beaten path. And yet it's also the gentle people who inhabit these islands, their lifestyle, and the glorious beauty of reef, motu and sky. Aitutaki is a mellow place that grows on you, caressing you with its brisk trade winds. It's the sort of place that, just when you think you've forgotten it, comes rushing back in a flood of pleasant memories of time spent in its warm embrace. It has a way of not letting you forget. Somehow, the wondrous and fragile world of Aitutaki never really lets you go.

Travel Information

Day tours or overnight stays at Aitutaki can be arranged through Air Rarotonga, the local airline . From Rarotonga, it is 160-miles or about a 40-minute flight to Aitutaki. Air Rarotonga offers several round trip flights daily to Aitutaki from Rarotonga. Day tours from Rarotonga to Aitutaki include round trip airfare, lagoon cruise with on-board lunch and all snorkeling equipment provided. For the latest details, see the website: www.airraro.com

Accommodations on Aitutaki vary but are generally expensive compared to Rarotonga. Some of the pricer places include the Aitutaki Pearl Beach Resort (near the airport) and the Pacific Resort Aitutaki near Arutanga town; moderately priced places are the Aitutaki Lodges on the east side and Tamanu Beach Hotel near Arutanga and Gina’s Garden Lodges. There are other inexpensive accommodations as well. Many of the rates include breakfast; check special package deals with lagoon cruises and air transportation included. Check hotels through the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation website: www.cook-islands.com

Independent island tours can be arranged as well as rental cars, motorbikes and bicycles. Snorkeling and diving lagoon cruises can also be arranged on Aitutaki through local outlets. Paradise Lagoon Tours (tel 31-248) operates the 70' Polynesian style vaka (catamaran), Titi-ai-Tonga, which is used for the daily cross-lagoon snorkel/lunch and sightseeing cruise. The 6-hour cruise with lunch onboard is a great way to experience Aitutaki.

If you're a golfer, you might consider the Aitutaki Golf Course located next to the airport. It's mostly a par three course but with a difference. One hole, the number six par four, has a fairway shot across the airstrip runway. It's probably the only golf course in the world with a runway hazard. Obviously, play is interrupted when planes are taking off or landing. Penalty strokes are assessed for hitting airplanes. Green fees are $5, but there’s often nobody around to collect it, so just go ahead and play. Bring your own clubs and balls.

(Previous versions published in Hawaii Tribune Herald, Hawaiian Airlines Magazine, Hawaii Island's Magazine)