Aitutaki, Cook Islands

Our first stop in the Cook Islands was Aitutaki. To be honest, we didn't arrive with particularly high expectations. Several sailors we had met along the way told us they hadn't really enjoyed their stay. Some even said they would skip the Cook Islands altogether if they ever crossed the Pacific again. The challenging harbor entrance certainly didn't help Aitutaki's reputation either.

After our own rather eventful arrival, we could definitely understand why the harbor had earned its reputation. But as for the island itself? We couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised.

Walking Around the Island

On our first full day, we decided to do something that apparently nobody else does: walk around Aitutaki. The weather couldn't have been much better. A few passing rain showers, some clouds here and there, but mostly sunshine without the unbearable tropical heat and humidity. Perfect hiking weather. We started along the main road before making our way up one of Aitutaki's highest hills. "Mountain" might be a slight exaggeration, but after weeks on a sailboat, every uphill feels like a mountain!

One of the first things we noticed was just how incredibly friendly everyone was. Before arriving, I had joked with Alex that maybe he should stop waving at every single person we passed. Surely people would think we were in trouble or were lost. Turns out... Alex fit right in here. Everyone waved and smiled. And when I say everybody, I mean EVERYBODY. People driving by on scooters greeted us like old friends. And scooters really are the vehicle of choice here. Young or old, men or women, it seemed like every single person owned one.

As we walked up this "Mountain", we were surrounded by chickens. Hundreds of them. Nearly every property also seemed to have pigs, goats, and even some cows. It felt like the entire island was one big, beautifully kept farm. At the top, we reached a small lookout point with a bench overlooking the lagoon. Although yachts aren't allowed to take their own dinghies into the lagoon itself, we could still admire the endless shades of turquoise from above. It was one of those places where you simply sit in silence for a while.

Getting Lost... Kind Of

Instead of turning back, we decided to continue across the island toward the east coast. At least, that was the plan. Eventually our path disappeared into dense vegetation. The trail was completely overgrown, and without a machete there was absolutely no chance of getting through. As we turned around, a local man happened to come by on his motorcycle. He stopped, asked where we were trying to go, and happily explained another route down the hill. Another example of the kindness we experienced everywhere on Aitutaki.

His directions led us down a winding path through lush green forest. Palm trees, tropical plants, birds singing, insects buzzing everywhere. It was absolutely beautiful.

Hermit Crab Jackpot

Once we reached the eastern side of the island, we decided to avoid the road and instead walk along the shoreline. It turned out to be one of our favorite parts of the day. We wandered through ankle-deep water with palm trees on one side and the brilliant blue lagoon on the other. Tiny as well as quite large crabs kept disappearing into their holes every time we came near. Then Alex spotted it. An absolutely enormous hermit crab. His day had officially peaked.

Eventually we returned to the road and continued back towards the harbor. Along the way several cars stopped just to ask whether everything was alright. Apparently walking anywhere on Aitutaki is highly unusual. Near the harbor, when our legs were finally beginning to protest, an older lady stopped and offered us a ride to the supermarket. Since we planned to go there anyway, we gladly accepted. The funny part? She turned out to be Austrian and had been living on Aitutaki for more than thirty years. Suddenly I was speaking German in the middle of the Cook Islands. When she later asked Alex, in German, to help carry some of the fruit she was selling into the store, his carefully maintained disguise as "the American who doesn't speak German" instantly fell apart. Alex carried in all the boxes, which the lady was more than thankful about and after stocking up on a few snacks, we walked back to the boat. Our first impression of Aitutaki?

Beautiful. Clean. Well cared for. And home to some of the friendliest people we've met anywhere in the Pacific.

Island Celebrations

That evening the island was hosting one of its regular community gatherings with food, music, and live performances.

Unfortunately, we learned an important lesson: on small islands, if you're late for the barbecue (45min late), the barbecue is already gone.

Luckily there were still desserts left, and we got to enjoy a performance by what we were told is the best college drum group in the Cook Islands. The band was from the local Aitutaki collage and they certainly sounded incredible.

A Rainy BBQ

The following day, we had been invited over for a barbecue aboard another cruising sailboat. Alex had already prepared his famous soy-ginger marinated lamb chops, so all we needed was a few side dishes. We spent the morning trying to find some fresh vegetables, something that has become surprisingly difficult throughout many Pacific islands. Much of the fresh produce and freshly caught fish ends up in the hotels, leaving fairly limited options for both locals and cruisers. While we didn't have much luck in the vegetable department, we were able to stock up on a few other essentials.

Before heading back to the boat, we also had to check out of the Cook Islands. Since the following day was a local holiday, followed by the weekend, and we planned to leave on Saturday, we needed to complete all the paperwork early. Our next destination was Palmerston Atoll, but we still hadn't received confirmation that we were allowed to stop there. The friendly lady at the customs office made a few phone calls on our behalf, and after a short wait she came back with good news, they gave us verbal permission to visit. That was all we needed. Thank you!

In the evening, just as we were about to hop into the dinghy and head over to our friends' boat...it started raining. Of course it did. Thankfully, they had a beautiful 57-foot sailboat with a huge covered cockpit, so the weather hardly mattered. Alex fired up the grill. Soon we were enjoying soy-ginger lamb chops, grilled corn, sausages, beef skewers, and a few well-earned drinks. We spent hours talking about sailing, travel, life, and just about everything else. At some point we moved below deck, admired their beautifully designed boat, opened another round of beers, and before we knew it, it was one o'clock in the morning. Outside, the rain kept falling. Inside, nobody cared.

A Celebration of the Island Chiefs

The next morning came far too early. That day Aitutaki was hosting an especially important event. Island chiefs from across the Cook Islands had gathered for speeches, ceremonies, and celebrations. It was the first time Aitutaki had hosted the event, and we were lucky enough to be here for it. At seven in the morning the ceremonies began with the raising of three flags, one for the Cook Islands, one for the House of Ariki (the traditional chiefs), and one for the church, followed by formal speeches.

We spent most of the day preparing Tauha for departure, with a little help from one of our neighbors, who even took me on her scooter to another grocery store where canned food was a bit cheaper. That evening we headed back for the main celebrations. We weren't entirely sure where everything was happening, but once we heard the distant sound of drums, we simply followed the music. It led us to the local high school grounds, where people from different islands had prepared an unbelievable feast. There was whole roasted pig, fresh fish, papaya salad, taro dishes, coconut desserts, banana pudding, tropical fruits, far more food than we could ever taste. While everyone filled their plates, local musicians played traditional songs and dancers performed beautiful Cook Islands dances. One of the local women responsible for organizing the food noticed that we clearly had no idea what was happening during the speeches. She sat down beside us, translated parts of the ceremony, explained the traditions, and chatted with us throughout the evening. Again, complete strangers treating us like friends. Every few minutes someone walked past telling us: "Eat more!" When we insisted we were already full, they looked genuinely disappointed. Another fun detail: almost everyone simply ate with their hands. Forks and knives weren't really part of the experience.

Walking back to the harbor after dark was magical. The Milky Way stretched brightly across the sky while the lagoon lay completely calm. Even during this short walk, four different cars stopped to ask if we needed a lift. Apparently, choosing to walk anywhere on Aitutaki remains highly suspicious. One man who had moved to the island years ago later told us that when he once walked to visit a neighbor instead of taking his scooter, his neighbor asked how he had managed to get to his house. We finally understood why everyone had been so concerned about us.

Time to Say Goodbye

The next morning, the wind never really arrived, but the waves certainly did. Rather than forcing our departure through rough conditions, we decided to stay one extra day, finish a few small jobs aboard Tauha, and enjoy one final peaceful day in paradise. On Sunday, the weather finally cooperated. One of our neighboring boats departed first, giving us a little more room to maneuver. Another sailor, the same one who had helped us squeeze into the harbor days earlier and had invited us for BBQ, once again stood on the dock to catch and throw our lines as we prepared to leave. Anchor up. Bow toward the reef pass. One final wave goodbye. We carefully motored through the narrow channel, reached the open ocean, hoisted the sails, and watched beautiful Aitutaki slowly disappear behind us. Our next destination? The tiny, remote atoll of Palmerston.

If you’d like to read more, follow our journey, and support what we do, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on social media. Every bit of encouragement helps keep the adventure going and we’d love to have you aboard!