Overview
Take a trip to Aitutaki on your Cook Islands Vacation
Situated north of the main Cook Island, Rarotonga and 45 minutes away by plane, the island of Aitutaki is internationally renowned for its stunning lagoon, coral reefs and small islets. It has been described as picture-perfect and breathtakingly beautiful. On a Cook Islands vacation, this is because of its exotic palm-fringed beaches and the turquoise-coloured sea lapping against its shores. It is almost totally surrounded by a coral reef.
It is the second most visited island in the Cook Islands and was featured on the hit television show, “Survivor”. Visitors here can enjoy snorkeling trips and boat cruises to the deserted islets on a Cook Islands vacation. The best known is One Foot Island, reached also by a sandbank and voted Australasia’s leading beach.
The island’s rural back-roads are fascinating to explore as well as the many interesting marae (sacred meeting grounds) and beautiful coral walled churches. You can rent a bike, scooter or car and go exploring. Two major sports in the Cook Islands are scuba diving and saltwater fly fishing. For golf enthusiasts, there is a 9-hole golf course.
At a Glance
Languages
English, MaoriCurrency
New Zealand Dollar (NZD)What do the experts say?
Te Maeva Nui is the Cook Islands' biggest annual cultural celebration, held every August to mark the anniversary of the nation's self-governance. The festival features colourful parades, traditional music and dance, handicrafts, and local food. It’s a vibrant showcase of the islands’ heritage and community spirit. Attending Te Maeva Nui gives travellers a unique chance to see the culture come alive and connect with locals in a joyful, festive setting
The islands are deeply Christian, and on Sundays almost everything shuts down — shops, cafés, tours. Instead, visitors are welcome to attend vibrant church services full of incredible a cappella singing. It’s one of the most authentic cultural experiences you can have.
Most Popular Time to Travel
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Place
Conditions
Daily max temperatureMonthly rainfall
AitutakiOccasional Showers
23°C / 74°F
86mm / 3.4"
Weather data is based on monthly averages.Popularity rating
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ExcellentBased on 5,156 ReviewsAfter spending some time with our agent, we felt that she understood exactly what we had in mind as far as the level of service, etc, we were hoping for. The trip exceeded our expectations. Lori kept us busy(not too busy!) and we had many, many very exciting experiences. Bruce BelshawAylin is an exceptionally proficient advisor. Coordinating my clients simultaneously often feels like herding cats, but she has remained patient and accommodating through every modification and delay. Goway continues to be my go-to for complex itineraries, and they never disappoint.Nick Cron, ACCMahalo Goway Travel for helping in planning our group Japan's trip. Lawrence was very helpful & patient with all the changes & additions we did. Also, mahalo to Natasa who helped planned my Australia trip past November. The planning from transportation to tours to hotels worked very smoothly. I'll continue to use Goway travel for all my International trips. I'll also will recommend to my friends & family to use Goway...MahaloTanya LaguatanMaria Spitman was wonderful to work with. She was very helpful in designing our trip to Japan and equally wonderful when we had to cancel it. I loved the service she gave us.Sandy WarrenMy daughter and I had a wonderful 2 weeks in New Zealand! The country is so beautiful and the people so friendly. Our destination specialist did a great job with planning and organizing the itinerary, choosing our hotels, and organizing transportation. The hotels were absolutely beautiful and we had great views. We felt right at home and found all of the staff to be friendly and accommodating. There were no issues with our itinerary and our excursions we were always on the list. Our transportation was always ready and waiting for us.
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It was a memorable trip that we will never forget and we will think of Goway when we plan our next adventure. Because it was not just a vacation; it was an adventure!Connie WenhardtWe had a great travelling experience with GoWay !
Thank you all involved in organazing our trip!MaiaBrigitta Fuller is Amazing! She was my group coordinator. She understood the assignment and all the nuances I was trying to achieve. The itinerary she curated was fantastic. If you want someone who truly cares about her group and what they are trying to achieve. I will always reach out to Brigitta first for Europe groups. Kathryn WalkerMy clients had a wonderful time on their trip to Easter Island. They were very pleased with the Hare Nua Hotel Boutique and especially noted the warmth and hospitality of the hotel staff as well as their excellent breakfasts.
Jaime Vargas-Hendandez was an exceptionally gracious and knowledgeable agent, who went out of his way to ensure that my clients had the best possible experience. I will definitely contact him for future bookings and will recommend him to my colleagues.Alethea KardasWe were just back from an ambitious 42-day grand circle through seven of the ASEAN countries! An itinerary gestating over a period of time, carefully planned and pore over intently all the way through proved satisfying as expected, but the amazing "embarras de richesse" in six weeks such as we've never experienced before truly went beyond our imagination, both in terms of scenery and culture! The vast majority of the local teams who work with Goway provided impressive service throughout our stay, and quite a number of the guides and drivers deserve to be called cream of the crop in their line of work. But ultimately, we owe our destination specialist Taryn a profound gratitude for her insight and for her coordination efforts which made all this possible.
When our debit card was not retrievable in an airport ATM Taryn again went out of her way to approve a small loan through transfer to our local guide's bank account, who then withdrew cash from an ATM while we simply paid Goway Travel by credit card through an online payment link. This helped us tremendously through that difficult moment. We will always treasure this kindness on her part.Yuan LinAlice was most helpful - full of insider suggestions.
She was a good listener and able to provide tours, routes and guides tailored to our interests. She made our February trip to New Zealand entirely wonderful.
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