Surprise stop in Aitutaki Vlog 81

After a hair raising exit from the pass in Maupiti we finally left French Polynesia headed for Palmerston Atoll. Two days into our passage we realised the beautiful Cook Island, Aitutaki was not far off our course so we decided to divert and explore what Aitutaki had to offer. Even though it was tricky to find a sandy spot to anchor outside the reef (the passage into the lagoon is only 1.5m deep, our boat is 2m draft so no way were we attempting that) once settled we were free to explore the wonders of Aituitaki - famous for having one of the largest and most beautiful lagoons in the world! We were not disappointed, not only is Aitutaki stunningly beautiful it also has strong links with NZ meaning we could finally buy some of our favourite foods - pies, sausage rolls, jelly tip ice cream and Whittakers chocolate just to name a few! We were also treated to nightly visits from whales in our anchorage and had the most amazing dive directly below our boat - incredible! This unexpected stop turned out to be one of the Pacific's highlights for the Nikau crew. We are the Robbins family sailing on our boat named Nikau. We are a family of 5. Our 3 kids are doing NZ correspondence school on board. They are growing to love it! What's not to love about 3 hours of school a day and then a different playground for the afternoon every day! We've traveled from New Zealand to Sardinia in Italy to pick up our boat and we plan over a few seasons to sail her back to New Zealand. We hope you enjoy following us on our adventures! We would love to hear from you. Especially if you are interested in doing something crazy like we are! Maybe we can help answer some questions you have? Thanks and enjoy.