Niue - Christmas 2008

 
I left Palm Springs, flying from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand. Before leaving Auckland to explore more of New Zealand I took some time out to visit the island of Niue.

I decided to visit Niue as it was far less commercialised than neighbouring islands like Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.

You cross the international date line when flying from Auckland to Niue, so I left Auckland around 11pm on December 23rd and arrived at 2.30am the same day, giving me the chance to relive December 23rd.

Niue has a very relaxed pace and at Christmas that pace is even slower than usual!  There is only one bank, post office and internet cafe on the island, at the main village of Alofi, and they were all closed during my time on the island.

Niue has some amazing coastline that requires some long walks to truly appreciate. My first stop was Togo Chasm on the east side of the island. There are caves, pools and a small sandy beach here and like most of Niue you are almost guaranteed privacy.

Leaving Togo Chasm and driving around the island I came upon a most intriguing sign. The Lady Farmer Piggery offers pigs for hair cuttings, ear piercings and even weddings!

The Avaiki Cave is north of Alofi village on the west side of the island. Avaiki used to be an exclusive place for the ancient kings of Niue. Avaiki has two caves, one at the entrance full of huge stalactites, stalagmites & pillars, plus another cave to the right. There is also a sea water pool inside the cave.

Nearby is Palaha Cave, a richly coloured cavern that open out onto smaller caves and a pool at the sea's edge.

Hio sea track is near Avaiki and Palaha. There's a beautiful sandy beach that is usually deserted despite being the longest and finest on the island.

The Limu pools are one Niue attraction where you probably won't be alone as it's one of the most visited places on the island.

The Matapa Chasm is at the Northwest part of Niue near the village of Hikutavake. It is supposed to be a favourite place for the locals to visit. I was the only person there but unfortunately there were discarded plastic bottles and other rubbish left behind.

 

  


The coastline at Togo Chasm


An intriguing sign as I travelled around the island


Avaiki Cave


A view of the beach and cliffs at Hio


I spotted this crab on the beach at Hio