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Atiu

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A raised coral island ringed by limestone cliffs and caves, where a swiftlet found nowhere else flies in the dark and the evening ends around a tumunu of bush beer.

Fly to Atiu All of Cook Islands
Arrival
Atiu (Enua) · AIU
To the island
About 45 minutes from Rarotonga by Air Rarotonga
Private jets
Land at Rarotonga; Atiu has a 1,255 m coral strip
Best time
June to September

The city

Cliffs of coral, caves and coffee.

Atiu is about half the size of Rarotonga and home to a little over four hundred people. Its old coral rim, the makatea, rises in bluffs and cliffs above a shallow lagoon, and the limestone is riddled with caves; between the headlands lie twenty-six small beaches. There is no resort here, only a handful of villas and lodges.

The island has its own coffee, roasted on Atiu and served with coconut milk, and its own evening ritual, the tumunu, where islanders share a home-brewed bush beer. June to September is the drier season; the rain picks up again from October.

  • Anatakitaki A limestone cave and the home of the kopeka, a tiny swiftlet found only on Atiu that finds its way through the dark by sound.
  • The tumunu An evening gathering around the island's traditional bush beer, to which visitors are welcome.
  • Atiu Island Coffee A tour of the island's own coffee, roasted locally and poured with fresh coconut milk.

Arriving

By jet to Rarotonga, by island plane to Atiu.

Atiu lies some 220 kilometres north-east of Rarotonga, the international gateway of the Cook Islands. Its airfield, three kilometres north of the village, has a single coral runway of about 1,255 metres, too short and too basic for jets.

Business & First Class Scheduled flights Air Rarotonga flies from Rarotonga to Atiu during the week, a journey of about 45 minutes. International passengers arrive at Rarotonga first. Business & First fares Private Jet Private aircraft Private jets land at Rarotonga, an airport of entry with customs and jet fuel. Atiu has no customs, no fuel and no runway lighting; it is open on weekdays in daylight, for visual flights only, and every arrival needs prior permission. Charter a jet
Approximate flying time by midsize jet
  • Papeete 1 h 35
  • Nadi 3 h 40
  • Auckland 4 h 30
  • Sydney 7 h 00 long-range jet
  • Tokyo 11 h 55 long-range jet

When to go

June to September.

Afternoons run from 27 to 30 °C all year and the sea from 25 to 28 °C. From June to September each month has less than 100 mm of rain; from November to May the showers are heavier, above 200 mm in January and February.

  1. 29° J 205 27°
  2. 30° F 211 28°
  3. 30° M 146 28°
  4. 29° A 165 28°
  5. 28° M 161 27°
  6. 27° J 93 26°
  7. 27° J 68 25°
  8. 27° A 96 25°
  9. 27° S 78 25°
  10. 27° O 102 26°
  11. 28° N 162 26°
  12. 29° D 189 27°
Best months weather2travel.com, long-term averages (Mitiaro, the nearest station)

Elsewhere in Cook Islands

More reasons to come.

All of Cook Islands

Flying to Atiu?

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A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.

Business & First Private Jet