Aitutaki

On tiny Aitutaki (population 1,946) castaway dreams become reality as you paddle a kayak from the Aitutaki Lagoon Resort & Spa out onto on a crystalline lagoon and let the mesmerizing azure panorama envelop you.

Donna Heiderstadt: The Joys of Wandering Off the Beaten Path Donna Heiderstadt 2010

Cook Islands: Tahiti may be more famous, but this 15-island South Pacific nation is equally stunning -- a watery mosaic of coral atolls (Rarotonga and Aitutaki are the two to visit) and picturesque lagoons that shimmer with every imaginable shade of blue.

Donna Heiderstadt: The Joys of Wandering Off the Beaten Path Donna Heiderstadt 2010

The Vulnerable restricted-range blue lorikeet (Vini peruviana) is found on Aitutaki, and the island is delineated as a Secondary Endemic Bird Area for that reason, but it is unclear whether the species is actually native to the island.

Cook Islands tropical moist forests 2007

In addition, prehistoric fossil evidence indicates that Aitutaki shared affinities with the rest of the Southern Cook Islands, and is thus included in the Cook Islands ecoregion.

Cook Islands tropical moist forests 2007

Aitutaki is delineated as a Secondary Endemic Bird Area because the restricted-range blue lorikeet (Vini peruviana).

Cook Islands tropical moist forests 2007

There are eight species of range-restricted birds in the Southern Cook Islands (which includes Aitutaki), six of which are strictly endemic.

Cook Islands tropical moist forests 2007

While this species is also found in the Society Islands, it is unclear if its presence on Aitutaki is the result captives transported by Polynesians.

Cook Islands tropical moist forests 2007

Rarotonga, Aitutaki, New Zealand, and Australia seem like a daydream I had while shuffling around these boxes.

Boing Boing: December 21, 2003 - December 27, 2003 Archives 2003

[Aitutaki], [40-2] and sent the tender in shore to ground and look out for

Voyage of H.M.S. Pandora Despatched to Arrest the Mutineers of the 'Bounty' in the South Seas, 1790-1791 Edward Edwards

Aitutaki, having been discovered by Bligh, was the last place Christian would have chosen: he might have guessed that a man of

Voyage of H.M.S. Pandora Despatched to Arrest the Mutineers of the 'Bounty' in the South Seas, 1790-1791 Edward Edwards