The ITM Fishing Show’s Matt Watson lets us in on the unexploited magic of Niue.
There’s an air of exclusivity when it comes to Niue, something which just adds to the intrigue of this tiny country, one of the largest raised coral atolls in the world. There’s just one flight a week arriving to the island (increasing to two from November 2023), making its three-and-a-half-hour journey from Auckland, and that’s it — meaning it’s blissfully free of the crowds that descend on other tropical destinations. This also means there is no queuing, no traffic and a pace of life that feels like a big, soul-restoring breath of deliciously fresh air.
The Fishing Show host Matt Watson felt it immediately on his earliest visit, with Niue exceeding his expectations almost immediately. “You knew you were distinctly in the islands — there are palm trees and it’s warm and all of that good stuff,” he says of his initial impression. “But it was like going to a place in New Zealand for the first time, except you’re in the tropics.” Making life even easier, the New Zealand dollar and credit cards are accepted everywhere. Matt initially visited to film his popular fishing show and remembers being blown away by the clarity of the water. In fact, it’s the clearest water in the Pacific with an incredible 80-metre visibility. Which obviously makes diving the underwater realms, including many caves, a truly magical experience. You don’t have to go far to experience the wonders of the deep, either. “The lack of a lagoon means the fish you catch, your pelagic species that are migratory, like your marlin, tuna, wahoo, those sorts of fish that travel around in the open ocean, they can be right up against the land because it drops off so deep,” says Matt. “It’s crazy — I mean, I swam off the beach and saw a yellowfin tuna, which is an open ocean fish.”
Niue is unique, too, for having no outlying islands — just one big beautiful geological wonder with hundreds of nooks and crannies to explore. The multitude of tracks on the island are well-maintained, some with showers and bathrooms, and take you to secret swimming caves, chasms, and pools, which you will often have all to yourself.
When Matt returned to Niue with his family and some friends for a holiday, his big surprise was how much he enjoyed all the walking trails. “I’m not really someone that goes walking for the sake of it but they’re all just so beautiful,” he says. Togo Chasm in particular rated high as a memorable moment. “You get to the end of this amazing track that goes around the coast on the eastern side of the island, and you climb down this massive ladder to a golden sand beach, like something out of a movie.”
Wow moments aren’t exactly rare on Niue, though — even the skies glitter more brightly here, with it being the world’s only Dark Sky nation. And the awe-inspiring sight of humpback whales just offshore is a common occurrence. Matt now has “insane footage” of them from his fishing trips. On a subsequent visit, he took his children to swim with them, Niue being one of the only places this can be done.
In between all the activity, there are wonderfully relaxed places to stop for refreshments. Scenic Matavai Resort, the only resort on the island, has some refined cuisine. But there is everything in between, including sensational sashimi and sushi at Kaiika restaurant. “It doesn’t look like much from the road but someone said to us you gotta have sashimi from there. And of course, it’s all hook and line caught fish,” says Matt, explaining that’s a rarity these days. If a woodfired pizza is more your thing then HIO Cafe which is a clifftop funky café offers these.
But there are memorable options lurking around every corner. Matt recalls cruising around in a people mover with their family friends and coming across a timber sign with the words ‘food and cold beer’ painted on it. “So we drive up this track, and next thing you know, we’re on a cliff edge. And there’s a container set up with a little kitchen in it. You could grab a chilled coconut for, like, a dollar or something with a straw in it, so the kids grabbed one of those each. There were tables and chairs on a platform with a rail around it. And we’re drinking Steinies, watching humpback whales play below us, thinking about what a wicked day we’ve had and what we’re going to get up to tomorrow”. In Niue, those possibilities are endless — and endlessly unique.
Visit niueisland.com or see your travel agent and get yourself to Niue.