“Rock of the Pacific” will rock your world
It may be no bigger than a speck on the globe but Niue packs a powerful punch when it comes to travel and holiday delights.
For decades, Niue has been one of the world’s least visited nations. As international flights from Auckland return to Niue, that is about to change.
“The world's smallest independent nation” (population 1600, area 260sq km, larger than Rarotonga but still smaller than Great Barrier) currently receives one international flight in and out each week – the 3hr 30min Air New Zealand hop bringing tourists, returning locals and freight to and from Auckland.
Gaye Wood, Niue Tourism’s Destination Manager for New Zealand and Australia, said local accommodation, hospitality and experience operators are optimistic that will soon return to two flights weekly - as it was pre-Covid.
The island can cope with more visitors, she says, and it certainly has plenty to offer them. While it has some things in common with other islands - coconut palms, warm blue seas, tropical climate - Niue delivers an experience unlike any other.
“The Rock of the Pacific” is a raised coral atoll. For visitors, that means cottages and villas with gorgeous clifftop views and water play in a crystal-clear ocean – because there's no sediment to cloud it up.
In this adventure capital for marine and outdoor activities, ‘Niue Blue’ offers multiple world-class dive, snorkelling and whale experience trips daily during peak season (July-October). BJ Rex from ‘Fish Niue’ (a certified PADI dive master and whale watching guide) also runs specialist water adventures regularly.
You can also join a sunrise charter fishing trip, catch an uga (coconut crab) or snorkel in the many safe coastal rock pools and coves teeming with colourful fish.
Explore limestone caves, hire bikes and e-bikes, play golf, embrace local culture and village activities, rent a car and circle the island, taking in unique landscapes, coasts, forests, marine life and meet some of the Pacific’s friendliest people.
Life in the tranquillity and warmth of Niue is easy. After that short flight, you’ll relish time out with sunshine, no crowds, no traffic lights and a laidback lifestyle that uses Kiwi dollars and almost everyone speaks English.
Let yourself go
Flop and drop? Laze on a lounger by the pool? Why would you, when you’re surrounded by some of the Pacific’s warmest and clearest waters? Niue is a place to get out and see, experience and enjoy.
It boasts some of the planet’s most remarkable snorkelling - Limu Pools and Tautu Reef. Matapa Chasm and Avaiki Cave were once royal swimming pools; now everyday folk walk down a track or staircase to the water’s edge and swim among living coral and masses of bright-coloured fish.
Scuba divers rave about the 80m visibility, amazing cave and cavern diving and spectacular hard coral reefs. Night diving is also a great option for the experienced.
Niue is known as “the fisherman's secret paradise”, because local charter operators can sail you to deep water very quickly, ready to hook marlin, tuna, mahimahi, sailfish, wahoo and giant trevally. There’s a local rule that the catch stays with the boat – apart from the piece you’ll take ashore, where a local can cook it for your dinner.
From July to October, humpback whales migrate from Antarctica to give birth and nurse their young. The island is regarded one of the best places to see them – often from land, while sipping morning coffee at a cliff-edge café or a terrace table at the Scenic Matavai Resort, the island’s only resort-style complex, or from the water on a whale-watching trip.
Niue is one of the few places in the world where, if conditions are right, you can swim with the humpback whales.
There’s plenty of land-based adventure, too. Coral rock is limestone, so you'll find caves with extraordinary formations, like the Talava Arches, where stalagmites and stalactites have an ocean view and waves crash almost into the cave.
Chasm expeditions usually start with a forest hike to a long ladder or staircase down a cleft in the rock to a lost world or magical pool. Each is different, the Instagram moments never-ending.
Niue is bike-friendly – roads circle and criss-cross the island and traffic is necessarily slow. There's also an extensive network of off-road forest tracks (the highest spot is only 68m above sea level).
The experiences don’t stop at ground or sea level. Niue was the first country to become a Dark Sky Nation, its heavens recognised and protected with international accreditation.
In 2021 the country won the Island & Seaside category in the global Green Destinations Story Awards for the tale of its journey to becoming a Dark Sky Nation, ensuring a sustainable future for its skies and an opportunity for innovative employment through night sky tourism.
It is also walking the talk on protecting 100 per cent of its ocean space with creation of the Niue Nukutuluea Multi-Use Marine Park, leading the way among Pacific nations facing unprecedented global pressure from climate change, pollution and extractive industries.
Rock Stars
Only 1600 people live on “the Rock” and chances are that within a week, you’ll have met and chatted with most of them. Niueans are welcoming people and it won’t take long to find yourself immersed in their culture, sharing and enjoying celebrations and locals’ everyday lives.
There are some local customs to be aware of – wave to other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Others are more serious matters of etiquette: wear a T-shirt and shorts or sun dress in villages, shops and eateries; togs are strictly for swimming, so cover up when you finish your marine adventure.
Sunday is reserved for rest and worship. Few locals work so no tours, fishing or boating; shops are shut but a selection of cafes are open along with a food truck in the main township of Alofi. Do take the opportunity to go to church, even if you’re not a believer: it’s one of the island’s most enriching experiences. Tourists are welcomed to any service to enjoy angelic singing and meet locals. Wear respectful clothes, preferably a collared shirt and pants for men and knee-length skirt for women.
“Taoga Niue” or traditional culture means everything to a Niuean and it’s easy for visitors to experience it, from a plantation tour or uga hunt to cultural concerts and guided rainforest walks.
If you’re lucky, you’ll be around for an annual Village Show Day. Each of the 14 villages displays its crops, and uga harvest, plays traditional games, displays handicrafts and sells local food.
Girls learn to weave from an early age, while older women use the craft as a social event. Visitors can see a group in Alofi’s Makini Hall every Wednesday; the resort hosts a weekly session for visitors to learn from the experts. Another handicraft is kahoa hihi, necklaces made of yellow snail shells found along the rugged coastline.
Local village fishermen still use traditional vaka (outrigger canoes); making them requires incredible carving skills passed from generation to generation, now taught to boys in school.
As the Niuean saying goes – and it’s not a cliché – “You will arrive as a visitor and leave as a friend.”
Eat, stay, shop
Plush resorts? Luxe spas? That’s not how they do things in these parts. As mentioned, the four-star Scenic Matavai Resort is the island’s full-service, swim-up pool bar, hotel-style complex with regular entertainment.
Boutique cottages and villas, ultra-affordable guest houses and holiday homes make up the rest of the accommodation. Several cottages and villas perch on clifftops with ocean views; others are nestled in coral gardens. Some have pools, most have air conditioning or ceiling fans and WiFi; all are clean and charming. Quirky, too, like the house made from island limestone or one with a bathtub on the cliff-edge balcony.
For budget accommodation, check out guest houses. A loose term, guest house can mean a large house with private guest rooms and communal facilities or a Kiwi-style bach that’s all yours. They’re run by locals and provide a genuine Niuean experience.
Families will find plenty of options, from the resort to self-contained holiday homes that can accommodate a couple of families travelling together and guest houses with family rooms. You won’t find resorts with kids’ clubs, however.
For couples, private cottages in tranquil locations are what Niue does best. If you’re looking to tie the knot, the resort offers a variety of wedding, elopement, vow renewal and special celebration options.
And company & special interest groups are always welcomed. Where could be more ideal than Niue, for a company meeting, conference, team building or group escape.
Tips
Visitors must book accommodation for their entire stay before arriving; book early in the high season (June-October) because rooms are limited; camping and couch surfing are not permitted.
They live on a rock in mid-ocean so yes, Niueans love their seafood, served with taro, breadfruit, banana, pawpaw, coconuts and cassava from island plantations. Authentic cuisine is also available at the market, village show days or buffet and umu nights.
If you’re lucky, you’ll be offered uga, usually saved for special occasions or for older family members. Your best bet for savouring the crustaceans is to take a guided hunt.
Nane, typically served for breakfast, is a porridge made with coconut flesh and arrowroot; try it with coconut bread. Takihi is a creamy sweet-but-savoury treat made with taro, coconut cream and pawpaw; ota ika is Niue’s version of raw fish marinated in coconut cream, flavoured with chilli and lime.
Said to be made by the world’s cleanest bees, Niue’s is the only honey you can bring into New Zealand. Get a quarantine certificate at the airport.
Take a fishing charter, catch a tuna and the locals will turn your prize into fai kai ika, a local classic of tuna steak with island-grown ferns in a coconut cream sauce.
As well as Dolphins at the resort, known for a tropical twist on international favourites, Kaiika Sushi & Gourmet Cuisine is renowned for sushi, sashimi and tempura. Wok on the Rok offers noodle and Asian dishes, Hio is located clifftop and open Sundays (with rugby games live on its big screen), Vaiolama and Crazy Uga’s Café offer great views. Fana Café adjoins the well-stocked Swanson supermarket and is popular for dishes made from locally sourced ingredients.
This is not a bustling metropolis and not all restaurants are open all the time; bookings are encouraged.
Don’t expect retail therapy, malls or cinemas. Swanson, the sole supermarket, and smaller stores in Alofi and some villages stock groceries, clothing, footwear and hardware. Most shops are open from 9am-4pm, Monday to Friday, and Saturdays 7am-7pm.
Alofi’s makete runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with fresh produce,
live uga and fresh fish along with street food, traditionally prepared and cooked umu-style, and handicrafts.
What you need to know
When to go
Best time to visit is July-October, when the humpback whales hang out. April, May and June are good because temperatures are comfortable (average 24C) and flight deals likely. If you love tropical heat and want to share Niue with relatively few other tourists, consider November-March (average 27C).
How to get there
Air New Zealand flies from Auckland on a Tuesday or Saturday depending on the time of year. Increased services are due later this year. Check out the latest flight schedule on airnz.co.nz
Getting around
Hanan Airport is five minutes' drive from the main town of Alofi and most accommodation. There’s no public transport so visitors usually hire a car or bikes. A coastal route and cross-island roads make it easy to explore.
Cost of living
Niue conveniently uses the Kiwi dollar. Access to the scenic tracks and coves is free. Most food is imported from New Zealand but supermarket prices are reasonable. Cash is best: cards are widely accepted but you may be charged a fee. There’s no ATM but you can get cash from the supermarket and Kiwibank has a branch in Alofi.
Words to the wise
Almost everybody speaks English. Niuean is beautiful but sadly on UNESCO’s endangered language list. Learn a few phrases before you go: niuepocketguide.com/10-niuean-words-to-know-when-visiting-niue
Local rules
Visitors must book accommodation for their whole stay before arriving and must have funds to support themselves in Niue. Currently a negative Covid PCR test is required within 48 hours of departure from New Zealand, along with tests on day 1 and 3 after arrival.
These requirements will likely change as the island settles into post-Covid life so check on the Niue Government Covid site before travelling for the latest requirements - covid19.gov.nu. Mask wearing and scanning rules are also strict. Further details will also be displayed on niueisland.com
For full information on travel offers and tourist information: https://www.niueisland.com/
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