On the island of Aitutaki, Sunday best still means flip flops, hermit crabs are fiercely competitive, and the lagoon glows in a hundred shades of blue. This is island life at its best and most unforgettable.
If you would prefer to listen to this story rather than read it, simply press play below and skip forward to the 3:50 mark.
With my eyes closed, I listen to the harmonies soar to the heavens, then come back down, pulled by the deep voices of the men in a call-and-response type church hymn. I have no idea what they are singing, but the positivity shines through and I am enthralled by every single word.
Why wear fancy shoes?
I open my eyes and notice an amusing contrast to the singing congregants’ Sunday bests. Despite the dresses and suits, bright hats adorned with fragrant flowers, and hankies to wipe the sweat from their brows when the humidity is too much to bear, the entire congregation is wearing flip flops. It’s unexpected and totally appropriate for the island of Aitutaki in the Cook Islands.
Why would anyone need shoes when there are no snakes or poisonous spiders? And why bother wearing fancy shoes when they will only sink in the sand?
The light filters through the stained-glass windows in squares of red, blue, green and yellow. Clearly, the small boy three rows in front is not entertained by this subtle light show. He keeps sliding off the pew and running up and down the aisle. His mother, exasperated by his selective hearing, grabs his ear as he makes his next pass and pulls him down next to her. I watch amused as she mouths some stern words, but cannot hear exactly what is being said over the glorious singing.
I wonder if it would work on my kids? The only reason they haven’t joined in is that I have carefully placed myself at the end of the pew to block their escape.
I don’t think I have ever enjoyed church this much in my life!
Aitutaki’s lagoon is widely considered one of the most beautiful
Aitutaki is indeed one of the most enchanting islands on this planet, with a lagoon that is regularly voted as one of the most beautiful. Most people visit on a day trip from Rarotonga, but this is not anywhere near enough time to experience even half of what this island has to offer.
A lagoon tour is a must here. We jumped on board with Bishop’s cruises for a private tour, ensuring we could be flexible with two young kids. Whilst the morning was enjoyable, the highlight was One Foot Island.
One Foot Island is a true island paradise. It has swaying coconut trees, white sand and is surrounded by a lagoon with infinite shades of blue. My moment of relaxation was interrupted by the kids, of course.
‘’Mum, will you help me find a better crab? This one is too slow!”
The kids have been racing hermit crabs daily since we arrived in the Cook Islands and for some reason, the ones on Aitutaki seem to be on steroids. The thing about hermit crabs is though, the bigger they are, the slower they seem to be.
Basically, you draw a circle in the sand, place your chosen hermit crab in the middle, and wait to see if it has what it takes to make it out of the circle first.
Crabby McCrab Face for the win
‘’What’s your crab’s name, Mum?’’ my little girl asks. She only just turned three yesterday and seems to particularly enjoy naming the crabs.
‘’Um, Speedy!’’ I reply.
‘’You can’t have that name. That’s my crab’s name!’’ my son pipes up with.
‘’Ok. Ok. Um. I’ve got it! Crabby McCrab Face!’’ They both look at me like I’ve committed some kind of sin. I don’t care. I like my crab’s name and I’m getting into the spirit of it now. All three of us crowd around the circle drawn in the sand and cheer on our chosen crab.
‘’Go Crabby McCrab Face!’’
‘’Go Speedy!’’
‘’Lightning, Go!’’
My son is jumping up and down in excitement. His crab is about the size of my fist and has a decent-sized, roundish shell on its back. He is convinced that bigger means better.
I’ve chosen the smallest crab. It’s no bigger than the tip of my finger and has a pointy ended cone shape shell for its abode. My crab is by far the fastest. Crabby McCrab Face is out of the circle and making a break for freedom before the other two have even hit the halfway point.
Snorkelling in Aitutaki’s lagoon
At this point, my husband strolls casually up the beach towards us with an amused expression on his face. Whilst I’ve been enjoying the sun, sand, shallow water and crabs, he has been snorkelling out in the deeper section of the lagoon.
He convinces me to have a go, but now that I’m going, the kids want to go as well. All four of us put snorkelling gear on and our two youngest family members hitch a ride on our backs. It’s not even 20 metres from the shore of our beautiful tropical paradise and we are swimming over giant clams and among giant trevally.
One Foot Island has a little something for everyone, including the ability to have your passport officially stamped with a big ‘’foot’’ as evidence you were there. I’m incredibly disappointed when our boat driver comes back for us. Apparently, he must get back, as he has a wedding party to transport.
Upon return, we pass the bride and groom in their finery, posing for photographs on a perfectly shaped round sandbar. The groom is wearing dress pants and a pressed white shirt. The bride looks stunning, wearing a red island-style dress. They couldn’t have picked a better backdrop for their photographs.
Most of the activities on Aitutaki centre around the lagoon, which, at 74 square kilometres, is so large that Rarotonga, the largest island in the Cooks, can fit inside it. Aitutaki is dwarfed by it at just 18 square kilometres in size.
It’s not all about the lagoon
It’s not all about the water, though. Hiking up the island’s highest point, Maungapu Hill, will reward you with great 360-degree views of the lagoon. Whilst steep, at only 124metres, even my five-year-old managed it with no help whatsoever.
I enjoy eating here just as much as I enjoy the island’s other activities. This is, in part due to the Boat Shed Bar and Grill, which has quickly become our regular restaurant.
The Ikamata is a firm favourite, consisting of local raw fish marinated in fresh lime juice and mixed with garden herbs and vegetables, served with coconut sauce. It’s presented beautifully inside a half coconut and served with island-style chips on the side.
Slowing down to island time is a must here, as is breathing in the fresh air, drinking straight from a coconut, and tucking into a massive fish burger in beachfront restaurants.
If you do visit Aitutaki, make sure you stay a few nights. And if you see Crabby McCrab Face, make sure you say ‘’Kia Orana’’ for me.
This story first appeared in Escape Cook Islands Magazine.
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