As 1998 drew to a close, we found ourselves on a tiny speck of land in the South Pacific named Aitutaki - a member in good standing of New Zealand's own Cook Islands.  For us Aitutaki was simply a warm-up on our way to a full scale, soul-shakedown New Year's Eve party in nearby Rarotonga.   From Los Angeles, it took a mere 10 hours of Air New Zealand hospitality and one bonus hour of rattley puddle-jumper before we touched down on the island's desolate coral runway.  When we finally get here, we knew we were truly far from home.  The atmosphere on Aitutaki is relaxed and remote, the lagoon is colorful and tranquil, the sunsets are spectacular, and the locally brewed Cook's Lager is cold and plentiful.  This is not an bustling island by any stretch, rather it is an excellent escape.

We stayed at the Aitutaki Lagoon Resort which is comprised of a handful of individual huts sprinkled under a grove of well manicured coconut palms surrounded by white sand beaches.  The huts weren't elaborate, but plenty large and each came with modern conveniences like air-conditioning and mini-refrigerators.  The resort was very pleasant with a fresh water swimming pool and central dining room for relaxed, open air dining and dancing.  The crown jewel of the resort though, was the bamboo bar built right on the electric blue lagoon.  Hooray!

Somehow we managed to spend quite a bit of time relaxing.  We spent the days lazing in patches of the bright island sun, or swinging in strategically placed hammocks stretched between the swaying palms or soaking in the refreshing lagoon.  The evenings were dedicated to long slow dinners and rectifying neglected reading lists.

Did I mention that there was a cool pier-bar right on the freakin' beach?  I guess I did.  Well we found it.  We found it agreeable.  We found it early and we found it often. And even in the busy season, we often had the bar to ourselves.

There are essentially two ways to get around this island: by boat (which took us on a very cool day trip to nearby One Foot Island), and by scooter (which took us everywhere else we wanted to go - including to restaurants and a local grocery store to get even more beer).

All in all, we had a great time in Aitutaki.   Without doubt, the experience only left us eager to explore other islands in the South Pacific sooner rather than later.  Have any questions?  Feel free to email us!