Idyllic Aitutaki is Cook Islands’ gem

Press, 11 September 1986, Page 27

Idyllic Aitutaki is Cook Islands’ gem

It’s not until you see Aitutaki from the air that you really accept that this tiny atoll is as beautiful as its pictures in the travel brochures. No place could be that pretty, you think — until you catch your first glimpse through the clouds from 5000 ft.

From this altitude, Aitutaki is stunningly beautiful — a cluster of small islets fringed with golden sand inside a vast halo of coral. The water within this protective reef is delicately tinted with soft and varying shades of blues and greens. Our Cook Islandair plane banked gently around the coast line before touching down on the airstrip that runs the length of a narrow isthmus on the north-eastern side of the island. Aitutaki is about 250 kilometres due north of Rarotonga; our flight in the twin-engine Britten Norman Islander had taken 75 minutes. The journey was smooth, but it was nice to be able to get out and stretch our legs.

The Aitutaki Resort Hotel has been built on its own small island close to the southern end of the airstrip. It is linked to the “mainland” by a short causeway. The resort, which is a member of the same family (Oceania Resorts, Ltd) as The Rarotongan, comprises a group of cool and comfortable secluded units extending beyond a main amenities block.

It organises an excellent day trip on

to the lagoon with snorkelling, fishing, and a barbecue picnic on a beach close to where TEAL’S old flying boats touched down 35 years ago. The biggest island at Aitutaki covers an area of barely 15sq km, yet it has six villages that merge into a main centre with a couple of shops, Post Office, and wharf.

The six-kilometre walk from the resort to the centre is relaxing and pleasant, but horses, cycles and motor scooters can be hired for those in a hurry.

Six nights a week the heart of the main village throbs to the beat of Big J’s night spot where guests can swing the night away to the sound of island guitars and the scent of the best fish and chips east of the dateline. The Aitutaki Resort Hotel is expensive compared with more modest establishments on the island. The Rapae Cottage Hotel has single rooms for about $5O a night. It is operated by the Cook Islands Tourist Authority and managed by Dora Harrington, who is Aitutaki’s Aggie Gray. Her hotel has an excellent restaurant and is close to the villages. Incidentally, if you intend visiting Aitutaki don’t forget that the island is isolated. Prices of items sold in the local shops are therefore about 30 per cent higher than they are on Rarotonga. It pays to take along all essential items such as sun-tan lotion, insect repellants, films and reading material.