NIUE

Once you've experienced Niue, it becomes obvious why it is often called "The Rock of Polynesia". As one of the largest uplifted coral atolls in the world, at 260 square kilometers, the entire island is constructed purely from limestone, which creates a myriad of caves, caverns, and chasms to witness and explore both above and below the water.
With no rivers, streams and runoff from the island, Niue's water visibility is renowned as some of the clearest in the Pacific Ocean - recorded at up to 80 meters, consistently over 40 meters, and rarely less than 30 meters.

Unlike other Pacific Islands, where numerous islands, islets, and reefs exist, Niue is a single island with steep drop-offs into the ocean abyss with no barrier reefs. In most places, there is a small reef flat adjacent to rugged cliffs, a fringing coral reef, and numerous gutters and caves above and below the surface to explore.

Most of the underwater caves and caverns are accessible to all levels of divers, and in some (like the popular Dome and Bubble caves), divers can surface into air pockets inside the island. Add cracks, crevices, little currents, swim-throughs and drop-offs, and you have a varied and exciting dive destination unlike many others

Niue Blue is the sole dive operator; most of its expert team hails from Dive! Tutukaka, a renowned New Zealand-based organisation with an internationally acclaimed safety and professional track record. As a PADI 5-star resort, both Dive! Tutukaka and Niue Blue offer comprehensive PADI dive training for all levels.
Niue Blue can provide full scuba gear rental, featuring quality Aqualung equipment and Suunto Zoop computers or tailored options for those with personal gear. Travelling to Niue is a quick three-and-a-half-hour flight from Auckland. The island uses the New Zealand dollar, and to explore its expansive beauty, a rental car is essential due to the absence of public transport. Despite common assumptions of its size, Niue is a large island, and a car makes navigating it a breeze.

Dive boat trips are provided twice daily, with a double dive in the mornings and a single dive in the afternoons, Monday to Saturday- with multi-dive discounts available. Depending on conditions, night dives from the only wharf on the island are generally once a week on an evening that suits. Niue Blue has limited capacity with small, intimate groups, so booking ahead is recommended, especially in the peak winter season of June through September. Average sea surface temperatures during the peak winter season are around 25deg.C, with 26-27deg.C in the shoulder seasons and 28-29deg.C in the summer months.

Humpback whales migrate from their feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean to the warm tropical waters of Niue to give birth and mate during July, August, and September. With a stable pattern of Southeast trade winds, the lee provides the perfect shelter along Niue's western coast. Whale song can accompany divers throughout their dives, and with the deep water and drop-off so close to shore, scuba divers are in the perfect place to witness a chance "swim by" from these graceful giants. Niue has regulations allowing whale watching tours with the opportunity of swimming with humpbacks. There are a limited number of licensed operators on the island, and small groups (maximum six persons in the water with a local guide) with high visibility leads to amazing encounters in the crystal-clear waters. The whales sometimes come close to the island to rest, providing ample opportunity for land-based whale watching from many of the island's vantage points to fill the time when not in the water. Guests on the island often report hearing the whale calls clearly in the still of night, a uniquely haunting experience.

Amongst a diverse underwater ecosystem, Niue also has some of the highest densities of sea snakes seen in the Pacific, with both the placid and common Indo-Pacific (or Brown-lipped) sea krait Laticauda laticaudata as well as its endemic species of sea krait. The "Katuali" (Laticauda schistorhyncha) is abundant in the reefs surrounding the island. Both species breed in some of the caves and caverns and, during certain months of the year, congregate in scores with numbers of up to 100 individuals and mating balls of dozens of snakes.

Massive cave systems and various walks are found all over the island to explore with ease via well-signposted tracks. Talava Arches is a moderate one-hour walk that takes you through the bush and into a cave system that pops you out on the coast to a spectacular display of mother nature and the ocean's power that has formed a huge arch. Take your mask and snorkel, as there are crystal-clear rock pools to swim in at the end of this walk. On your way back, take the five-minute detour to enjoy a refreshing dip into the amazing Matapa Chasm – where the kings of Niue once bathed. Avaiki Cave is only accessible at low tide, and after a short walk, you arrive at a breathtaking setting straight from a James Bond movie; or venture down 155 stairs into Anapala Chasm and dive into a breathtaking freshwater chasm lit only from a crack of daylight above in the middle of the day.

Onboard one of Niue's snorkel boat tours is the easiest and safest way to access sites outside the reef, where you are likely to encounter Niue's resident spinner dolphins, and you get the chance to tow-swim alongside the boat with these playful creatures.
Quality charter operators offer game fishing, spearfishing, or free diving experiences. Vessels are generally pontoon style 6–7-meter models and launched via a large winch at the main wharf in the capital of Alofi. As the atoll drops around a meter every meter off the reef, intense water is accessed almost immediately from launching, so most of the time is spent fishing and not travelling. Strategically placed fish aggregation devices (FADs) are around Niue and at varying depths to assist in attracting and holding a variety of species. Black, Blue and Striped Marlin; Skipjack and Yellowfin Tuna; Mahimahi, Sailfish; and closer to shore Red Bass, Giant Trevally, Pacific Barracuda, Dog Tooth Tuna, and Rainbow Runners, amongst many others, are commonly encountered. But Niue is most famous for Wahoo! You can virtually be guaranteed a big fish, a big fight, and an even bigger story to share at the end of the day.

Niue's coral reefs aren't free of challenges - cyclones and coral bleaching have certainly had an impact. But the corals appear to be resilient, and the past couple of years have produced slightly cooler waters and being free of cyclones has helped the reef health considerably. During Covid and a time of no tourism, local dive operator Niue Blue had the time to concentrate on the destructive threat of the coral-eating snail Drupella. This mollusc eats coral, and an outbreak in some areas in 2019-2020 meant many corals (especially the Acropora family of branching corals) were heavily damaged. With the financial support of Niue Tourism and numerous volunteer efforts, since 2020, over 28,000 Drupella have been collected by Niue Blue and removed from the reef, improving overall reef health considerably.

Recently, Niue became one of the first countries to commit to protecting 100% of the waters in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as a Multiple-Use Marine Park. The Niue Nukutuluea Marine Park covers a whopping 317,500 square kilometers by breaking it into five tightly managed marine resource use zones, where 40% is a fully protected no-take area. These efforts culminate many years of scientific assessment, community consultation, and cost-benefit analysis. They are inspired by a baseline of over 1,000 years of traditional knowledge, practice, and respect for the ocean. The project is managed through a public and private partnership between the Government of Niue and Tofia Niue (NGO) called Niue Ocean Wide (or NOW). To help fund this management, they have developed a world-first Ocean Credit scheme where people can sponsor a square kilometer of ocean, helping protect it for generations to come.

While the nightlife is limited, Niue is also the world's only Dark Sky Nation. You can watch the stars and enjoy the serenity while maybe enjoying a cold one at the beachfront Washaway Café on Avatele Beach – quite possibly the world's last honesty bar or any of the other clifftop eateries on offer as you start planning your next trip to this diverse piece of underwater paradise. One thing is sure: once you experience the beauty of Niue, both above and below the water, you will find yourself returning to this destination, much like the migrating humpbacks.

Important links for visitors to Niue

www.niueisland.com www.niueblue.com
www.exploreniue.com
www.niueoceanwide.com