Aitutaki: the most beautiful lagoon in the world?

Stunning white beaches, perpetually mild climate, a huge triangular lagoon embracing an unknown number of motus (islets) that seem to float on these transparent waters. One of the last havens sea, among the most beautiful in the world, to live, to hear, to taste. To never forget.

Imagine yourself alone on a strip of white sand surrounded by a sea that could not be more transparent.

Imagine walking into this warm water and clear to get to an island green and uninhabited.

no, you’re not dreaming. You’re in paradise. You Aitutaki, one of the 15 islands in the Cook Islands.

The beauty this island is disarmingly volcanic “dressed” by lush greenery, surrounded by a vast and spectacular lagoon full of fish and small islands (motu) uninhabited placed inside the reef Aitutaki is undoubtedly the pearl of Polynesia New Zealand, less than an hour’s flight north of Rarotonga.

Aitutaki has a peculiar beauty represented by its triangular lagoon, one of the most beautiful seascapes in the entire Pacific Ocean. The crystal clear water temperature is always pleasant and dreamy depths inhabited by fish varieties, beautiful shells and turtles, are a paradise for those who love to swim, snorkel, dive or fish. But this gem of the South Seas is also interesting from a historical point of view because it has several marae (places for religious gatherings before the Europeans) are open to visitors, and, finally, offers some of the shows of music and dance most beautiful archipelago of the Cook Islands, the ‘island nights’.

When you’re lucky enough to spend some’ time in one of the most beautiful lagoons in the world the best thing to do is explore and enjoy it to the full, with a mini day cruise that will take you to the motu more remote, Honeymoon Island, white strip of sand that emerges 10cm blue water, where you can also get married. From here, walk to the water, you reach One Foot Island, the only inhabited island in the world to have a post office where you can send postcards and make you stamp the passports.

The island is crossed by a network of roads which allows to reach isolated villages and plantations bicycle, scooter, car or on organized tours by 4×4. The main village of Aitutaki Arutanga is where you will find the oldest church in the Cook Islands and one of the most beautiful, built in 1828, with different objects of carved wood and stained glass windows. This is where the Sunday morning the inhabitants gather for mass. The local women wear colorful dresses and fancy hats with inserts of black pearl and sing songs engaging.

The “Maungapu” at the northern end of the island, has a height of only 125 meters and, according to legend, is the summit of Peak Raemaru Rarotonga, brought here in the loot by the victorious warriors Aitutaki. Well worth the climb to the top (with an easy hike for half an hour) to admire the breathtaking views of the lagoon and its motu 360 °.

Do not miss the magic of sunsets, surrounded by an almost unreal silence, when the sky begins to be dyed red tones to darken and give millions of stars , making you experience the feeling of touching the sky.

If you want the nightlife, some Aitutaki is not the destination for you, but every night there are several hotels in the folk dances of Polynesia, or you can listen to a bit ‘of music in any room, in the company of the inhabitants, hospitable people and spontaneous, with whom to spend some time and rediscover the true values of life, here at a rate wonderfully slow.

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