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Here’re some additional photos from Aitutaki and its lagoon.

When I booked my flight to Aitutaki in June, I knew that I was saving the best for last, but I had no idea just how good it would be.

As the last major stop on my South Pacific trip, I spent a total of 9 days on the small island of Aitutaki based at Paradise Cove, and although the island is plenty beautiful and tropical in and of itself, the real attraction here is the Aitutaki Lagoon. The lagoon is filled with 15 small, uninhabited islands that are the spitting image of the perfect desert islands. The only real way to see the lagoon is to take day trips on small boats, and since the lagoon is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the South Pacific, I took three of these trips – two with Aitutaki Adventures (the Yellow Boat) and one with Teking. In addition to stops on the islands, the lagoon tours also included snorkeling and all-you-can-eat buffets featuring yellowfin tuna, wahoo, fruits, and salads. The yellowfin tuna prepared by Aitutaki Adventures was quite literally the best fish I’ve ever had, and I’m already planning a return trip just to taste that fish again someday.

Below are some pictures from a lagoon cruise with Aitutaki Adventures and around Aitutaki itself.

My next hops after Samoa brought me to Auckland for a night, then to Rarotonga, which is the capital island of the Cook Islands. While on Rarotonga, I spent about a week scuba diving, hiking, driving my hired scooter around, and enjoying the relatively cooler “winter” sun on the island’s beaches.

Following Ofu and American Samoa, I spent a night CouchSurfing in Apia with Paul. Paul was a fantastic host, and our Friday night program included the Zodiac Bar (where I quite coincidentally bumped into an Australian friend) and Paddles Night Club. On Saturday we toured the island in Paul’s 4WD with Dave (another CouchSurfer) and Henrik. Indeed, it was another extremely positive CouchSurfing experience!

Following Lalomanu, I hopped from the island of ‘Upolu to Tutuila where I made a pit stop in Pago Pago, American Samoa. However, I didn’t stay long, since the primary reason for my visit to American Samoa was to see the island of Ofu and its pristine two and a half mile white sand beach.

Ofu Beach is part of the National Park of American Samoa, and it’s meant to be one of the most beautiful and secluded beaches in all of the South Pacific. It is both, and often the only tracks in the sand apart from mine would be those of the numerous hermit crabs.

The National Park also protects the reef just off the beach, and according to the park guide, it’s one of the best preserved reefs in the area. With nearly 900 species of fish, 200 species of coral, and warm water that’s as clear as bottled water, it was some of the best snorkeling I’ve ever done.

In total, I stayed seven nights on Ofu at the friendly Va’oto Lodge. For its remoteness, I was immensely impressed with the facilities (hot water showers, cold refrigerators) and the quality of the meals (lasagna with pesto, salted corned beef brisket). Owing to the fact that I was the sole visitor to the lodge during the majority of my stay, Ofu (and all of American Samoa for that matter) is definitely an underrated tourist destination.