The geology of the place would be reason enough for some to make the trip. It may well have been for long-term resident Roger Malcolm, my host and tour guide for the three days I was there. Hailing from a family of hands-on engineers, he is certainly that himself.
He told me all there was to know about the makatea.
Island children
It's a raised volcanic island, with the original coral reef lifted out of the ocean as the partly submerged volcano catapulted upwards. This occurred 120,000 years ago. The original reef is now the island's coastline, its lagoon the taro fields, and the flattened volcanic crater the residential hub.
Meanwhile, a new reef had grown up around the newly raised island.
In present times it shelters several pretty beaches. It provides for modern-day snorkellers as well, with some options that will blow your goggled mind. One is the "coral garden", where a veritable aquarium of tropical fish gets temporarily trapped at low tide.
The gardens at the Atiu Villas resort will blow your mind as well. The impressive high-roofed chalets here are Malcolm's handiwork, as are the tennis court and pool (what a guy!).
But the lush poetic gardens are the work of Kura, his Cook Islands wife. Rockeries, ornamental flower beds, groves of shrubs and shade trees - a riot of tropical foliage enshrouds every building on the site, and even threatens the parked cars.
Atiu Villas is a 10-minute walk from town, or should I say the "Centre".
"There's no town here," one little boy corrected me when I asked him for directions. And he's right.
Chattering kingfishers
"Centre" consists of an amalgam of five villages that radiate from an improbable central roundabout. In amongst them are a few general stores, and one or two cafés that only open when their proprietors are home or in the mood.
Oh yes, there is also the CICC, or Cook Islands Christian Church. Dating back to the 1850s, the church has great thick walls made from coral which were extracted from the reef and then melted in a kiln to form a lime cement. This is known as "melted coral". The church also has a bell tower, which is fun to climb up to and get the classic "Centre" view.
To walk the streets of Atiu is as much a cultural revelation as it is entertainment. It's quiet. The roundabout gets maybe one car every hour and a motorcycle every five minutes. At first I kept looking around to see who passers-by were waving to. Then I realised it was me.
It's mandatory to greet on Atiu. You meet people that way, on front lawns, shop verandahs and the street.
I met them making pareu. This is a traditional form of tie-dye, and it was happening on the expansive grassy grounds of the newly renovated and optimistically expanded Catholic Church. The cloth work was down mainly to the older women, known fondly as "the mamas", with assistance from at least one small apprentice girl.
Stencils, leaves and water drops all add to the striking blue, green and yellow makatea designs. And you can buy one on the spot. Great! I did.
Mandolin connoisseurs will want to visit Atiu as well. The best craftsman in the Cooks lives and works on the island. He is Punua Tauraa. His instruments are phantasmal works of art and resemble solid body rock guitars.
Marshall Humphreys at a freshwater pool in the cave
On my visit, I mentioned I was running a bit late for a tour. Without me even asking, Punua had me whizzed back to the villas on his bike. That's just how things are here.
The people on Atiu like to do and make things in the good old fashioned way. This extends to coffee.
A booming industry in the old missionary days, coffee production on the island is making a comeback. The beans are grown organically, sun-dried and processed laboriously by hand. Mata Arai offers coffee tours when she has the time. Roger does the honours when she doesn't.
I mentioned a tour. There are three standard ones you do on Atiu - bird-watching, caving, and a round island geological, cultural, historical and horticultural tour.
Marshall Humphreys is your guide extraordinaire. He's an expat Brit who's been on the island almost longer than he's spent back home His background in hospitality is brought meritoriously to bear on his tours, and you find yourself being roundly entertained and jollied merrily along. Just as well.
The trek to the caves means traversing the notorious makatea, with its spiky coral rocks that would like to trip you up or stub your toe.
The caves are quite spectacular, with impressive stalagmites and stalactites. Anatakitaki cave is home to a bird unique to Atiu: the kopeka. Resembling a swiftlet, it nests in the cave's darkest recesses and hunts in the forests outside.
A fresh water pool awaits the intrepid caver too, and offers a chance for a cool refreshing dip - by romantic candlelight.
Cook Islands' Christian Church
The kopeka is one of a number of intriguing birds that are native to Atiu. Birding is taken very seriously on the island, to the point where previously extinct species are being re-introduced. The task of overseeing the project falls to local enthusiast, George Mateariki.
"Birdman George" is a larger-than-life character. His bird-watching eco tour focuses on the recently re-introduced kura, a stunning iridescent red and green lorikeet. I might have got to see one super close had I not snagged my sandalled foot and frightened it away.
Oh well, I settle for a close-up of the blue-winged chattering kingfisher instead.
How many good reasons is that? 10? Ok, so then there are the people, the total population of the island. Boundlessly gracious and hospitable, it is they who make up the other 542 good reasons for visiting Atiu. For there's a very decent chance that you'll get to meet them all.
