Niue
NIUE REVIEW
Niue is a small island in the South Pacific, belonging to Polynesia and often quite fittingly referred to as "The Rock", as it's a raised rocky atoll with steep cliff sides. There are no barrier reefs, instead the reefs in many parts slope down to 100 m depth right outside the coast. This means amongst other things that the humpback whales that travel past and rest close to their island on their annual migration from/to Antarctica often swim past right by the coastline, beneath the cliffside. As do the spinner dolphins when they are taking a break from hunting. The geography of The Rock also means that there is barely any topsoil that is eroded into the water, so the visibility is just extraordinary and can be up to 80-100 meters.
The reefs are mainly healthy hard corals and very slow growing giant clams, as the water is very nutrient poor. The steep drop into the huge depths mean that pelagic marine life comes very close to shore. Just going snorkeling from the most popular beach means that you get the chance to see swordfish, barracudas, tunas, mahi-mahi/dolphinfish, dolphins, humpback whales, sharks (I was lucky to see a tiger shark when snorkeling) and of course, hundreds if not thousands of the Katuali, the Niuean sea snake that sleeps on shallow bottoms, especially at the site Snake gully, and reproduce in the many caves in the islands. These snakes often come right up to you to investigate when you are diving or snorkeling. They are curious animals and it's truly an experience to see such a vast number of sea snakes in one place.
The caves are a chapter on their own, if you like cave diving then there are plenty to choose from here, both for hiking as well as those that are only accessible through diving. In the underwater ones plenty of lobsters can be found.
Niue is also one of very few countries where you are allowed to swim with humpback whales (with a certified operator). It's also possible to be in the water with the spinner dolphins, and my experience is that this is very well managed with focus on not causing the whales or dolphins any stress.
Since Niue is such a small island, with the second smallest population of any nation and air connections flying only to New Zealand twice a week, you have to keep in mind that there won't be a lot of alternatives when it comes to accommodation or dive operators. It's a good idea to book accommodation well beforehand as the flights were just recently increased to twice a week and accommodations can get quite full. However, in true polynesian fashion, the wonderful people will help you if you run into trouble. If you're unlucky and need medical attention, I can warmly recommend the hospital. Thanks to tight connections to New Zealand the hospital is well equipped, the staff great and helpful and the service surprisingly cheap.
If you are looking for adventure and a very different dive experience, I would really recommend Niue. However, if you require long sandy beaches you will be disappointed. As for top side activities hiking is probably the most popular one to be able to enjoy the harsh geography of the island. Bring sturdy shoes as the rocks can shred less sturdy ones to pieces. Sport fishing is also popular, and the huge coconut crabs should not be missed as it's one of the few inhabited islands in the Pacific where they are still thriving.
