Bishops Cruises is perhaps the lagoon’s most experienced and
they offer a choice of cruises to various islands. And you can
opt for a smaller boat with a more intimate and personal tour if
you wish. After a wonderful morning of snorkeling and feeding
the fish, lunch is usually served at One Foot Island which boasts
what could be the world’s smallest Post Office. Don’t forget to
take your passport with you; because you can have it stamped
here, making a great souvenir of your visit.
82 • Escape Magazine
This vast lagoon was once a stopover for the
TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limited)
Short Solent flying boats traveling the
renowned ‘Coral Route’ through the South
Pacific. TEAL is the former name of Air
New Zealand and TEAL themery can be
found in a small lodge on Motu Akaiami.
The lodge has been built on the exact spot
where the original terminal stood and
remains of the original base and jetty are
still visible today. Here the well-to-do of the
fifties, including movie stars John Wayne,
Cary Grant and the like, stopped for a few
hours or even overnight, while planes were
re-fuelled, serviced, or waiting for weather
to clear. Passengers would swim in the clear
warm waters in the bay, shower outdoors
under the palms and eat lunches of crisply cut sandwiches and
local pawpaw, before re-embarking.
Aitutaki has an interesting aviation history. It was 1942 when
the construction juggernaut that would soon become known
as the Seabees came ashore and began constructing what many
feared would be the last line of defence for allied forces fighting
the Japanese. The airport at Aitutaki was constructed as part of