Aitutaki - Docking
A channel dredging project was underway in July 2023 to deepen the channel to six metres, widen it to 15 metres and install new light polls.
See the following news item for the latest information and updates from cruisers who visited in July 2023.
Channel Dredging Part of new Port Project
Anchorages
It is possible to anchor inside the harbour in 10 – 12ft of water with your stern close to the new southern wharf. However, there is no place to secure sterns to the wharf.
Due to the port upgrades – the new wharf that is being constructed almost completely encloses the harbour – and swinging room is tight.
Boats too large or with the deeper draft (more than two meters) should anchor outside the reef to the south of the channel (there is a shallower area also on the North side, but a real trap for anchors as poor holding and isolated coral heads have been reported here.
Fees are charged to anchor here. See the user comments section (speech bubble icon) for the latest news from cruisers. (July 2023)
Lagoon Access
Only Cook Islands citizens and residents are allowed to operate motorboats, including dinghies, in the lagoon.
This means taking a water taxi to the best kite spots and using a dive operator to take you to dive locations. Cost is $40pp.
Last updated: July 2023
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Related to following destinations: Aitutaki, Cook Islands, Southern Cook Islands
Port Navigation
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The harbor and channel at Aitutaki are currently undergoing changes.
Channel Depth: There is a dredge currently dredging the channel. We spoke to the dredge operator over the radio and inquired about the channel depth. The operator assured us the depth was 4-5 meters all the way into the harbor. Although we had no difficulty carrying our 6.5′ (2m) draft through the channel into town, our sonar gave a least depth of 5.9′ or 1.8 meters. The boat did not act as if it had contacted the bottom so we suspect the bottom is very soft and that we pushed through a shallow spot that had silted up. Unclear how deep the channel really is, but we had no difficulty. We should note we had approximately 1 foot of tide in our favor at the time.
Channel Markers:
There is a green flashing light at the entrance to the channel that is not shown on the chart.
While reports indicate the channel is marked with stakes on one side, that no longer seems to be the case. We encountered stakes in gated pairs showing both sides of the channel all the way into the harbor. Yeah!
Anchoring inside the Reef:
The anchorage shown on the charts does not seem to be available anymore.
The Harbor:
There are two new jetties or wharfs which are not shown on any charts. One extends out from the inner harbor along the north (port hand when entering) side of the channel. The dredge was working on both deepening the channel and building this jetty. There is also a new wharf that wraps around the southern part of the harbor. This wharf cuts through or abuts the anchorage shown on the chart.
Where to Anchor:
We are anchored, along with another boat, inside the harbor. We are both anchored in 10′-12′ of water with our sterns close to the new southern wharf. There is no place to secure our sterns to the wharf, but if there were a few more boats we might all need to set anchors or stakes on the wharf to keep sterns from swinging.
Plans:
We are told the plan is for a new yacht basin north of the north jetty, which is under construction. When that basin is complete yachts will be expected to use that basin and will no longer be allowed into the basin where we are currently anchored. It will be a while until the planned yacht basin is complete, though…
We visited Aitutaki, two mooring spots where shown on our electronic Charts. Upon arrival, we could not find any moorings so we had to anchor. Later on, when we were snorkeling, we saw what was left of the mooring lines.
So please be aware that you will have to anchor about 30 meters off the reef if your draft is over 1,5 meters. Aitutaki is an absolutely beautiful island, the place to anchor however is everything but beautiful.
Costs as of August 2017:
$57 for customs.
$65 per person for departure fee.
$25 for health inspector.
$20 for bio inspector.
Total: $232 for 2 persons plus an anchorage fee of $5/day.
Kiteboarders, PLEASE BE AWARE: Due to the health officer, you are no longer allowed to use your dinghy once anchored inside Aitutaki to venture into the lagoon. The kiteboarding location is not accessible via land.
Any cruiser wanting to kiteboard Aitutaki MUST hire the local tour operator at $35 per person per day to taxi them to the kite island. This came into effect August 25, 2017. We had planned to spend an entire month here. We left in under one week due to this new law.
Side note: If you do decide to kite this 1st class location, talk to WAHOO charters to get a group daily rate to taxi you to the kite beach. The great fellow with better service and better prices than the local kite companies.
We tried to get into Aitutaki in June 2017 at the very top of a spring tide. We draw 1.7m and ran aground (on sand) about halfway down the channel before the shallow part marked on the chart! I dinghied in later and was told by locals that even a 1.6m draft would have been pushing it.
Also reported by Stefan def:
I was anchored in the middle of the anchoring field, with two ropes going to the (only) two palm trees on shore.
Here are our departure costs:
Departure Fee: 65NZD/pp
Customs Fee: 57NZD
Mooring Fee: 5NZD/PD
The mooring fee in the anchorage next to the harbor is now 5 NZD/day
The health officer came on board Monday morning and left after 20 minutes. He sprayed for bugs and collected the weekday fee (25NZD) [ 40NZD on weekends ]
The customs and immigration clearing in took about 30 minutes. Very friendly people. No fees to be paid until departure. Wifi is fast in the harbor, but you have to buy the access pass in the post office or stores. Buying online does not work (certificate error). I paid for the monthly special: 2 GB for 30NZD valid 15 days