Mangaia Weekend Getaway
- Duration: 4 Days (approx.)
- Product code: MGS3N-02
3 Night Getaway at Mangaia Villas
Package includes:
- Return flights from Rarotonga to Mangaia
- 3 nights at Mangaia Villas
- Daily Continental Breakfast
- Return Mangaia Airport Transfers
Mangaia is the second largest of the Cook Islands and one of the oldest in the South Pacific, having been formed by volcanic eruption more than 16 million years ago.
Tradition has it that the island was not discovered by a voyaging ancestor - Mangaian belief is that the first human being rose from a hole in the centre of their island. Mangaia and Avaiki, the spiritual homeland, are thus one and the same. In less legendary terms, it is thought that the island was populated by seafarers from Tahiti, Rarotonga and Tonga.
Geologically, Mangaia is by far the oldest of the 15 islands in the Cook Group, and is shaped like a tail-less stingray whose head faces north-west. Fifty-one square kilometres in size, the island is surrounded by a thick coral reef, with tiny white-sand beaches notched into its coastal rock.
The 'Makatea' - Fossilised Coral
The shoreline steps up a few metres to a narrow rocky plain, a shelf of land covered with palms, pandanus and coarse grasses on which large herds of cute goats graze. Located on this coastal fringe is the main road and several villages, on the north-western corner is the island's coral airstrip.
Between this fringing shelf and interior hills of Mangaia is the island's most formidable feature, a band of makatea - fossilised coral composed of calcareous limestone - in places over 60 metres high and with an average width of a kilometre and a half. The makatea surrounds Mangaia like giant coils of razor-wire, jagged, unbroken and impenetrable.
Since the 3 night Getaway covers the weekend a visit to one of the village churches can be a wonderful cultural experience.
Upon your reservation on this site, Air Rarotonga will confirm all hotel, transfer and flight arrangements and contact you within 1 working day to confirm and request payment. Availability may be limited during peak travel periods.
Meitaki Maata,
The Team at Islands by Air Rarotonga
