We arrived at Niue in the total darkness. Niue is an almost circular, 20 mile wide, coral island but it differs from previous islands in being geologically much older. The coral sits on top of an extinct volcano which has sunk towards the ocean floor so that the whole island is made of ancient coral with no inner lagoon. This means that there is no pass through the coral to negotiate. Even so we approached the shore very slowly and were relieved to tie on to a mooring ball without mishap.
Next day we did our best to remove some of the salt that had found its way everywhere during the rough passage from Suwarrow but there was no fresh water to clean the outside of the boat. Going ashore was unusual as there is no dinghy dock, only the main wharf where all the goods for the island are loaded from the weekly "Banana Boat". Dinghies have to be hoisted on to the wharf by a small crane! We were quickly informed that the "Curry House" was good so in we went for lunch. We did not leave till 4.5 hours later as a protracted rain storm hit the island and trapped us inside. At least the problem of cleaning the salt of the decks of Free & BrEasy was solved! We sat watching New Zealand rugby and trying the limited wifi. Who would have predicted that we would end up in a Pacific island eating a curry and watching rugby! A quick run through the rain led us to the Crazy Uga Café where a drinks reception was held, not to be missed even in bad weather!
Niue is one of the smallest countries in the world but is a protectorate of New Zealand. The locals all speak New Zenglish as well as their own Polynesian language and the currency is the New Zealand dollar. Migration to New Zealand has reduced a population of nearly 20,000 Niueans to the current 1,500 now living on the island and we were to see countless abandoned homes when touring the island, as evidence of the exodus. Niue is also famous on the "Yachty Cruising Circuit" for the Niue Yacht Club, the "biggest little yacht club in the world". As the very friendly commodore, Keith, put it "we don't have any boats or sailors on Niue but we organise an excellent mooring field for cruisers". The NYC is very comfortable and friendly and worth travelling across the Pacific for.
Hiring a car is the best way to see Niue so we went to see a very friendly Niuean called George. In fact all the people we met were very friendly, with a relaxed grin and always willing to help. We were soon driving and discovering the island including the delightful Washaway Café which as its name implies, did not survive the cyclone that hit Niue in 2005. The cyclone devastated the island and destroyed many concrete buildings with rocks catapulted from the shore to heights of 20 meters.
Time has had an amazing effect on the coral and erosion through the limestone coral rock has created caves, chasms and spiky rock formations. Most of these can only be reached by walking through dense jungle, along tricky paths of very sharp coral and then down wooden ladders. At Togo the sea has washed sand into the chasm and mature coconut trees grow surrounded by coral pinnacles. In other places, limestone caves are propped up by columns of stalactites and stalagmites, while great arches have been formed and are being steadily eaten away by the sea. Some pools and chasms have wonderful fish life and are brilliant for snorkelling. The Niuean topography is always surprising. Expect the unexpected at Nuie!
On our drive we could not help noticing the profusion of modern grave sites all around the island. Some were away from the villages in the bush, whilst others are in the gardens of homes. There are no cemeteries on Niue so each family has its own plot with the graves often covered with a roof and festooned with flowers and flags. All the land in Niue is privately owned and this apparently prevents the Government or Churches from acquiring land for a cemetery. Graves at frequent intervals along the road is one way of making drivers more careful!
The last attraction we sampled in Nuie is its population of sea snakes. Friendly and inquisitive but highly venomous with no known antidote, this was enough to dissuade us from diving! Undeterred, Alejandro spotted a black and white striped monster and captured it, digitally of course!
Next stop is Vava'a in Tonga, 240 miles from Niue. On the way we will lose a whole day of our lives as we cross the Date Line. Every 15 degrees west from Greenwhich, UK we have been putting the clocks back 1 hour but when we get to longtitude 180 degrees west we will also be at 180 degrees east which is 12 hours ahead of Greenwhich. Result is we lose 24 hours! I know time flies when you are having fun but that's ridiculous.