Matavi Resort's relaxing terrace. Photo / Paul Rush
Matavi Resort's relaxing terrace. Photo / Paul Rush
You can experience the unexpected on the Rock of Polynesia, writes Paul Rush.
"You're on! Take the rod, quick." The call goes out as the heavy game rod bends in a tight curve. The Shimano gold Tiagra reel screams in protest under the strain, as the line is stripped off the spool at a rapid rate.
The skipper quickly passes the rod toa young woman who is ready to do battle with a big fighting fish. Cranking hard to retrieve line, the exuberant angler is soon fitted with a back harness clipped to the reel to relieve leaden arm muscles.
Suddenly, a streak of silver flashes in the bright sunlight. A powerful wahoo launches itself out of the water like a performing acrobat and crashes back in a flurry of flying spray. These sleek pelagic marauders can exceed 70kp/h when aroused and this one has decided he's not coming quietly.
Another 20 back-breaking minutes pass before the fish is alongside the boat. The skipper deftly wields the gaff and hauls the 14kg monster on board, announcing its arrival with a cry: "Yahoo - it's a wahoo".
I'm aboard the 7.8m alloy boat Horizon, trolling at a steady eight knots along Niue Island's western shoreline between Avatele and Mutulau. We are fishing in waters 100m deep within a stone's throw of Niue's sheer cliffs. Unlike other Pacific islands, Niue has no fringing reef, being the largest raised coral atoll in the world.
The island's limestone core is porous, so no rivers can form and pollute the ocean, which remains crystal clear. I land an 18kg barracuda, which defies my efforts to lift it high for a photograph. A pod of spinner dolphins ride our bow wave back to the main wharf.
Catching dinner. Photo / Paul Rush
Back in my comfortable ocean-view room in the four-star Scenic Matavai Resort, I relax on the balcony, staring out at the horizon. A telltale spout rises out of the sparkling blue ocean and a curved back dips below the surface.
This early sighting encourages me to pursue more aquatic adventures, so I book a scuba dive to Snake Gully, one of the signature dive sites. A dozen black and white banded sea snakes greet us at 20m, spiralling upwards in weirdly sinuous reptilian movements. A streamlined white-tipped reef shark breezes by and a spiky lion fish hovers in menacing fashion.
I'm feeling passionate about Niue's water-based activities but have yet to experience its terrestrial adventures. Keith Vial's Commodore's Island Tour is the answer. This affable bon- vivant and articulate raconteur holds the exalted position of Commodore of the Niue Yacht Club.
"We don't actually have any yachts and no one has ever sailed," Keith tells us proudly. "The club has 20 fixed moorings, which the cruising fraternity use for an enjoyable stopover and a welcome from the 1600 local people." (There are about 23,000 Niueans living overseas, mainly in Auckland.)
Our tour continues to the main town, Alofi, past the shopping centre, which stocks a limited range of New Zealand produce. We climb down into the Avaiki Cave of the Kings, where chiefs once bathed in the warm turquoise pools.
Matapa Chasm is a top swimming hole and picnic spot. Photo / Paul Rush
Later I take a trek into the spectacular Togo Chasm (pronounced Tongo), passing through unspoiled jungle, a forest of fossilised coral pinnacles and descending a vertical wooden ladder into a Lost World of coconut palms and golden sand.
I conclude my series of Niue adventures with a late-night coconut crab hunt with Tony Aholima, which is not for the faint-hearted; a quiet paddle on an outrigger canoe (vaka) and a thrilling mountain bike ride through single tracks in the Huvalu Forest.
Finally, by way of pure relaxation, I snorkel in my favourite pool, Matapa Chasm.
The hidden rock pools, coves, chasms and Aladdinesque caves are a highlight of a holiday here, just part of the adventure that makes Niue the most surprising "rock" in the Pacific.
