Aitutaki - Docking
The end of the channel has 2 sides: left passage leading into the small harbor and the right passage leading to the small anchorage off Arutanga village.
There are now 2 small pontoons attached to shore close to the church where a few local boats are moored.
Anchorage
Due to a strong tidal current different from the prevailing winds, it is recommended to anchor fore and aft in the anchorage, as the deep area is small (or tie the stern to a coconut tree).
Boats too large or with the deeper draft (more than two meters) should anchor outside the reef to the south of the channel (there is a shallower area also on the North side, but a real trap for anchors- see comments below), however poor holding and isolated coral heads have been reported here.
Harbour
Docking stern-to with a bow anchor in the harbor may be done with the permission of the port captain, on condition the yacht is moved if required. There is space for approx. 5 yachts med-mooring style, side onto the prevailing wind. Can be done, but involves lots of messing about.
There are plans to deepen the channel leading to the harbor to carry 20 ft all the way, and the harbor to be enlarged.
Fees are charged to anchor here. See user comments for latest fees reported by cruisers.
Lagoon Access
Access to the lagoon is now restricted and you can only enter with a licensed operator. This means taking a water taxi to the best kite spots, using a dive operator to dive and no entrance permitted by dinghy, SUP, canoe etc.
Last updated: March 2023
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Related to following destinations: Aitutaki, Cook Islands, Southern Cook Islands
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We visited Aitutaki, two mooring spots where shown on our electronic Charts. Upon arrival, we could not find any moorings so we had to anchor. Later on, when we were snorkeling, we saw what was left of the mooring lines.
So please be aware that you will have to anchor about 30 meters off the reef if your draft is over 1,5 meters. Aitutaki is an absolutely beautiful island, the place to anchor however is everything but beautiful.
Costs as of August 2017:
$57 for customs.
$65 per person for departure fee.
$25 for health inspector.
$20 for bio inspector.
Total: $232 for 2 persons plus an anchorage fee of $5/day.
Kiteboarders, PLEASE BE AWARE: Due to the health officer, you are no longer allowed to use your dinghy once anchored inside Aitutaki to venture into the lagoon. The kiteboarding location is not accessible via land.
Any cruiser wanting to kiteboard Aitutaki MUST hire the local tour operator at $35 per person per day to taxi them to the kite island. This came into effect August 25, 2017. We had planned to spend an entire month here. We left in under one week due to this new law.
Side note: If you do decide to kite this 1st class location, talk to WAHOO charters to get a group daily rate to taxi you to the kite beach. The great fellow with better service and better prices than the local kite companies.
We tried to get into Aitutaki in June 2017 at the very top of a spring tide. We draw 1.7m and ran aground (on sand) about halfway down the channel before the shallow part marked on the chart! I dinghied in later and was told by locals that even a 1.6m draft would have been pushing it.
Also reported by Stefan def:
I was anchored in the middle of the anchoring field, with two ropes going to the (only) two palm trees on shore.
Here are our departure costs:
Departure Fee: 65NZD/pp
Customs Fee: 57NZD
Mooring Fee: 5NZD/PD
The mooring fee in the anchorage next to the harbor is now 5 NZD/day
The health officer came on board Monday morning and left after 20 minutes. He sprayed for bugs and collected the weekday fee (25NZD) [ 40NZD on weekends ]
The customs and immigration clearing in took about 30 minutes. Very friendly people. No fees to be paid until departure. Wifi is fast in the harbor, but you have to buy the access pass in the post office or stores. Buying online does not work (certificate error). I paid for the monthly special: 2 GB for 30NZD valid 15 days