Niue offers unique experiences with humpback whales, spinner dolphins and diving in clear waters. Photo / David Kirkland
Niue may be one of the world’s smallest countries, but it’s also an island nation packed with superlative experiences. Here’s what to do and where to go for the best of the South Pacific destination also known as “The Rock of Polynesia”.
Visiting Niue’s warmer waters to give birth and nurse their calves, humpback whales migrate past Niue from roughly July to September. Experiences with Niue Blue offer the opportunity to gently slip into the water to observe the massive cetaceans from just metres away, while Niue’s resident pod of spinner dolphins are also usually spotted on boat trips along the island’s sheltered west coast. With clear underwater visibility of up to 80m, diving amid Niue’s labyrinthine seascape of underwater caves, tunnels and caverns is also popular. Guided excursions with Niue Blue often feature snorkelling in the crystalline waters just beyond the reef.
Even non-divers can appreciate Niue’s underwater spectacle with well-maintained steps and sea tracks wending careful routes to two standout west coast snorkelling locations. At Limu, two sheltered pools are refreshed by a natural spring and the Pacific swell, while further up the coast, the reef pools at Hikutavake sometimes feature turtles and reef sharks entering through an underwater tunnel from the indigo depths beyond the reef. Experiencing Hikutavake is like swimming in a giant bowl-shaped aquarium. Definitely pack a pair of reef shoes for protection from the coral. Accommodation owners can advise on the best time to visit tide-wise.
The best cafe on Niue is actually one of the best in all the South Pacific. Owned by Chris Skinner and Ros Price, Fana is named after Skinner’s Niuean mum, Fanamoka, and the cafe’s retro branding recalls her time as a hula dancer in Tokyo. Now the culinary focus at Fana is cosmopolitan and contemporary – big breakfasts and stonking three-egg omelettes are perfect sustenance for active Niuean adventures – and island-sourced organic vanilla and bush honey are regularly harnessed for their iced coffee and smoothies. Thriving in the island’s remote Pacific Bee Sanctuary, Niue’s bees are some of the world’s healthiest, and prized Niue honey is exported internationally. Ask Skinner about Fana’s “Umu” focaccia sandwich, crammed with pulled pork of local wild boar (puaka) and takihi (coconut cream-infused taro and papaya).
The waters off Niue get very deep, very quickly, escalating to more than 300m just beyond the reef circling the island, and making it a great place to go fishing. Head out with local operators, including Cliff Marsh from Niue Wahoo Fishing Charters, to catch wahoo, yellowfin tuna or mahi mahi. Experienced fisherfolk and absolute newbies are catered to, with lines often being cast a five to 10-minute boat journey from Niue’s craggy coastline of cliffs and sea caves. Marsh is good mates with Skinner at Fana and the freshest of fish often makes it onto the cafe’s menu.
Many local families tend plots of land amid Niue’s forested interior and Tony Aholima from A5 Tours is the best guide to this informal patchwork of taro, fruit and other crops. Tinged with his entertaining island-style philosophy, plantation walks feature more than 15 different crops – including lush tennis ball-sized passionfruit – and friendly local dogs usually informally lead Aholima’s groups on bush walks seeking out Niue’s famed uga (coconut crabs). To learn about Niue’s organic and sustainable vanilla, book a farm tour with Stanley Kalauni from Niue Vanilla Organic.
Sunday is a day of rest in Niue and for many local families, attending a church service is an important focus. Visitors are welcome at churches all around Niue, and because of its proximity to the Scenic Matavai Resort, Avatele’s Ekalesia Church is a popular location for travellers. Services are conducted in Vagahau Niue (the Niuean language), but visitors always receive a heartfelt welcome in English. Hearing your favourite hymnal melodies infused with heavenly island harmonies is a special experience. Look forward to catching up with local families on the church’s front steps after the service.
After attending a re-energising and reflective church service, make your way to the oceanfront Washaway Cafe near the sandy arc of Avatele Beach. Avatele is really the only beach on rocky and rugged Niue, and the Washaway is only open on Sunday afternoons. Owner and long-term Niue resident Willie Saniteli is always up for a yarn, and you’ll definitely run into locals and fellow travellers you’ve already met around the island. The Washaway’s fish burgers and its reputation as the Pacific’s only self-serve bar are equally legendary. Just settle up at the end of the night and you’re sorted.
With coastal caves, sea tracks and soft-adventure activities, Niue’s definitely not a cocktails-beside-the-pool kind of location, but in-the-know travellers can still look forward to fruit-tinged action in a fancy glass. Pairing exemplary fish tacos served in Indian-style flatbreads, mojitos at the Hio Cafe are studded with tart local passionfruit, and there are stellar views from the cafe’s shipping container cliff-top location. Nearer to Niue’s compact capital of Alofi, superb sashimi stars at Kai Ika. Don’t be surprised if the table beside you features the Niuean Prime Minister and members of his cabinet enjoying pizza and cold beers. Excellent burgers, tropical fruit-topped cakes and desserts, and more refreshing cocktails all feature nearby at Vaiolama Cafe.
Formally accredited as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary in 2020, Niue is the planet’s first and only Dark Sky Nation. Book a guided stargazing experience at the visitor information office in Alofi, partnering with knowledgeable locals and harnessing powerful telescopes to explore Niue’s pristine and unpolluted night skies. Celestial highlights often include the Milky Way and Magellanic Clouds, and authoritative commentary touches on the celestial wayfaring exploits of Niue’s ocean-crossing Polynesian settlers. Even without a telescope, viewing Niue’s endless and expansive Pacific night skies is a unique experience.
