We went for two more dives in Aitutaki. The dive boat anchored just off the reef outside the lagoon, bobbing gently in the swell. While the small wildlife was nowhere near as impressive as on the Great Barrier Reef, the big stuff was super cool — an eagle ray that soared up at us out of the deep-ocean drop-off, and maybe a dozen turtles, both resting on the reef (the bottom right photo is of Susan and the other dive pair swimming a foot away from one of these) and also swimming around (bottom left, I promise…)

All that’s left (above sea level) of the massive volcano that formed Aitutaki is the 124 metre “peak” of Maungapu, which gives a great view of the lagoon.

This being a snorkel-in/snorkel-out hotel, we have spent a lot of time drifting through Aitutaki’s lagoon.

Our penultimate stop is Aitutaki, an isolated atoll in the South Pacific. This is a radical departure from the rest of the trip: no traipsing around to a different town every night, no long list of things to do. Just a week in a beach bungalow overlooking a turquoise lagoon, luxuriating in the sunshine. There are practically no sights to see – just swims and books and naps and cocktails for a whole week.

A rather lovely dawn at the bustling Rarotonga International Airport.