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AITUTAKI LAGOON RESORT
I also went to another island buffet, this time at the Aitutaki Lagoon Resort & Spa (their sister property was the Rarotongan, which I wrote about last week). It was about a 10-minute drive from Pacific Resort. And since it’s on an island, it requires a two-minute boat ride across the lagoon. There’s no waiting because the hotel staff know you’re coming: you’re either a guest or have pre-arranged for a day pass to access their beautiful beaches and equipment like snorkeling gear, kayaks, outrigger canoes, windsurfers and bicycles. The resort offers guests an unforgettable greeting and setting with a ton of open space and countless palm trees. One of the lodging options are overwater bungalows, which makes this place the only hotel in the Cook Islands to offer them. They are nice but not as glamorous as French Polynesia’s (there are no glass floors). The sunset was spectacular and their island show (Thursday night) was fun but a bit too long.



AITUTAKI LAGOON RESORT NIGHT
For dinner, we ate at the Bounty Restaurant, which overlooks Bligh's Beach and is named in honor of the HMS Bounty. That ship carried the first Europeans to Aitutaki just 17 days before the infamous mutiny. Dinner began with bruschetta, which should be illegal to make in the South Pacific; it just doesn’t belong here and they don’t make it properly. I had the beef, which is flown in from New Zealand and that plus the fresh fruit dessert made the meal fantastic. On the way back to our resort, I just couldn’t get over the sky. The stars were so bright they looked fake and the Milky Way looked like a cloud. What’s crazy is the sky was so bright that I saw a guy lying on the side of the road about three feet in, in the high grass. I didn’t know if he was dead or what. It turned out to be a drunk local who our driver knew. He said he was too tired to make it all the way home so we gave him a ride and he was really friendly. When we got out to help him, I noticed the island has huge land crabs the size of small Frisbees.

RENTING A SCOOTER OR CAR
There’s not a lot to do on Aitutaki; basically just relax and snorkel. You can rent a car, scooter or bicycle to drive around and explore the island and supposedly getting a license here is much cheaper and easier than on Rarotonga (no driving test required). And the license is good throughout the Cook Islands. FYI: Taxis are expensive on Aitutaki and rates are based on how far you go.

LAGOON TOUR
The best activity to do is to arrange for lagoon day tour. We were supposed to go aboard the Titi-Ai-Tonga-Vaka boat but my guide arranged for another smaller one because he heard the Titi-Ai-Tonga-Vaka was out of petrol. That indeed was the case the day before but the monthly gas supply (along with frozen food, beer …) had come in from New Zealand so it was up and running. It actually worked out better because this way, we got to experience both boats. The larger boat was more comfortable and it had a toilet but I liked the smaller boat better. Maybe because I just got to know our crew better, which was very cool: self proclaimed “Captain Awesome” and “Captain Cook” (the chef) and since it was so small we got to meet everyone. The other passengers were from Denmark, England, Sweden and Chile.

AKAIAMI
The ride to the first motu took about 45 minutes and it was calm and the colors were outrageous. The water didn’t splash over the sides at all and the plastic chairs were set up in a 2x2 configuration but guests can move them anywhere they want. We didn’t see any other boats out there but the Titi-Ai-Tonga-Vaka so it was like we had the ocean to ourselves. Our first stop was Akaiami which was made popular in the 1950s when it was used as a refueling stop for Tasman Empire Air Lines (TEAL), when they flew the Coral Route (Auckland, Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands and Tonga). The only remains are the remnants of the concrete jetty. These days there’s one simple, rustic lodging on this island and it was used for the contestants voted out of the Cook Island’s Survivor. They were sequestered in these cabins (free of charge!) for 39 days until filming wrapped. And you thought I had a tough job?

RAPOTA TO SNORKEL
The other islands we visited were Rakau, Rapota and Tapuaetai (One-Foot Island). One of them was renamed Shark Island for the popular British show Shipwreck. Most of these islands are volcanic filled mahogany trees. Basically, our day went like this: Captain Awesome dropped us off at a motu for 20 minutes or so, so we could explore, swim and chill while he dropped Captain Cook off to prepare lunch on One Foot Island. We then went to Rapota to snorkel. The Titi-Ai-Tonga-Vaka boat was anchored there as well and the big attraction, besides the coral, colorful fish, were the giant clams. The water is so warm in the Cook Islands that there was no need for a wet suit; it had to be 83 degrees or higher! In fact, the Danish guy actually thought it was too warm but I thought it was perfect. When one of the girls in our group complained that the water was stinging her eyes, I thought she was a nutcase but sure enough, it did for the first few seconds – it must have high salt content. The water wasn’t deep in most spots so you could stand on the soft sand (not on the reef) and there were no worries of stonefish here.

ONE FOOT ISLAND
For lunch, we went to Tapuaetai, otherwise known as One-Foot Island. Captain Cook had an elaborate and tasty lunch all set up. We had sliced fresh fruit like coconut, star fruit (it’s so sweet here), papaya and guava. Potato salad, coleslaw, donuts, bread and fresh tuna on the grill, which he called Kentucky Fried Tuna. They have a bar in which they sell drinks (they don’t offer drinks on the boat either so bring water): beer $5, water $4, soda $3 and a post office with Aitutaki stamps (NZ $0.90) hats and postcards. They even offer to not only stamp your postcards with a huge barefoot stamp but your passport. I passed as I’m pretty sure it’s illegal for an island (not a nation) to stamp your passport. Isn’t it? After lunch, we walked around the island (took about 45 minutes) and then went for a swim before heading back.

TITI-AI-TONGA-VAKA
On the way back, we took the Titi-Ai-Tonga-Vaka so we could try it out. The captain had his crew play music and games including one that taught people how to tie sarongs properly (supposedly there are over 400 ways). We left the island at 3pm and got back in the car at 4:18pm so we were a good ways out but what a way to spend a beautiful day in Aitutaki!

AITUTAKI TO RAROTONGA
The flight back to Rarotonga left 10 minutes early and again was smooth and not crowded (that’s because we took the morning flight). What’s interesting is the resort had a special waiting area in the airport. In Rarotonga, there are no signs to pick up checked luggage and no visible carousel at the domestic terminal so I just followed one of the other passengers, hoping they had checked a bag. It turns out they bring the bags around onto the street in a cart in the front of the airport. What a trip! Later that night, I flew home to the States aboard Air New Zealand. This time I didn’t get upgraded (space available upgrades cost $600 USD). The line to check in at the Business/Premier line took 25 minutes. Prior to checking in, passengers need to pay the departure tax: adults NZ$55, children 3-12 years NZ $15.

RAROTONGA AIRPORT
The agent at the security check busted me for my over-the-limit bottles of OFF and sunscreen, which was surprising because they never catch me at home. The agent said, “Your country made the rules!” It was actually England; I was in the airport the day it happened. For international flights, they have the same tedious rules as we do: shoes off, computer out and belt off. There are a few little stores in which to buy knickknacks and snacks. I bought water for $2.

FLIGHT HOME
The Air New Zealand flight crew were as friendly as they were on the way down and the food was just as good, even in coach. I had chicken lasagna for dinner and pancakes with Manuka honey for breakfast. They offered the same entertainment system, just on a smaller TV and I watched an unedited copy of The Wrestler. I didn’t realize there would be some risqué scenes in there and when Marisa Tomei was stark naked, the guy next to me looked at me like I was watching porn. I kept trying to cover my screen up with a pillow. Flight time was a quick 8 hours and 25 minutes and we landed an hour early. How do you like that? Air New Zealand is offering a deal right now for roundtrip tickets from Los Angeles to the Cook Islands for $978(USD) roundtrip. Tickets must be purchased by July 15, 2009 for travel commencing August 16 to September 27, 2009. To book, please visit AirNewZealand.com.

VIDEO
Here's a four-minute Johnny Jet video of my trip to Aitutaki. We also have all the Johnny Jet videos ever made on YouTube.

NEXT WEEK
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Note: This trip was sponsored in part by Cook Islands Tourism & AirNewZealand.com.





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