Atiu - Would Passengers
Please Hand in
Their AK47's
Story & photos by Jessica Palmer
“I saw a whale give birth here a few years back,” said
Marshall, our knowledgeable tour guide, as we stood atop of
the makatea (fossilised coral) cliff watching the South Pacific
Ocean hurl itself against the cliff walls below. He went on
to explain that he noticed a whale acting a little odd in the
ocean, and saw a large amount of blood flood the waters.
His worry that the whale had injured herself on the sharp
makatea that surrounds
the island, soon turned to
amazement as a new baby
calf appeared up through the
now murky waters, only to
remain by his mother’s side.
This small island of Atiu
just continues to amaze me!
Whales, beautiful deserted
coves, a fertile jungle interior,
freshwater swimming caves lit
by candlelight, an extremely
rare bird species that thinks it’s
a bat, and a local population
that welcomes visitors with
open arms.
This is no exaggeration. You
will literally be welcomed with
open arms and a beautiful
smelling ei when you step off
the plane. Once you step inside
the airport shelter, it’s time to
take a big breath and let all
the tension drain from your
shoulders. This island runs on
island time.
The small group of people waiting in the shade of the tiny airport
were each wearing a smile, various island style shirts and shorts,
and flip flops. Considering the population of the island is only
around 400 people, this group was a pretty good turnout for a
plane with only six passengers.
A woman rushed forward and enveloped us each in a hug before
introducing herself as Mama Roura.
“Do you like our sign?” she asks, chuckling as she points to the
airport security sign.
38 • Escape Magazine
“Would passengers please hand in their AK47’s, bazookas,
grenades, explosives and nukes to the pilot on boarding the
aircraft. Airport Management thanks you for your cooperation.”
I knew instantly I was going to like this island when I realised
the locals could make fun of their own lack of security. Mama
Roura indicated to an aging silver ute with two seats in the cab
and a wooden plank in the tray back.
I quickly called dibs on the wooden
plank, sharing it with my three year-old
daughter, and left the front cab to my
husband to squeeze into with our five-
year-old son.
Other than a standard seat belt if it’s
available, child restraints in vehicles
aren’t really used in the Cook Islands.
On an island with virtually no traffic
where nobody seems to drive faster
than 30km per hour, I’m not bothered
by it. In fact, we enjoyed this new-
found freedom and happily travelled
like the locals, ditching our shoes for
flip flops and eating fruit straight from
the tree.
The lack of security doesn’t stop at the
airport either. It’s common practice
to leave the keys in your scooter, or
the car unlocked. In fact, the lock
on the front door of our bungalow
had broken quite some time ago and
nobody could see a reason to replace
it. I guess you can’t get too far away on
a remote island that can be circled by
scooter in under an hour.
The only thing to watch out for here are falling coconuts,
and possibly wild goats and pigs on the track. Did I
mention that there are no snakes in the Cook Islands? Except for
the sharp makatea in spots, walking around barefoot and fancy
free is truly an option here.
The makatea is what makes this island so unique. Unlike the
main island of Rarotonga, the island of Atiu is characterised
by a dramatic ring of upthrust rock that circles the island,
reaching up to 6 metres in height. There is a second raised