Cook Islands, Aitutaki: A Great Place to Break the South Pacific Crossing
As they left French Polynesia to cross the South Pacific to Fiji, Jim and Pam Yares of SV Roam intended to only stay a few days on Aitutaki in the Cook Islands as they headed for Tonga. But the weather had other plans and while they waited for a weather window they were welcomed with open arms by the “yachtie” friendly islanders.
Published 5 days ago
Reprinted with permission from Jim Yares of SailRoam
A Popular Tropical Vacation Destination
The Cook Islands are to New Zealand what Hawaii is to the US. They are a popular tropical vacation destination. If the island of Rarotonga is Oahu, Aitutaki is Kauai, the low-key, cool little brother. The islanders there like it that way.
These are remote places—halfway along the 1,600 mile stretch between French Polynesia and Fiji. The difference is that 10.1 million tourists visit Hawaii in a year while just 130,000 visit the Cook Islands. Most of those visit Rarotonga with only about 30,000 of those making it all the way out to Aitutaki.
We intended to stay for only a few days. The early season South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) had other ideas and cooked up some adverse winds and seas. We waited 11 days for good weather. We were glad we did. The locals universally love having the “yacthies” (their term) visit.
Great coffee and good eating!
We found great prices due to the New Zealand dollar exchange rate—especially compared to the cost of everything in French Polynesia.
We enjoyed great coffee (yay) and good eating. We met quite a few New Zealand travelers. The Kiwis have a strong sailing culture. The tourists we met all wanted to talk sailing. Many rode their rental scooters out to the harbor to chat with us from shore.
No dogs – just roosters
The island is dog-free. Not a single dog anywhere. Consequently, the resident roosters are quite full of themselves. It’s the first place we’ve been without a big population of street dogs.
What began as a way to break up the long haul to Tonga wound up a highlight. The Cook Islands are our third country aboard Roam. Friendly people. The NZ dollar is about half the USD, so prices are astoundingly cheap–especially compared to French Polynesia, where we have been for the past year.
Highlights
- Pacific Resort. Great restaurant. Friendly service. Excellent couples massage. Good pool.
- Avatea Cafe. Best coffee on the island. Breakfast/brunch.
- Restaurant Tava’e: Happy hour and pizza. Great view from the deck
- WokKai. Stir fry take out
- MVA Tunu 2nu: Food truck. Bacon, egg, and cheeseburger
- BoatShed: Sushi! and a good bar
- Teking Lagoon Tour: Snorkel Safari. Three snorkel stops and BBQ lunch.
Fees for Visiting Yachts
- Health inspector: $20NZD ($40NZD on weekends). He will lightly fumigate the boat and clear your quarantine flag.
- Bio Security Inspector: $20NZD
- Customs/Immigration Departure Tax: $80.80NZD per person ($57 additional for weekends)
- Island Council Anchoring Fee: $20NZD per night
Ready to Leave
We left Aitutaki for Tonga via Niue in the morning. There’s always a nervous energy the night before a long passage—thinking about the weather, the route, the sea state, the sail configuration, the things to check before we pull the lines.
These are big crossings—600 miles of open ocean. Just the two of us, relying on each other.
It was a long night. We had strong westerlies with squalls. We are rafted up with nine other boats—all of us with lines and anchors off our sterns onto the land berm behind us.
We had mid-20 knot winds gusting to 44 knots during the squalls. It was enough to break loose our stern anchor, which was wedged between two boulders. It rolled one of the boulders completely up and out.
The wind pushed us onto our neighbors. We were all up at 4:00 a.m. Jacob and Kyle from next door went ashore and reset our stern anchor. They tied off a second line to a boulder. I tended the lines boat-side, using the starboard engine in full reverse and the electric primary winches to grind us back into position. It all worked out. Morning arrived with all the boats in good shape. The roar of the wind, the fitful sleep and the stress of it are tiring.
Jim and Pam Yares
SV Roam
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About the Authors
Pam and Jim Yares have both been sailing since they were kids. This is their 6th boat together, their first catamaran and second cruise. They have always wanted to sail the South Pacific and that’s where they are now.
Roam is a 2001 Catana 472 designed by Christophe Barreau and built by Catana in Canet-en-Roussillon, France. The 472 is a higher-spec version of the legendary 471. Approximately 90 471s were built of which 12 were finished as 472s. Roam was built as 471 hull #35 and finished as 472 hull #09.
Follow their journey at:
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Related to following destinations: Aitutaki, Cook Islands, Southern Cook Islands
Related to the following Cruising Resources: Circumnavigation, Circumnavigation, Cruising Information, Pacific Crossing, Pacific Ocean South, Routing, Travel Information, World Regions Information
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