An electric station provides 24-hour service, a radio and TV video station gives news and entertainment, and there are primary and high schools. Moerai and the villages of Avera and Hauti are home to the island's 2,015 inhabitants. Rurutu does not have the wide lagoons found in the Society Islands or in Tubuai and Raivavae. Swimming and snorkeling are still possible in certain areas, however, and there are a few white sand beaches. Activities include horseback riding and hiking to waterfalls, where refreshing showers cascade into fern bordered pools.
Limestone grottoes with stalactites and stalagmites invite explorers.
Picnic lunches can be packed for these trips or to play in the sun on deserted white sand beaches. A special attraction on Rurutu occurs each January and July, when the young men and women of each village prove themselves in a show of strength. The village champions hoist one sacred stone that weighs 330 lbs. This accomplishment is followed by exuberant feasting and dancing.