The Wedding, Honeymoon & Romantic Getaway Guide to Aitutaki

© CookIslandsPocketGuide.com

How to Get to Aitutaki

Aitutaki lies in the Southern Group of the Cook Islands, some 220km (137 miles) from Rarotonga and the Cook Islands’ international airport. The only real plannable way to get to Aitutaki (by avoiding the unreliable cargo ships) is via domestic flight from Rarotonga.

Regular flights are available between Rarotonga and Aitutaki multiple times a day, six days a week and once on a Sunday. Flights take approximately 50 minutes. Codeshare flights are available from New Zealand and Tahiti. Learn more about flying to Aitutaki in our guide, Domestic Flights in the Cook Islands: Your Guide to Interisland Flights.

How to Get Around Aitutaki

The main island of Aitutaki has a road around the island that’s approximately 18km (11 miles) with plenty of inland roads to cut the journey shorter to where you’re heading. The main ways to get around include car rental, scooter rental and cycle rental. A couple of taxi services are also available. Water taxi services and lagoon cruises are the main ways to get to the other islands in the lagoon. Find out more about transport in our Aitutaki Transport Guide: 10 Ways to Get to (& Around) Aitutaki.

© David Kirkland - Cook Islands Tourism

Romantic Getaway and Honeymoon Experiences

Aitutaki poses a few objectively romantic experiences ideal for couples on honeymoon or on a romantic getaway. Unsurprisingly, getting on the lagoon is a big one, while touring together around the main island with your arms wrapped around your partner on a scooter is another.

Aitutaki Lagoon Cruises

Sure, the Aitutaki Lagoon is incredible no matter what, but at sunset… Oh boy. Enhance the romance with a late afternoon/evening excursion with Kutekute Island Tours & Transfers. Snorkel among beautiful coral, enjoy a relaxing float on a water hammock and indulge in a private sunset platter on the beach. Alternatively, Teking Lagoon Tours offers a shorter sunset tour with Champagne included. Whoever you choose to cruise with, the Aitutaki Lagoon at sunset is sure to blow you and your partner away.

If sunset cruises are out of your price range or not good timing then no worries. More adventures on the lagoon await with affordable group tours visiting One Foot Island and stunning snorkelling spots. For something more intimate, private charters of the lagoon are also available. We compare them all in the 10 Best Lagoon Cruises in Aitutaki.

Couples’ Massages

Share an experience of the senses with an island massage. Aitutaki is home to several resort spas, with both the Tiare Spa at the Pacific Resort Aitutaki and SpaPolynesia at the Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort offering spa treatments for couples. Tiare Spa has an emphasis on international massage techniques combined with local oils, while SpaPolynesia offers Polynesian-style massages. Compare more spas in the 5 Best Spas in Aitutaki.

Self-Guided Scooter Tour

Not all of the action is on the lagoon. The main island of Aitutaki has a rich history and all sorts of hidden gems to discover. The island is easy to navigate via car, scooter or even bike if you’re really fit (but we recommend the former two options to avoid the heat). There’s nothing more romantic than getting cosy on a scooter together! Check out sights to stop at in A Self-Guided Day Trip Around Aitutaki.

See where you can hire vehicles from using our guides, Scooter Hire in Aitutaki: Where to Rent, Cost & More and The Best Car Rentals in Aitutaki: The Top Aitutaki Car Rental Companies.

Other Things to Do on Aitutaki

And that’s just a taste of the romantic experiences you can do on an Aitutaki honeymoon or romantic getaway. Treat yourself and your loved one further by kayaking, scuba diving or watching the sunset from Maunga Pu. We cover all of those activities and more in the 10 Most Romantic Things to Do on Aitutaki for Couples and more still in the 20 Best Things to Do on Aitutaki.

© CookIslandsPocketGuide.com

Dining on Aitutaki

Nothing wraps up a day in paradise more perfectly than a romantic meal with the most important person in your life. From luxurious private dinners on the beach organised by your resort to hitting the scenic picnic spots across the island, couples are sure spoiled for choice.

Private Dining Experiences

Imagine it’s just you and your loved one indulging in a lovingly prepared meal under the stars with your toes in the sand. Choose a candlelit dinner in a private pavilion on the edge of the Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort or dine under the stars on a secluded private deck at Aitutaki Escape. A private barefoot beach dinner can also be organised at Etu Moana with a dining area decorated with flowers and Pacific cuisine served at sunset.

Scenic Picnic Spots

Thanks to Aitutaki’s array of affordable takeaways, the food can easily be sorted for you. All you need is a special place to eat your picnic. You have many options including the Piraki Lookout, Base One at the western end of the old runway, the Arataki Lookout just behind the CICC Church in Arutanga, and Vaipae Wharf looking out across the lagoon and motu. For takeaway cafe inspiration, take a look at the 10 Best Cafes in Aitutaki.

Romantic Retaurants on Aitutaki

When looking for other special places for dinner, Aitutaki offers plenty of restaurants well worth booking a table at. Fine dining can be found at Rapae Bay Restaurant at the Pacific Resort Aitutaki, as well as more casual fine dining at Flying Boat Beach Bar & Grill at the Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort (book ahead so you can get the ferry over to the island from Ootu Beach).

For breakfast and/or lunch, head to the quirky hilltop location of the Avatea Cafe in Tautu serving refreshing island-style meals with a local twist. Koru Cafe at Ootu Beach is another worthwhile venture, serving up delightful meals with sustainable local ingredients.

© Craig Owen - Cook Islands Tourism

Weddings on Aitutaki

With an effortless romantic flair, Aitutaki is the choice of many for an island or beach wedding in the Pacific. What’s more, the requirements to get married in the Cook Islands are so easy with the couple only needing to be in the country three days prior to the wedding, a passport, birth certificate and a divorce or death certificate if applicable. Get a full insight into the marriage requirements and more in How to Plan a Wedding in the Cook Islands.

With that, there are several wedding services across Aitutaki that can help make your dream wedding a reality. Most operate out of the resorts, such as Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort, Aitutaki Escape, Etu Moana and Tamanu Beach Resort, but there are also independent wedding planning operators, like Onefoot Island Weddings and Weddings Cook Islands, who can arrange weddings on Aitutaki’s uninhabited motu.

Learn about the packages each wedding planner provides in the 7 Best Wedding Packages on Aitutaki, as well as beach and island venues in the 7 Best Wedding Venues on Aitutaki.