Day Trip to Attituki

Attituki is one of the Cook Islands, about 40 minutes flight from the main island of Rarotonga. Its actually made up of a number of small islands and coral reefs surrounding an absolutely stunning lagoon. 

Attituki is really unspoilt - there are only a handful of small resorts, a few general stores, and the airport terminal is not much more than a shed. There are few places this beautiful that are less developed. 

We decided to take the day trip to Attituki on Air Rarotonga, which includes transfers to/from the airport, flights, an island tour of Aitutaki, a lagoon cruise and BBQ lunch, and snorkeling. We debated taking this trip given the cost for all 5 of us - especially since we figured we were already in paradise in Rarotonga. However, we're certainly glad we did!

After we arrived, we hopped into the back of our jeep for a tour of the main island, to the highest reachable point to get the lay of the land, and with a bit of history for interest. It was fairly overcast, and we even saw some drizzle, but we weren't going to let that dampen our spirits.

The lagoon cruise was on a catamaran, ideal for the shallow depths of the lagoon.We stopped a couple of times for snorkeling off the back, and to explore the pure white beaches. We had a great time letting the warm current take us through the channel, and then strolling back along the beach to our starting point.

We also stopped to get our passports stamped at the post office at One Foot Island.

A surprising highlight was the lunch: the BBQ tuna steaks, plantains, eggplant, and star fruit were to die for, and it rates as one of my all time favourite meals. As we ate, a couple of our guides strummed the ukulele, tapped the drums, and sang along.

If this doesn't make you forget about work, you need some serious help.