Aitutaki (Cook Islands) (Aitutaki)

Member Name: motokak

Product:	Aitutaki
Date:	29/11/08 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stunning Island, Beautiful sea and beaches

Disadvantages: Quite expensive

Where do I start with this most stunning Island? Well the flight to Aitutaki is a great experience in itself. Only accessible by a 30 minute plane journey from the main Cook Island of Rarotonga, the plane is small and has approx 30 seats. A cosy and adventerous feel! The views are stunning, especially when Aitutaki is in sight - its lagoon is one of the most spectacular sights I have ever seen, breathtaking!

The airport in Aitutaki has to be my favourite ever. It consists of 1 runway (surrounded by the sea) and is just one room. There is one check in desk and no security at all. The airport sign is also made of wood with the words engraved in to it. This basic, relaxed feel epitomises this Island well! A great difference in culture. This friendly attitude was further enhanced as we were greeted by our guest house owner with a 'veia' - a local flower necklace. (Similar to what you would find in Hawaii).

The Island has a lot to offer. Although it is small it is best explored by Moped. These are easy to rent and in order to obtain a licence I drove it from the rental place to the police station and as the police could see I had arrived there on the Moped without crashing they handed me a license with no test for about 5 New Zealand Dollars! The hardest thing about driving here is to avoid all the crabs - there are thousands of them over the road!

Highlights of this Islands include walking up the highest point of the Island (Muangpau). This gives you an amazing view of the lagoon and a great chance to take some panoramic pics. We also went to the Ministry of Marine Resources where you can handle turtles. All they ask for is a donation to their work! There are also cruises to other surrounding Islands and we went snorkelling in the clearest sea ever! We saw large clams and a hugh array of sea life! We also passed the Islands used in the Channel 4 series Shipwrecked. We also had the best meal of our trip on this cruise. A great BBQ on a white sanded beach of Wahoo (fish) and the freshest mango ever! It was probably the best meal of our RTW trip!

We were in Aitutaki for 3 days and I would recommend not to stay any longer than a week. However, this is the most beautiful Island and if you get the chance I would make time to visit. The main downside is that as there is only 1 airline that flies here so it is quite expensive to get there and the accommodation is also quite pricey, but definitely worthwhile to experience one of the Cook Islands little gems!!

Summary: A must visit for any traveller - quite stunning!