Things to do in Aitutaki
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Aitutaki
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season and the main event, the lagoon at its clearest, trade winds from May, peak prices and fullest flights June to September.
Shoulder into wet, quieter and cheaper with rising humidity, and cyclone season opens on 1 November.
Wet and cyclone season, warm, humid and lush, with the highest disruption risk roughly January to March and February typically quietest.
Humpback whale season, with whales passing the reef and licensed watching and swimming offered in season.
What's on
- Te Maeva Nui late July to early August
Constitution celebrations centred on Rarotonga with dance and drumming, making Rarotonga to Aitutaki flights busy.
- Humpback whale season July to October
Humpbacks migrate through Cook Islands waters and are seen passing the reef off the west coast.
Best things to do in Aitutaki
Teking Lagoon Tours
The snorkelling first lagoon day, three sites, giant clams and turtles, lunch on Honeymoon Island and One Foot Island.
The Vaka Cruise
The classic big boat lagoon day with transfers, snorkel stops, a barbecue lunch and live music from the crew.
Bishops Cruises
A long running full day cruise to Akaiami and One Foot Island, strong on Coral Route history and its island lunch.
One Foot Island
The southern motu of white sand and a walkable sandbar, famous for its tiny post office and passport stamp.
O'otu Beach
The main island everyday beach, calm and shallow, with cafes, cruise departures and kayaks along the strip.
Mount Maungapu
A 30 minute climb to the 124 metre summit for the whole atoll in one frame, best at sunrise.
Arutanga CICC Church
The oldest church in the Cook Islands, built in 1828, where the Sunday himene singing fills the building.
Aitutaki Lagoon
A huge shallow turquoise lagoon of clam beds and coral heads, calm in the sheltered shallows inside the reef.
Where to stay in Aitutaki
West sunset coast
sunsets, resort stays, swimming beaches
Faces the sunset over the lagoon and holds the best swimming beaches and most full service resorts.
O'otu Beach and Akitua
lagoon access, cafes, cruises, value
The strip facing the Akitua channel, with Koru Cafe, The Boat Shed, cruise departures and water taxis.
Villages and inland
the real cheap end, local life, self-catering
Arutanga and garden settings behind the coasts trade the postcard beachfront for price, space and a kitchen.
Think twice about
- Reef passes and channels
Real current in the passes. Swim and snorkel inside the sheltered lagoon shallows, never out toward the reef line alone.
Best restaurants in Aitutaki
Rapae Bay Restaurant and Blackrock Bar
The island splurge table at Pacific Resort, Pacific Rim cooking on black rock above the pool and lagoon.
Koru Cafe
The island cafe everyone uses, all day breakfast, espresso, fresh bread and picnic and barbecue packs to go.
Avatea Cafe
A small family cafe for barista coffee, mahi mahi fish tacos and donburi, with dinner worth booking.
The Boat Shed Bar & Grill
The O'otu social room for fresh fish burgers and a lagoon view, best at lunch or an unhurried early dinner.
Blue Lagoon Restaurant & Bar
Aitutaki Village house restaurant on O'otu Beach, seafood and Polynesian cooking without a ride in the dark.
Tupuna's Restaurant
A long running independent with fish as a speciality, included with the warning to confirm it is operating locally.
Tauono's Garden Cafe
A garden cafe near Etu Moana for morning and afternoon teas in an organic garden, an opportunistic daytime stop.
Aquila Love Takeaway
The verified cheap takeaway end of eating out, to carry to a beach or a bungalow veranda.
Outdoor things to do in Aitutaki
Bonefish E2's Way
World class guided fly fishing for very large bonefish on the lagoon flats, with the Davey brothers as guides.
Kiteboard Aitutaki
Kitesurf lessons and gear at the Honeymoon Island sandbar, waist deep flat water in the trade wind season.
Wet & Wild Aitutaki
The island water sports generalist for private lagoon tours, snorkelling, kayaks, fishing and kite lessons.
Bubbles Below
The long running local dive operator for lagoon and reef diving with turtles, rays and seasonal whales.
Maina Island
The near motu for a water taxi drop off, a picnic and a snorkel, with no facilities and a booked pick up.
Kia Orana Cruises
A smaller boat lagoon cruise with an island barbecue lunch and more flexibility on snorkel stops.
Best hotels in Aitutaki
Pacific Resort Aitutaki
The genuine top tier, 29 beachfront bungalows and villas with Rapae Bay dining, a pool and a spa.
Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort
The only resort on its own motu, the whole of Akitua, with beachfront and overwater bungalows and real privacy.
Etu Moana Boutique Beach Villas - Adults Only
Eight adults only Polynesian villas on a white sand beach, with a pool, breakfast and free kayaks and bikes.
Tamanu Beach
The family capable resort base with two wings, a beachfront restaurant and its Thursday Island Fire night.
Resort Tava'e
A newer west coast resort with large spotless rooms, priced as the rising mid tier to check against Tamanu.
Aitutaki Village
A small family resort on O'otu Beach with the Blue Lagoon restaurant and free kayaks and paddleboards.
Ranginui's Retreat
Eight self catering beachfront bungalows at O'otu with kitchenettes, a pool and Wet and Wild on site.
Paradise Cove Lodges
Locally owned self catering beachfront bungalows with sunset views and whales passing the reef in season.
Is Aitutaki expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NZ$180 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NZ$480 a person |
| Splurge | NZ$1,150 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Teking Lagoon Tours: a few days ahead
- The Vaka Cruise: a few days ahead
- Bishops Cruises: a few days ahead
- Sailing Aitutaki: a few days ahead
- Bonefish E2's Way: weeks ahead
- Kiteboard Aitutaki: a few days ahead
- Wet & Wild Aitutaki: a few days ahead
- Bubbles Below: a few days ahead
- Book Rarotonga flights, Pacific Resort and Etu Moana well ahead in the May to October peak.
- Book Teking, bonefishing guides and kite lessons early, and put the lagoon cruise early in the stay so weather can move it.
- Book every dinner in a short stay, especially at resort restaurants and Avatea.
Is Aitutaki safe?
- Wear a helmet on a scooter even though outer island use is lax, watch for dogs, gravel and potholes, and never ride after drinking.
- Serious medical cases are evacuated to Rarotonga and onward to Auckland, so insurance covering evacuation and scooter riding is essential.
- Clean coral cuts immediately and seriously, and snorkel with a buddy in daylight inside the reef.
Aitutaki travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Planning a cruise, a booked dinner and an arrival all on a Sunday, when most of the island is closed.
- Leaving the lagoon cruise to the last full day, when wind or a cyclone shower can cancel it with no backup day.
- Assuming Aitutaki has hostel dorms or a late night scene. It has neither.
Getting around Aitutaki: public transport and more
- Air Rarotonga flies Rarotonga to Aitutaki in about 50 minutes, several times a day on busy days and fewer on quiet ones.
- Hire a scooter, bicycle or small car on the island. The loop takes about an hour by scooter with stops.
- Most accommodation includes or offers airport transfers for the short drive to either coast.
Who Aitutaki suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Aitutaki your trip
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