Aitutaki bank robbery: 'World's most beautiful island'

On an island so devout that tourists can't come or go on a Sunday, an unexpected bank heist has shattered locals' morale.

Aitutaki, one of the Cook Islands, occupies only 11 square miles in the South Pacific, and is home to just three banks-- one of which was robbed last week, Radio New Zealand reported.

While a bank official wouldn't verify the exact amount, it is thought that thieves took more than $150,000 from the Bank of The Cook Islands, according to Radio New Zealand.

Extra police from neighboring islands have been sent to probe the robbery, the first ever on the island.

John Baxter, mayor of Aitutaki, told Radio New Zealand that he doesn't believe that the bank bandit is a resident of the island.

"It's a very sad event that has happened," he said. "Everybody knows everybody and I suspect whoever has done this does not live on the island."

Baxter said that all of Aitutaki's banks have since improved their security measures.

Tony Wheeler, co-founder of the Lonely Planet, called Aitutaki "the world's most beautiful island."

The idyllic locale is also home to more than 20 churches that serve a population of just 1800, and boasts having the most churches per capita in the world- a claim to fame that islanders worry has been tarnished by the crime.