Aitutaki is the stuff of dreams.
It first came on to my radar when I started kitesurfing in Dahkla and wanted inspiration for my next kitesurfing spot. I saw a video on Aitutaki with its incredible blue lagoon that made my jaws drop. I had never even heard of the Cook Islands before this but I knew that one day I had to visit. It looked like an absolute dream for kitesurfers and beach lovers alike.
Fast forward some years, and I finally made it! While I couldn’t kitesurf since there was a tropical cyclone for half of my stay, I was still able to witness the world famous lagoon and its absolutely breathtaking colors.
The water transitions from white to light blue, to turquoise, and to the ocean blues. The lagoon is famous because of its shallow ankle high waters that extend for hundreds of meters out into the open ocean. It’s like a stadium sized sandbank in the middle of the ocean.
I spent 5 nights in Aitutaki and the days flew by. Every day was a beach day on the best beaches I have ever seen!
How to get to Aitutaki?
The only way to get to Aitutaki is a flight via Rarotonga. Thankfully, Air Rarotonga has a dozen or so flights a day to Aitutaki. This 45 minute flight is a beautiful one at that. Make sure to sit on the left side of the plane on the Raro to Aitutaki leg as you’ll see the Lagoon from high above.
It’s something spectacular.
Make sure to book flights in advance especially during the high season when they can book out. Flights are generally between $200-250 NZD one way.
Rarotonga is also worth visiting as you’ll need to pass by it regardless. However, if you have less than a week, I can definitely recommend to spend more time on Aitutaki than Rarotonga.
Where to stay in Aitutaki?
Aitutaki is a small island but there is a clear winner in the best areas to stay on the island.
Firstly, you can’t really go wrong with any part of the island since the entire island is surrounded by one of the most beautiful beaches in the world bar none.
However, the area around Ootu beach is without a doubt the most beautiful part of the island. This beach is located in the lagoon and is home to the famous sandbanks and shallow beach that extends hundreds of meters out into the ocean. This is why you come to Aitutaki after all.
Absolutely stay in the lagoon if you can. In addition, the Blue Lagoon restaurant and Cafe Koru are both in the lagoon which provide some of the best meals we had on the island.
We ended up staying on the west side of the island near to the airport. The beach on the west coast is also stunning and would rival any beach you can find in the world. We stayed at Aitutaki Seaside which are beachfront bungalows with breathtaking views over the ocean. It was also more affordable than many of the other options on the island.
However, the lagoon is what makes Aitutaki special and if I could do it over again, I would pay up and stay in the lagoon. We spent most of our days in the Lagoon anyhow.
Budget accommodations – $300 NZD and below
Mid level accommodation – $300 – 600 NZD
Luxury Accommodation – $600 NZD+
Where to eat in Aitutaki
For a small island in the South Pacific, I was very impressed with the food options Aitutaki had. Food was not only delicious, but there was more variety than I thought. I really do love the South Pacific cuisine as well which is all about fresh fish, coconut, rukao (local spinach), and cassava. Throw in some fresh chilies grown on the island and I’m set.
Blue Lagoon Restaurant
Blue Lagoon restaurant is located right in the famous lagoon on Ootu beach. The views from this restaurant might be some of the best you’ll find anywhere in the world. The searing blue and white water in front just makes you want to take photo after photo.
The food at Blue Lagoon was also some of our favorite. The chefs really know what they’re doing and they make delicious seafood and meat dishes. We ate here many times during our stay just because the views couldn’t be beat.
Avatea Cafe
Avatea Cafe is an institution on Aitutaki. It’s located in the middle of the island and has been beautiful decorated with reclaimed wood and fairy lights. It’s a wonderful place for all meals and our go to for morning coffees (although it was only open from 10am).
All the food at this restaurant are top tier from their curries to their burgers. In fact, their Island Mac burger is famous around the Cook Islands and I could see why. It reminded me of Fergburgers in Queenstown, New Zealand which ranked #1 for all burgers in the world.
Tava’e Restaurant
Tava’e is a must visit restaurant in Aitutaki. It’s a part of the Tava’e resort but the restaurant welcomes anyone. The restaurant faces the beach and the beachfront terrace is definitely the spot for sunset drinks.
The food is also amazing. I hate their grilled tuna over rukau and cassava which was a massive portion yet delicious.
Cafe Koru
Cafe Koru was our go to cafe in the morning that served a decent coffee and the best fish sandwiches on the island. It’s located right near the lagoon which and is open from 7:30am which is one of the earliest restaurants in the island.
Piraki Lookout Viewpoint
Piraki viewpoint is located in the center of the island at its highest point. The view here is nothing short of a miracle as you can see the entire lagoon and even other islands in the archipelago. The colors are really just unreal and pictures do not do it justice. How can something be so beautiful?
The Piraki Lookout can be accessed by car or you can hike from the town (30 minutes or so).
Where are the best beaches in Aitutaki?
Without a doubt, everyone comes to Aitutaki to kitesurf and to witness the best beaches in the world. Aitutaki is in fact an archipelago of many different islands. The best beaches are on the outer islands like Honeymoon island, One foot Island and more. You will need a boat transfer to access these beaches however (more on that later in the post).
The main island of Aitutaki where you will stay on is home to a beautiful lagoon that surrounds the island. The beaches on Aitutaki are also stunning, albeit nowhere has a large sandy beachfront.
Ootu beach is perhaps the most popular and famous of these beaches. Located on the eastern tip of the island just past the airport, Ootu beach is a essentially a huge sandbank. There isn’t much of a flat beach to lay out in unfortunately but the water is out of this world.
My next favorite beach is probably the beach in front of the Tava’e resort. The water here is absolutely crystal clear and stunning.
Beaches are public throughout the Cook Islands so you are welcome on any beach in Aitutaki. However, if you want to use the sun loungers at Tava’e resort, make sure to at least order some food or drinks.
Kitesurfing in Aitutaki
AItutaki is a kitesurfing paradise. Its lagoon is among the largest and shallowest in the world making it super easy for the entry kitesurfer. There’s nothing worse than falling a lot of and having trouble reaching your board. In Aitutaki, you won’t need to worry about that as you can just stand up and walk to your board.
Most of the kitesurfing in Aitutaki happens on Honeymoon Island. The Lagoon makes it the perfect place to kitesurf, not to mention the absolutely unreal scenery around you. I don’t htink you can find a bmore beautiful ktiesurf destination than in Aitutaki’s lagoon.
The best time of year to Kitesurf in Aitutaki is between July and October when the winds are consistent. In fact, I visited Aitutaki in January hoping to kitesurf and no one was going out.
There are very few kitesurf schools in Aitutaki given how few tourists visit the island so do not expect to be hanging out with loads of other kitesurfers.
For the most part, it seems like South Pacific Adventures is the main kitesurf shop on the island that offers lessons and kite rentals. They will run ferries to Honeymoon Island where you can kitesurf the day away. For the pros, you can even kitesurf directly from the main island of Aitutaki to Honeymoon island to get the day started.
Aitutaki Lagoon Tour
Aitutaki is world famous for its lagoon and no trip is complete without a proper lagoon tour. I would have done this every day if it was possible! Here is just how beautiful it can be from this reel I created:
Where to book a Aitutaki Lagoon Tour?
The Lagoon tour is the most popular thing to do in Aitutaki. There are operators that do this tour every day in some form. People will even fly from Rarotonga to Aitutaki for the day and do the lagoon cruise (which is very popular and very possible).
You can go with a larger tour operator like Bishop’s cruises or the Vaka Cruise where you are paired with others. The price for the Bishop’s cruise is roughly $150 NZD per person. The Vaka tour is a much higher $250+ NZD.
I opted to go with a private tour where it was just the three of us sailing around the lagoon. The private lagoon tour is the way to go as you are on a smaller boat that can travel faster and enter more shallow waters where the most beautiful places are. Plus having your own boat let’s you take amazing photos like this one.
I ended up going with Saint Tours headed by a guy named Ned. He is Aitutaki born and bred with endless knowledge about the island. I can’t stop raving about his trip because we got to see all the highlights of the lagoon including:
One Foot IslandMoturakauTekapuaHoneymoon Island
I will not say exactly how much I paid him so to not set a precedent but it was less than the other operators I contacted.
We spent the whole day out in the lagoon. Even though the tour was advertised as 5 hours, we were out for 6 hours and it felt like Ned would have easily spent more time out with us if we wanted. We called the day early because of the baby we had in the boat but otherwise I could stay out in the lagoon until nightfall!
Water taxis in Aitutaki
During the busy season, you can find companies that will run shuttle services between Aitutaki and the popular islands in the lagoon like Honeymoon island, One foot island, and others. You can find prices from various tour operators that will take you to somewhere like Honeymoon Island and leave you there for the day.
The prices generally range between $70-80 NZD per person for a round trip transfer. Not a bad way to spend the day.
How to get around Aitutaki
Aitutaki is a much smaller island but it is still big enough where you can’t walk from place to place. For example, if you’re staying on the west coast of Aitutaki and want to go to Oota Beach by the lagoon, you’re looking at a 1-2 hour walk which will not be fun in the crazy sun. There are no public buses in Aitutaki.
Car rentals on Aitutaki start at around $75-100 NZD a day. Scooter rentals are much cheaper at $25-$30 NZD or so. I always go for scooters as I love having the wind in my face while being able to soak in all the views.
I think renting transport in Aitutaki is more important especially if you’re not staying on the lagoon side. You’ll want to come to the lagoon area a lot.
When is the best time to visit the Cook Islands?
The Cook Islands are a year round tourist destination but like anywhere tropical, there are periods where there are sunnier days than others. Cook Islands is somewhere you’ll especially want to have sunny weather so you can really see the incredible colors of the beaches pop.
The dry season in the Cook Islands runs from April to October. During this period, you’ll have the highest chance of sun with warm temperatures and lower humidity. This period also brings in more tourists as it is the high season so you can expect more expensive accommodations as well.
The rainy season runs from November to March and is characterized by warmer temperatures and higher humidity. Rain showers are more frequent albeit not all the time. The tropical cyclone season is generally between January and March.
I visited in January and was caught in a tropical cyclone that lasted almost 1 week! I only have 3 days of nice weather out of 9. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose but at least we had a few good days to enjoy it!
I did visit Fiji in the dry season (August) and half the time I saw not so sunny conditions so you just never know especially in these days with climate change.
