Day 5 – Aitutaki’s Lagoon Adventures: Crab Races, Survivor Islands & Plan B Magic
Date: November 17, 2025
Location: Aitutaki, Cook Islands
There are days when you follow the plan—and then there are days when you throw the plan into the lagoon and just see what floats.
Monday morning greeted us with swaying palms and gusty winds. The kind of winds that cancel lagoon cruises, unfortunately. Our much-anticipated sailing trip was a no-go, and suddenly the day stretched out in front of us like a blank canvas… with a few unexpected smudges.
But if we’ve learned anything from traveling with kids—and hermit crabs—it’s that the best adventures often come from Plan B.
Island Explorers: Butter Chicken & Bluff Views
With the morning cruise scrapped, we hopped in the car and started exploring. We drove to the Piraki Lookout, a viewpoint with sweeping vistas across the Aitutaki lagoon—just far enough inland to dodge the strong winds and close enough to still be gobsmacked by the view. Ootu Beach followed shortly after, offering us a peaceful stretch of sand and a sense that, wind or not, we were still in paradise.
By lunchtime, stomachs were growling and moods required food. We stopped at Avatea Café, a local gem tucked among tropical foliage. And here’s where Aitutaki threw us a culinary curveball—butter chicken pizza and sashimi pizza, a fusion of flavors that somehow just worked. It was comforting, flavorful, and exactly what we needed to forget about canceled boats.
But just as we were sipping the last of our drinks… ring ring—another call: our backup boat trip had also been canceled.
Enter Plan C: The Private Boat We Never Knew We Needed
Desperate? Maybe. Resourceful? Definitely. I made a few quick calls while everyone else looked half-deflated, and just in the nick of time—we secured a private lagoon cruise with a local captain willing to brave the conditions for us. Bless him.
At 2:30 p.m., we set off from the dock in a modest 8-10 person motorboat, just our family and the captain, bouncing across a choppy lagoon like a tropical roller coaster. Spray in our faces, wind in our hair—and blues in the water that could silence even the chattiest teen (okay, briefly).
Walking to One Foot Island: Just Us and the Crabs
We anchored off a motu opposite One Foot Island and began a short beach walk to the pass, where our captain ferried us across to the iconic Tapuaetai (One Foot Island). The timing couldn’t have been better—the 50-person tour boat had just left, leaving the island blissfully empty except for us and a few wandering seabirds.
No crowd. No rush. Just powder-white sand, palm trees, and Zak organizing hermit crab races in the sand like a dedicated crustacean coach. He built little sand lanes, gathered the “athletes,” and cheered them on as they scurried in chaotic directions. The Olympics, this was not—but it was oddly hypnotic.
Teyauna waded peacefully through the shallow turquoise water while Kirsten and I strolled the shoreline, marveling at how the world can feel so small and so infinite at the same time.
Survivor Island (and Some Chickens)
On the way back, we made a brief stop at another sheltered motu—a location once used for Survivor: Aitutaki. The glamour of reality TV had long since faded; what remained was a weathered shack, a few clucking chickens, and the surreal feeling of walking on a forgotten set.
It was oddly poetic—and oddly chicken-y.
Dinner by Headlights
Dinner was a low-key affair—a stop at a local food truck near our accommodation. Not fancy, but after a full day on the water and in the sun, it hit the spot. And having a rental car made it easy, though we agreed Aitutaki is compact enough that you could happily explore it without one.
As we settled in for the night, reflecting on a day that started with disappointment and ended with sand between our toes and hermit crab shenanigans, I couldn’t help but smile.
Sometimes the best parts of a trip are the ones you never planned for.