Imagine the most picture perfect tropical beach postcard you can and it’s probably a scene from Aitutaki. A small coral atoll in some of the most remote areas of the Pacific, the turquoise lagoon appears out from the deep blue like a jewel.

It is a one hour flight (in a small plane) from Rarotonga on Air Rarotonga to get to Aitutaki and it is a scenic feast as you come down low over the lagoon and islands to land. It’s not cheap, about $200pp each way from Rarotonga to Aitutaki. We questioned wether it was worth the expense and in the end we figured we had already paid so much to get as far as Rarotonga that we may as well pay the extra to see Aitutaki too and we are SO glad we did.

On arrival we were greeted with floral lei’s and fresh coconuts to drink on the way to our thatched roof beachfront bungalow at Paradise Cove.

Like Rarotonga, accommodation on Aitutaki is expensive only even more so. Most of what you find online in a google search are beautiful resorts about $400 per night upwards. Some even have luxurious overwater bungalows which look like a scene out of a magazine. We had dinner at one of the resorts and it was absolutely beautiful, however there are more options at much affordable prices if you search a little further. Our bungalows were simple, clean and beachfront which ticked the boxes for us at $150 per night. I’ve since seen even cheaper options on AirBnB including family stays which would be amazing in their own ways. The reality is that the real jewel of the place is the lagoon and you want to spend as much time exploring it as possible. My advice for anyone looking to make their Aitutaki dreams come true on a budget would be to stay somewhere comfortable (whatever that means for you) as cheaply as you can and spend your money getting out on the lagoon. Snorkelling trips, day trips, water taxi’s – whatever floats your boat, literally.

Once we had arrived, we met up with friends who had arrived a few days before us and were keen to explore the surrounds and get into the water (although the June temperatures were a little cold for us Queenslanders and much celebrated by our friends from Canberra). A stroll down the beach out the front of our bungalows presented great snorkelling spots and we waded in and out at our leisure, stopping for lunch at a resort a little further down the beach.

A local told me ‘this is the second most beautiful lagoon in the world!’. When I asked him what was the most beautiful he told me ‘Bora Bora’ like everyone knew it.

We took our first trip out to the lagoon with Teking Tours on their snorkelling safari cruise. Teking run small group tours which suited us perfectly.

We were picked up from our accommodation in a brand spanking new mini van which had just come off the ship the day before. With no port, it is quite a logistical effort receiving goods onto the island (small boat load at a time from the container sitting out at the deep waters beyond the reef) and a new car on the island must be quite a an exciting arrival!

The lagoon is perfect for snorkelling. The water is calm as it is protected by the barrier reef and warm (much warmer than the deep pacific). Aitutaki lagoon has many different snorkelling spots and is renown for the clear water and abundance of fish.

First we went for a snorkel in a place that was like swimming in a tropical fish tank. Some of the fish were quite large and it was a little frightening when they would sneak up from behind!

Please excuse the quality of our underwater photos – they were taken on our point and shoot camera so they do not reflect the true clarity and colour of the experience.

The second snorkelling stop was a clam and pearl farm. The clams at this farm are giant clams and are about 80 years old. Sadly, giant clam populations have depleted world wide. Cook Islander stories tell of clams in abundance throughout the lagoon a time long ago. Today, the clams in the lagoon have been planted by scientists for preservation. The healthy and clam Aitutaki lagoon is the perfect place to farm clams and seeing them grow in such numbers is a rare treat.

After drifting over the clams, pearls and shelf reef we found ourselves standing on a sand bar in the middle of the lagoon. It felt amazing to be so far from land and be standing comfortably in the middle of a big body of water.

Our next stop was the famous and idyllic Honeymoon Island. We were lucky that the clouds cleared and the sun started shining as we waded into shore. It really is some of the most beautiful beach you will ever see. I’ll let the pics to the talking.

After our stop on Honeymoon Island we went back in the boat a nearby island (in pic above) for lunch. We had the whole place to ourselves and served our BBQ buffet out of giant clam shells. I was too busy eating to get pictures but it was like a dream.

Next stop was the famous one foot island. The weather was starting to fade and the wind was picking up, which made for a choppy ride over. Despite the clouds, we had an amazing time exploring one foot island.

The island or ‘Motu’ is named after a legend of love. The story goes that a chief had declared the Motu a fishing reserve to preserve the balance of life in the lagoon and prevent over fishing. A hungry father defied the chiefs orders and snuck off to the Motu with his young son to fish. A villager spotted the outrigger in the reserve and a war party was sent to capture the intruder. The father saw the war party coming and instructed his son to run to the centre of the island. He followed his son carefully stepping in his footprints the whole way. At the centre, he lifted his son into a tree and told him to stay there until nightfall before running off to the other side of the island. The war party came and only saw one set of footprints which they followed, right under the tree in which the boy was hiding, until they found and captured the father. They were unaware the boy was there. Legend has it that the boy grew up to marry the chiefs daughter. Today you couldn’t imagine conflict in such a beautiful and pristine place. Aitutaki was a base for American soldiers during WW2 which is how the airstrip came to be constructed there. No conflict was seen on Aitutaki during that time however and its no wonder the soldiers did not want to leave. Apparently many of them wanted to stay.

Across the road from our bungalow was a walking track/road up to Piraki look out. At the top was beautiful 360 degree views over the island and surrounding Motu’s. It was so nice that we ventured up here a few times during our stay at different times of day.

 

It wasn’t all sunshine during our time on Aitutki so to make the most of some unfavourable weather we decided to hire scooters and spend some time exploring the island. We usually hire helmets too however apparently there are no helmets for hire on the island (despite multiple scooter hire places and the law requiring helmets be worn, in theory).  Thankfully island life is slow and there was no rush for us to scoot around quickly which gave me some comfort.

The island is larger than it first appears and there were may roads and scenes to explore from the main town, windswept hilltops to the mangrove shallows. Chickens roam freely and animals are bred in small numbers in plain view. Life is slow and still relatively traditional in many ways. Simple island life is contrasted against the tourism (which is the only source of income) and despite this obvious divide the locals are welcoming and inclusive.

We visited Aitutaki Beach Resort (on of the fanciest places) which is on its own Motu and can only be reached by a barge. We spent a bit of time here ordering cocktails/mocktails from the bar and enjoying the beach and calm water. We spotted a sea snake snorkelling here!

They had little beach huts you could relax in and order food to, i’m not sure if you’re supposed to be a guest to use them but no one seemed to mind.

On our last day on Aitutaki we took one of the more touristy boat trips, The Vaka Cruise, back to One Foot Island. After a round of travellers tummy we wanted a calm cruise with toilets on board and this one fit the bill. This boat also paid homage to the Vaka style of boat used traditionally by the islanders.

First we stopped at one of the remote Motu’s in the lagoon for a wander and swim.

Next stop was for a snorkel. Again, the fish life was incredible and the water was calm and warm. It was a really enjoyable snorkelling experience despite the large numbers of the group.

Lastly we spent a few more hours on beautiful One Foot Island. This time the sun was out, the day was warm and it was absolutely perfect!

 

Aitutaki is a very relaxing and beautiful place and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough to someone looking for a tropical escape. It is remote, clean, safe, quiet, relaxing and so well looked after by the locals to ensure it stays pristine for years to come. I can’t wait to go back!