The Rock of the Pacific, Niue is literally a large volcanic rock. It is as small island, yet a large coral atoll, in the middle of a triangle between Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands. Only a 3 hour flight from Auckland, Mark and I chose Niue for a long weekend getaway because it’s not a typical island vacation.
With only 2 flights in and out a week, we chose to arrive Friday (departing AKL on Saturday but we crossed the international date line) and leave Monday (Tuesday by the time we arrived home). There is only one resort on the Island, so we decided to stay at a small hotel with only 2 rooms. Each room was basically it’s own house with 2 balcony’s, large kitchen, bathroom and living area.
Lau’s Getaway is certainly a paradise in it’s own right. It was private, secluded and right on the water. We also rented a car from our host, which was waiting for us when we arrived at the airport.
Our host told us to “Take a right out of the airport parking lot, go down the road and once you get to the bottom of a hill take a left where the room will be on the right.” Okay… we thought. As we were venturing on the road I was amazing at how untouched the Island was. Within 10 minutes our host’s wife flagged us down and gave us a tour of our amazing suite where we would be living for the next 3 days.
We unpacked and had a glass of the wine gifted to us by our hosts. We sat on our sun-bed and watched the sunset; it was magical.
No matter what we were doing on the Island in the day, we made sure to make it back to our room for sunset. Niue seriously has the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen in my life.
Quick Guide
Stay:
-Lau’s Getaway
-Scenic Matavai Resort
Eat:
-Kaiika – Solid dinner choice any night of the week
-Hio Cafe – Eco friendly & nice deck views
-Crazy Uga Cafe – large portions & close to center of town
-Vaiolama Cafe & Bar – mini golf & great views
-Washaway Cafe – Sunday only, only self-serve/honesty bar in the world
-Oki Oki Mai Cliff Top Cafe & Bar – great picnic spot when not open
Do:
-Matapa Chasm
-Talava Arches (right next to Matapa Chasm, we skipped this walk)
-Limu Pools
-Hio Beach
-Avatele Beach
-Hikulagi Sculpture Park
-Tamakautoga Beach
-Bike trails
-Togo Chasm
Shop:
-Kauhi Krafts
-Vendors outside airport
-Commercial Centre
Our first day started with breakfast and fresh coconuts in our little house. We then loaded up the car and set off to the North of the Island for the Matapa Chasm.
One of the main attractions on the Island, Matapa Chasm is even a hit with the locals. We were a little thrown off by the 10 cars at the entrance but it wasn’t that crowded once we got to the water. (We later saw it is the same starting point for the Talava Arches walk)
After a short 10 minute walk in the bush we reached a clearing of rock where the water was so clear you could see all the coral and colorful fish.
We didn’t have snorkels however I brought some goggles and was able to see fine. Coming up for breaths every now and then did not take anything away from the experience for me.
We stayed here for an hour and then decided to try another swimming hole: the Limu Pools.
There are 2 areas of the Limu Pools and both had amazing snorkeling. Niue has amazing corals because about 20 meters from the rock (or land) is a drop off into the Ocean. This means that fish have access to the low lying, warmer water, and can also get back out to sea. This also make Niue one of the only places where you can view whales from shore!
The first Limu Pool was an easy walk down a small hill. The second was down a steep ladder and rocky terrain.
We had both Limu Pools to ourselves and it was so grounding. Seeing such a beautiful, deserted due to remoteness, place in its true form was just what I was looking for to relax.
Continuing to head back South for our sunset view, we stopped off at Hio Cafe for lunch.
This cafe offers a traditional meal on Tuesday’s and basic snacks & plates the rest of the week. Like most restaurants on the Island, it opens for lunch and then closes for a few hours before dinner.
On the top of Hio Beach, Hio Cafe overlooks the water but gives you coverage from the sun. There was ample parking on the side of the road and we enjoyed our coconut drinks while our Fish n Chips were cooking.
After our meal we went down the steep stairs to the beach. I was a little disappointed that the sand was hard, chunky shells compared to fine sand. And there were no waves nor area to swim because of the coral close to the sand. Same story goes for Tamakautoga Beach: steep stairs, harder sand, no waves yet you can sit in the water in a mini pool due to the coral.
When we arrived at the airport we were given a Niue guidebook and I used this heavily. It had all the restaurants, walks, caves, hotels, etc. As we continued South we stopped by Vaiolama Cafe & Bar. This is a family spot as there are picnic chairs for the adults while the kids can play mini golf.
Be sure to get to Vaiolama Cafe early, as they do run out of food. Also, make use of the guide book to call ahead to confirm restaurants are open (and not having a private event) to reserve yourself a table.
The Visitors Center was closed all weekend, so I was glad that we had that guide book. The Visitors Centre is right next to the “Commercial Centre” where there are some shops, grocery stores and an Indian restaurant.
Another great cafe in town that offers sheltered views of the ocean is Crazy Uga Cafe. Uga’s has good prices and large plates.
Another perk of staying at Lau’s Getaway is discounted meals at Kaika, the host’s restaurant.
We stopped here for dinner the first night and we were blown away by the freshness of the fish. Ranked the 17th Best Japanese Restaurant outside of Japan, we munched on a seafood platter for a starter, I had 3 kinds of sushi for my main while Mark got a fish pizza.
Our host goes fishing on almost a daily basis, and some of that fish gets sent to Japan!
A final perk of staying at Lau’s is having access to the pool facilities at the only resort on the Island, just 5 minutes down the road from the room: Scenic Matavai. We came here in the day to lounge and get some sun, as we learned Niue beaches were not what we were used too, but I didn’t take any photos until we came for dinner! Expect higher prices and Western food options except on Friday’s when they do their culture night. We ate here Saturday & Sunday night. The latter was a discounted BBQ night with a live band & DJ. All of the events were listed in our Niue guide.
On Sunday, with most things being closed, Mark and I decided to take a drive to the Eest side of the Island. We drove through pot-holed ridden forest and found ourselves at the Hikulagi Sculpture Park.
This free, green area is art made from trash. It was humbling to see how an Island in the middle of the Ocean deals with trash from tourists, and it was a wider view of what on Earth we are doing with one use things & plastics.
On the way back we passed Togo Chasm but since it was a full day activity decided to pass and head to the bar. Back on the South-West side of the Island we stopped at Wastesaways Cafe on the Avatele Beachfront.
The only self-serve, honesty bar in the world, this cafe allows you to pick your drinks from the fridge and just keep a tally to pay your bill later!
Close to the airport and next to the major Swanson supermarket is a new cocktail bar, All Relativf. This is a good place to hangout after checking in for your flight as it is across the street.
Markets are on Mondays and Fridays from 6am to 8am. We heard we needed to get there early, and got there at 6:30, but there were only 2 merchants! Not sure if it was because it was a public holiday (Queens Birthday) or if it was because the Friday market is more popular. I would skip this as the vendors who showed up were also outside the airport before check in.
As I mentioned a little earlier, the check in process at the airport is different that what you might be used too. You need to check in from 9am-11am, which means getting your boarding pass & dropping off your luggage. Passengers can then come back after 1pm to go thru security and wait in the one gate area. It is air conditioned with a bar & duty free shop.
Uga are large crabs native to Niue. We did not see any, and were not lucky enough to get them on any menu’s we saw either. Just a reason to come back!
Kauhi Krafts was across the street from our room so we stopped there when they were open on Saturday. I got some earrings and Mark got some handmade cards. They had some very unique items here, I highly recommend making a stop when driving by.
In summary, Niue is not your typical Island holiday. There are not beaches as you know them and you must be prepared with food in case restaurants are not open. You can certainly relax here, but it is more of an ‘active holiday’ in terms of having to walk/bike to get to certain sites. Niue also has boat tours for fishing, whale watching, kayaking & SUP. On the upside, you have chasms and clear pools all to yourself. I would go back in a heartbeat!
TIP: Bring sunscreen, no brainer, but make sure you have a reef safe one. When looking at fish, I noticed there was an oily reflection in some spots in the water. This is attributed to sunscreens, deodorants, lotions, hair products, etc.
Have you been to Niue? Have you been to an Island that was more ‘active’ than relaxing?