Other Islands
Aitutaki and other Cook Islands
| A visit to the Cook Islands is not complete without seeing the beautiful island of Aitutaki, which is less than an hour's flight from Rarotonga. The breathtaking allure of its crystal clear turquoise waters and sparkling white beaches is an essential ingredient in any Cook Island holiday. This is a place of unsurpassed natural beauty and tranquility, providing a simple tonic to sooth away the pressures of the outside world.
Maungapu is Aitutaki's highest hill. The spectacular lagoon (45 kilometres around) you view from the peak is abundant with coloured fish of many varieties, its perimeter sprinkled with many small, charming and accessible, uninhabited islands. Air Rarotonga has regular scheduled flights from Rarotonga up to four or five times daily to Aitutaki (except Sunday). Day trips from Rarotonga to Aitutaki are also available. This entails departing Rarotonga at 8:00am and returning at 5:30pm. The Day Tour package is inclusive of hotel transfers, airfares, island tour, lagoon cruise, snorkelling and lunch. MangaiaThe southernmost and the second largest of the Cook Islands, Mangaia has many caves. There are various tours carried out on the island including a variety of cave tours, a 4-wheel Safari cross-island tour, special interest tours, and beach and inland picnic tours. AtiuThe island of birds and legends - Atiu - is the third largest in the group. Home of Takutea, a sanctuary supporting such exotic birds as the Tavake, White Capped Noddy, the Great Frigate and the Brown Bobby - highly recommended. MaukeNon-commerical and with a relaxed pace of life, Mauke offers peace and seclusion 'off the beaten track'. Three villages - Areora, Ngatiarua and Kimiangatau are close to the western coast of the island. MitiaroThe small tight-knit community shows its pride in the neatness of the villages, Takaue and Arai. Life in Mitiaro very much revolves around the village. |
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Takutea
A sanctuary declared to protect the breeding site of a number of seabirds.
Manuae
Declared a marine reserve.
Palmerston
The small population speak a unique local dialect, a mixture of Cook Island and English languages. Accessible only by sea, a few adventurous travelers visit the island each year to experience life on this remote outpost.
Suwarrow
Now a conservation reserve, Suwarrow was for many years the home of a hermit, Tom Neale, who wrote of his life in An island to oneself.
Nassaus
A small island in the satellite community of Pukapuka with a population of approximately 100 people. Access is limited.
Pukapuka
Renowned for its unusual social customs, the population has preserved innovative ways of sustaining a comfortable life almost oblivious to the outside world.
Manihiki
At the heart of our pearl industry, Manihiki is a large atoll with a deep lagoon. This houses the farms for our world-acclaimed cultured black pearls. Produced only in the Cook Islands and French Polynesia, they are sought after throughout the world.
Rakahanga
Rakahanga is an atoll with a picturesque, almost totally enclosed lagoon. Access is limited.
Tongareva, otherwise known as Penrhyn
The northern most island of the Cook Islands, Tongareva has the largest lagoon area of the Cook Island's atolls, measuring some 18 miles across with depths of up to 350 feet.
Source: cook-islands.com