Arutanga - Aitutaki (Cook Islands)

This morning we arrived in the village of Arutanga on Aitutaki. The island belongs to the Cook Islands and is located in a large lagoon, which has several smaller islands. It has nearly 1,800 residents. The Cook Islands form an autonomous state that has an association agreement with New Zealand. Therefore, the many cars and motorcycles drive on the left.

There is not particularly much to see on the island. However, there are two interesting facts. During World War II, Americans built two runways in the lagoon. You can see one of the runways, still in use today, going from the top left to the right on satellite images. Afterward, two runways were marked in the lagoon by American troops. After the Second World War, seaplanes that flew across the Pacific landed in the lagoon. On such islands, the planes were refueled and maintained. The passengers were provided for, could swim, or stay overnight in a hotel.

We traveled by boat to two snorkeling and swimming reefs. The corals and fish were beautiful. The giant clams and the blue sea stars were impressive. Their blue is even more vivid in reality than in the photos. Then we had a local lunch on a small island, which included grilled fish, many fruits, and coconut variations.

Before we returned to the ship, we explored the village. There are at least three churches, a supermarket, a building that houses the two banks of the Cook Islands, a market hall without an actual market, a viewpoint, and a few monuments.

The ship itself could not enter the lagoon as it is too shallow. Therefore, as usual, we crossed over on Zodiacs.