Food on Aitutaki

Hi guys,

my soon-to-be-husband and I have chosen the Cook Islands (Rarotonga and Aitutaki) for our 2 week honeymoon, probably at the end of May.

I have done some research on hotels we would like to stay at and I really like the look of Etu Moana. I read the reviews on tripadvisor (as I always do) and a lot of people mentioned that while staying there it is hard to get food for lunch and dinner.

So now I have a general question about food on Aitutaki. I do realise I can't just go into the next town, and that's one of the reasons why we haven chosen to spend time on Aitutaki. But lots of people said you'd have to take a taxi or rent a scooter or so to get to a restaurant if you stay at Etu Moana. That sounds pretty inconvenient to us. Are other hotels better to stay at?

How and where do you get lunch and dinner from? I know this sounds like a really stupid question, but if I hadn't read these reviews I would have never thought about that! LOL

Thanks for your help :)

Hi again,

I'm so glad you've chosen delightful accommodation on Aitutaki.
Please don't become anxious over meal plans during your visit to that island. Etu Moana retains complimentary bicycles for their guests, and if you need to cycle into Amuri it's a little over 1km away to the nearest store from the villas. Etu Moana also hires scooters, and the modern ones are fully automatic, simply turn the vehicle on and move gently forward!

Next door to Etu Moana you'll find Tauono Organic Garden cafe. I've enjoyed several meals here - breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea over the years and it's an absolute haven, with good healthy food options. Approx 500 metres north of EM is Puffy's bar and cafe. Focus is fresh fish, but the owners have revived their island nights. By the time of your visit the new beach-bar will be up and running at Puffy's.

The stores in Amuri-Arutanga (main township) do have limited stocks compared to Raro even! But you will find some groceries suitable for lunches and dinners, provided you don't have exotic fare in mind, and can creatively dream up a meal on the spot so to speak. Aquila Store (the first shop you'll reach on your ride sells fresh veges and lots of canned supplies) as well as petrol. Rirei's also k/as the Heineken Store sells a few more things, Payless some other foods, and by the time you reach Maina Traders in town you'll probably have enough supplies to last a week.

BTW, Payless store has a really good takeaway menu! Surprisingly cheap (for Aitutaki) but tasty as well. There are 2 more takeaways/garden cafes on the inland side of main road before you reach Arutanga proper, and another takeaway directly opposite Vonnia's general store. You won't be short of ideas for a quick lunch or snack.

If you do venture out to the end of O'otu pensinsula where several of the bigger cruise vessels leave for One Foot etc, Koru Cafe is a must do coffee spot. They also provide picnic hampers, beverages and a cooler bag if planning a private water taxi adventure. All the cruises supply an extremely filling lunch as part of the tour.

Tupuna Cafe located in the centre of Aitutaki will arrrange a guest-pickup. When bookings are made, you will be asked if you require transport. Tamanu Resort, which does an island night with fire-dancers is barely 1km towards Amuri-Arutanga. Take a torch/flashlight with you for a romantic sunset beachstroll in time for dinner. Return to EM along the main road - it's reasonably wide, and easy enough to move to the verge when a vehicle does happen to drive past.

Enjoy this fabulous island - wish I was there right now.

How is the rest of the travel planning proceeding? Any more thoughts for your Raro shortlist?

Hi,
thank you so much for taking the time for such a detailled reply! Sounds like the food situation isn't as bad as some of the tripadvisor-reviewers paint it to be :) All I want is a) not to starve LOL and b) try the local food, but we are by no means difficult to satisfy :) We are more than happy with some self catering for lunch and then a cafe-style meal for dinner, we don't need to eat out in super fancy restaurants each night.

As for Raro, we would like to stay both on Muri Beach/Eastcoast and on the Westcoast. On the shortlist so far I've got Sunhaven, Magic Reef and Sea Change Villas. We are planning on going the last two weeks of May but have to get that sorted with work first.

Thanks again for your help, I'm sure I'll have more questions closer to the time :)

Compliments for the choice, Aitutaki, the most beautiful place on earth!! I have been there twice, even got married there, a real paradise, relaxing, calm, not crowded,amazing water colours, stunning and very good food too. i would love to live there.....
i ve seen etu moana only from outside and if you dont have the car you will have to rent something, even a bicycle. the closest place to eat from etu moana is tauono's, where a lady has a beautiful garden and sells vegetables, prepares tea and homemade pastries. the best place to stay(money wise and location wise) is Inano beach bungalows. prices are moderate, is extremely calm, private beach and is surrounded by restaurants and beach cafes and is also close to the most beautiful beach on the main islans(ootu beach at samade). they also rent a car for 30 Nz dollars a day(prices of may 2010), traffic goes at 40 km /h so everything is extremely relaxed....very good restaurants are tamanu beach(where they organize an incredible delicious polynesian buffet with fire show for 55 NZ dollars) and Cafe Tupuna(on the other side of the island). chap eats are on the main road to town(street food fish and chips, cheap). supermarkets are two (the heineken store and maina super store(prices are relatively moderate but more expensive than rarotonga.=== heineken store is slightly more expensive but you can find even Nutella....ahah)
best place for breakfast is Koru Cafe, very very good, close to inano beach bungalows & Samade on the beach. Samade is also good for a cocktail or a glass of wine on its amazing beach and a restaurant at night(not very expensive). you can rent kayaks during the day there and go to ur own private island...eheh... boat shed resturant(always close to inano beach bungalows) is also good place to eat & drink even if i prefer tamanu beach and cafe tupuna much more(very original dishes and very nice setting). cafe tupuna's floor is basically sand
the best thing to do on the island is on my opinion to go to honeymoon island in the lagoon with kia orana cruise, private boat, takes you for lunch on the most amazing place on earth. you will think you own the world when you arrive on that sandbar. the colours are stunning, unbeliavably beautiful especially on the other side of the sandbar...green turquoise, light transparent blue(difficult to explain in words). they also go to other motus(including One foot, but when the "crowds are not there"). including food it was only 75 Nz dollars per person for the whole day! the lagoon but also the interiors of the island are beautiful in aitutaki, the atmosphere on the island is very very relaxed. from whatever country or area you come in the world(except the pacific, i guess) you will think you have landed on another planet.
Ciao and if u need more info let me know

Edited by: lucatoscani

Edited by: lucatoscani

Looks like I overlooked to mention the fresh produce market in Arutanga. The market is still located in the Orongo Centre building that got hit by Cyclone Pat. You need to arrive there early 0800 hrs or earlier for the pick of the crop. All the fruit and veg sell at most reasonable prices. You will also find fresh fish, donuts, fruit juice, sandwiches and wraps. The prices are set no haggling, and why-ever would you want to in paradise.

The poster above mentions renting a bicyle from EM. Im fairly sure they are complimentary for their guests, first in first served like the Pacific Resort's cycles.

Your short-list for raro looks good.
Sunhaven have their own cafe at the roadside, the lagoon is lovely around here, Aroa beachside is across the stream mouth, Highland Paradise is located directly behind Sunhaven on the hillside.

Sea Change beachfront villas have extraordinary lagoon views. The ones located across the road are sited on a slope so they also receive a lagoon outlook. Salt-water cafe closeby has yet to get up to speed.

Magic Reef located in the heart of Arorangi. Spacious site, central pool, pretty beach, no onsite cafe but handy to small food stores, and a stroll to Waterline and Castaways for evening meals.

Happy planning

Don't miss dinner at Tapuna's.... parrotfish or unicorn fish wrapped in a banana leaf is excellent.

Also.... you can sometimes get fresh flying fish at the market if you go early... they open at 6:00 AM .... Etu Moana has complimentary pushbikes for guests but we settled on a scooter. You only need one scooter, they ride tandem nicely.

On our first night we walked to "downtown" and by the wharf there was a women selling goat curry, which we bought and ate at picnic tables inside a bar: The Blue Nun, I think? The food was cheap and delicious and we washed it down with some beer. The bar itself was literally inside a metal container. We had dinner at Samade's one night, which was good. The Boat Shed is nearby and that was really great too. We also ate fish and chips at a little grocery store -- just looked it up -- Neibaa. Simple, decent food. Tried to go to Puffy's a couple of times but it was always closed. Also had a nice dinner at the restaurant in Tamanu Beach Resort. We WERE going to go to Cafe Tupuna -- heard GREAT things. BUT, they said they'd pick us up at a cost of $10NZ PER PERSON. So for four of us, we decided to stick closer to where we were staying and spend the money on dinner/drinks at Tamanu. We also cooked a few meals on our own and had some meals on snorkel and sailing trips. Enjoy!

The Fishing Club has its bar within a shipping container. In the event of another cyclone, the boys can simply pick up their store-house with a forklift and shift stocks inland.

That's what it was: the Fishing Club. Very cool! We went to the local "club" nearby and danced too. Wonder if that was the Blue Nun. Maybe I'd better go back and remind myself. Aitutaki is paradise found.