Surely there's no calories in a daiquiri cocktail that's made with 100% real fruit

There is something deliciously wonderful about knowing that in just one week you will be lying on a beautiful pacific island… especially whilst you sit watching the rain pour down at the end of a very long Sunday afternoon in Hamilton.

Destination: Aitutaki - a special little island off the coast of the mothership, Rarotonga. I have been fortunate enough to head there every year for a week of R&R over the last four years but this time there is a difference… the kids are coming with us!

I must say I was a little nervous when I broached the subject with my long suffering partner, Tony as kids on holiday will always dilute the attention that he gets and given that most of the year the company robs the rest of my time it would possibly not be unfair for him to be a little apprehensive.

The day arrives and we travel seamlessly to the Auckland airport. The kids are already there so we check in and board our plane.

We arrive on time, connect to the Aitutaki flight and land as the sun sets and the rain and wind pelt in. We endure it all wondering what changes we will notice from our last visit.

The ‘no fights on Sunday flight’ campaigners (island elders) form our first welcoming crew still holding court at the entrance to the airport. Given they have held this posy for the last three years I wonder if their crusade will ever have a happy ending. We arrive at the hotel to warm greetings of recognition, are shown to our bures and the holiday begins.

First stop is to sample the new Pacific Resort chef and his menu… not too bad at all but as always, first night fever saw us order far too much food and bloated stomachs and an early night became the result.

The next day the rain continued to pour and we endeavoured to unwind but were naturally disappointed in the weather. “This place is so different when the sun shines I assured the kids”.

The day passes… more food… more wine but I am reviewing the book April Looses It (April Ieremia’s 30kg weight loss journey) so have started to think about what goes into my mouth; possibly not the best choice for a holiday read. Thankfully I have now moved onto Two Seats Left: The Contiki Story by John Anderson (a great read with a sad ending to boot).

Day Two and the sun is shinning. We leap out of bed under the instruction of Sam to do a bike/ mountain ride and walk (it’s all about getting into credit for a day of decadence). An excellent start though maybe ambitious for me, a pilates queen from way back. The rest of the day is exactly as we intended with too much sun, long lunches by the pool and laying plans for the evening meal.

A quick review of the other food options on the island via the internet and we decide the Rarotongan property on the other side of the island was to be our Tuesday dinner spot; after all, the over water bures we found while doing our research certainly signalled extreme luxury so surely the food and ambiance would parallel.

Local transport arrived and took us to the other side of the island; a small ferry reminiscent of the Cooks Beach vessels met us and shipped us to our destination on the small island. Excited at the prospect we raced up the beach but disappointment hit… the place had an air of 70’s Cobb and Co. Not great! And having vowed never to eat bad food or wine no matter what we all turned tail reversed the journey and headed back to the Pacific Resort.

The next day the weather was excellent. The kids went snorkeling and loved every minute on their outer island trip; lunch included. We however soaked up as much sun as we could and thought about doing some work but the elevenses won out as they pretty much did every day.

The following day the rain poured in sideways like nothing I have ever seen before on this island. We seconded to the bures, watched movies and read hoping that this extreme weather would not continue as forecasted. Not to be beaten we had hotel transport take us to the Koru Cafe for lunch; another favourite that didn't disappoint.

The bad weather subsided so the next day was fantastic. We were onto the loungers and back in love with our island; one that we had fallen severely out of affection for with yesterday. The day passed in a very similar fashion, broken with a journey by push bike to try the local fish and chips… big mistake! ‘Payless’ possibly doesn't conquer up great fish and chips but the place was clean enough and we wanted authenticity, so we ordered. A parcel of small fish bites soaked in pasta and potato salad (island style) was the result… not great but then another experience to chalk up on the Aitutaki belt.

The fine weather also saw the return of the mandatory morning exercise and a short bike ride then a climb to the top of the mountain to get the heart rate going. This was all lead by Sam with her newly acquired love of boot camping (after five days of this I may have to up-the-anti in the pilates class as I loved the feeling of achievement that went with it!)

The last night saw us head to Tupuna; a very proud little local restaurant (given their latest review in the island’s Escape mag) that we have given mixed reviews before but wanting to introduce the kids to the whole Aitutaki experience out we went for our last dining experience on the island. There was another option but the thought of the fundraiser and the umu at the local chef’s house just didn't do it for us. The kids loved the space and the food didn't disappoint so a great final night enjoyed by us all.

There’s something very special about this place. Sure a lot of the locals live a subsistence life… in fact, it was heartening to such very little patronage at the local takeaways on a Saturday night. I guess they just cook better at their homes but with very little money the locals appear to live a contented life. Crime seems non-existent; we didn't even lock the bure and there seems to be a genuine like of the tourist. We had so many friendly waves and greetings as we ran around on hotel bikes across the island.

The preparations for John Keys visit in July are well under way. They have even resealed the runway on the island… let’s hope he doesn’t arrive on a Sunday and have to witness the placards, as mild as they are.

Pacific Resort Aitutaki has become the one thing that I must do for myself each year and each year the resort just keeps improving without having to change too much at all. I guess I’m just getting better at relaxing!

Annah