Niue

[hoops name=”break”]October 7, 2013

Wow….It’s hard to believe it’s been so long since I’ve updated our blog!  Guess some of it is that we have really dialed down our cruising lifestyle and have spent the last month and a half gunk-holing our way through the Kingdom of Tonga.  It has truly been fabulous and a very welcome respite from (what feels like) our somewhat frenzied pace across the South Pacific!  But, I’m getting ahead of myself here and simply cannot leave out the wonderful island country of Niue….

Niue…..I had never even heard of Niue until we started researching our trip across the Pacific and started following other cruisers’ blogs.  I was intrigued from the get-go.  Niue sits smack-dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, situated between Samoa, Rarotonga, and Tonga.  It was the perfect stop after leaving Suwarrow….

They call it “The Rock”, and for good reason.  Niue is actually a large upraised coral atoll and sits alone in the ocean, surrounded by deep waters all around.  There are few good beaches or landing spots on the island, and thus, it was successfully defended by the natives from the venerable Captain Cook on three separate landing attempts.  Cook named it “The Savage Island” and moved on, leaving Niue to its own culture and devices.

Today, Niue is a very welcoming island, with some of the friendliest people we have yet encountered.  Its main income is based on tourism, and it is largely supported by the government of New Zealand and the many Niueans who live and work in New Zealand and other countries.  But, it is still known as The Rock and the topography hasn’t changed since the time of Cook, so the anchoring and landing challenges remain.

The anchorage is an open roadstead and is wide open to any wind or swell from the western quadrant.  Often times even a northerly or southerly swell will wrap itself around the island and set the boats to rolling.  That, along with the deep water all the way up to the coral shelf surrounding the island has led to the creation of the Niue Yacht Club.  NYC was set up to encourage yachts to stop and enjoy the special beauty that is Niue.  They have established a mooring field in the best anchorage area of the island and have a small building ashore that welcomes yachties with free internet and lots of information on places to go and things to see on the island, and generally are there to be of any assistance needed.  We had emailed the Commodore of the club, Keith, before our arrival, inquiring as to the suitability of the moorings for our heavy boat.  He had assured us that the moorings were well maintained and could most probably safely hold Mystic Moon, but suggested that we take the Fisheries mooring adjacent to the wharf, as it had a heavier block and was maintained for commercial and heavier boats like ours.  The nightly mooring fee was a bit more than the yacht club moorings, but still very minimal to ensure the safety of our vessel.

And so we arrived mid-morning on Sunday from Suwarrow and happily picked up the Fisheries mooring, planning to relax on board for the rest of the day.  Niue is a very religious country, as are the Cook Islands and Tonga, and takes its Sundays very seriously.  Absolutely no work is allowed, and even boating and fishing are forbidden on Sunday.  It was a beautiful day though, and Niue looked gorgeous from our mooring, so life was good.  Commodore Keith hailed us some time later on the VHF, checking to make sure we had gotten settled.  We agreed to meet him and the officials on Monday morning to check into the country.  In the meantime, Bravo was on their way from Suwarrow and would be in later that night, and we heard that Bella Star was on their way from Rarotonga.  There were just a couple of other boats in the mooring field at that time, including our friends on Spruce, whom we had not seen since the Galapagos.

Sunday afternoon, Andy and Sue on Spruce came by our boat and we spent some time catching up with them, and they gave us the lay of the land here in Niue.  They had already done some exploring and said it was an amazing place, but that we would need transportation to see the best of what there was to see.  Also, because there is no suitable place to land a dinghy and it is too rough to keep your dinghy tied to the wharf, Niue has a lift there where you actually hoist your dinghy onto the wharf, wheel it out of the way with a trolley, and park it in a dinghy “parking lot” off to the side.  We had already read about this, but it was nice to get firsthand experience from Andy and Sue!

Bravo did indeed come in that night, and since it was a nighttime arrival, we gave them a hand coming in and picking up a mooring in our dinghy.  They took one of the NYC moorings and I noticed that it looked brand new, the stainless thimble in it still shiny!  The next morning we all went in to check in and meet Keith.  Keith is a great guy and gave us a little mini tour of the town and area, and we booked a half day tour to see the island and get an overview with him the next day.  No cars were available for rental, but we did manage to find a mini-van available that would be perfect for us, Bravo, and Bella Star, who were due in that night, to share (Spruce already had a rental motor-scooter).  Thus we were set to explore Niue….

Niue is a most remarkable and unique place!  I’m not sure I’ve ever been anywhere quite like it.  Because it is a coral atoll uplifted some 68 meters above the sea, its terrain is filled with sharp pinnacles, caves, chasms, secluded rocky pools, and spectacular limestone formations. It even sports a rainforest in its center, filled with many indigenous plants.  The access to these spectacular sights is via the 60km main road which encircles the island, which in turn is filled with paths, called sea tracks, which lead you to each unique feature, usually after a short, but sometimes steep hike.  The sea tracks are all well-maintained, many with handrails and grips conveniently placed along the way, and also with a clean toilet, shower, and changing rooms thoughtfully provided at the parking area atop.  Truthfully, while this may be one of the smallest island nations, it reminded me more of a very well done, giant national park.  Everything was clean and well-marked, and a map, brochure, and tide table were all that was needed to see your way around the island.  We had a wonderful time exploring the many sea tracks with Bravo and Bella Star!  They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and truly, pictures best portray the beauty of Niue, so I have lots of pictures ready to post and will do so as soon as we have decent internet available.

The other wonderful thing about Niue is her friendly people.  Everyone was really, really friendly and welcoming.  There are 14 villages scattered about the country and each village hosts a Saturday fair/exhibition once every month during the year.  We were fortunate to be there during the time that Lakepa Village hosted the fair and took the van across the island to attend.  There were local foods, handicrafts, dancing, exhibitions of fruits and vegetables grown, as well as some animals like piglets and coconut crabs displayed.  There were also games and contests played among the children and adults.  All in all, it was very interesting and a lot of fun!

Aside from all that was available ashore in Niue, the crystal clear waters surrounding her beckoned as well.  Humpback whales visit Niue to calf and mate at this time year, and while we saw some whales in the distance and heard one blow several times very close to our boat one night, we weren’t lucky enough to have an up-close experience like some have done before us.  We did, however enjoy snorkeling the beautiful waters.  Cyclone Hattie, in 2004, destroyed most of Niue’s coral (documented 30-meter waves struck the island!) but you can see some recovery is slowly occurring and there are still many colorful fish; but also, Niue is famous for her many sea snakes.  Banded Sea Kraits make Niuean waters their home, and are easily seen in the waters around the island.  While extremely venomous, their mouths are quite small and they are reported non-aggressive.  Active hunters during the day, we saw many and honestly, it was a little creepy swimming with them!

So, between the many activities available to us, the great restaurants to eat at, the many friends around, cruisers and locals alike, we stayed very busy during our time there.  It was also interesting because while we were there, the monthly supply ship arrived.  It had been delayed for several weeks, so its arrival was greatly anticipated.  We watched as the empty containers from around the island were stacked on and around the wharf, in readiness for the ship’s arrival.  At first, Keith didn’t think we’d have to move off our mooring, but the day before the ship arrived, he notified us that we did indeed need to move to another mooring.  He reassured us that his moorings should be able to hold us, as westerly winds were not forecast to develop, and in spite of the northerly swell that was, so we moved from the Fisheries’ mooring over to what I called, NYC mooring Lucky #13!

Happily, Lucky #13 held us just fine although the northerly swell certainly did come around the island and create a very nasty swell – nasty enough that it broke the chain on our flopper stopper not once, but twice!  The supply ship did finally arrive and spent 2 full days unloading and loading containers via Niue’s tender ship to the wharf.  Things were very busy at the wharf during those days, and it was most interesting to watch the proceedings and goings on!

Truly, I just can’t say enough nice things about our experience at Niue!  From the people to the sight-seeing to the great folks at the yacht club, Niue was a treat and yet another very special stop for us.  Its uniqueness of terrain and warmth of people were unsurpassed and genuinely appreciated!

Postscript to our stay in Niue…..We left Niue shortly after the northerly swell came through, and before a westerly was forecast to blow.  We never did return to the Fisheries mooring, but left for Tonga from Lucky #13.  Not quite three weeks later, while in Vava’u, we heard via the cruisers’ net that a mooring had broken loose after a blow in Niue and that a boat went up on the reef.  Much to our dismay, we learned that the mooring that broke was the Fisheries mooring that we were on during most of our stay there.  Wow…..oh…wow…..  It truly made our blood run cold.  Our hearts go out to the good people on the catamaran Blue Marble, as well as to Keith and the NYC.  What a horrible tragedy!  I can’t begin to imagine the devastation that all involved must be feeling!  Here are a couple of links documenting what happened:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR3uUGg4niY

http://www.noonsite.com/Countries/Niue/niue-sad-shipwreck-of-a-yacht-2018blue-marble2019

Oh Wow…….