Niue... What a gem!

Niue is small, self-governing, single-island country in the South Pacific, located in the triangle between Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands. It is culturally and ethnically part of Polynesia but its free association with New Zealand (2,400 kilometres to its south west) means that many of its population have relocated there, temporarily or permanently. The island is commonly referred to as "The Rock", which comes from its traditional name "Rock of Polynesia", and probably due to its resemblance to a rock in the middle of Polynesia...

​Niue's land area is about 260 square kms (about 5 x the size of Sydney harbour) and its population is around 1,600. It is one of the world's largest coral islands and has two distinct levels. The “higher” level (a whopping 60 metres above sea level) is made up of a limestone cliff circling the coast, with a plateau in the centre of the island. The lower level is a coastal terrace approximately 0.5 km wide and about 25–27 metres high, which slopes down and meets the sea. This area is awash at low tide, and forms a unique feature of Niue, it’s so called “sea tracks”, that you can walk along and explore for some distance around the island. There is a small break in the coral reef which surrounds the island on the central western coast, close to the capital, Alofi, where the yacht mooring area is situated.

Beveridge Reef, as seen from space

Beveridge anyone?
The journey from Aitutaki to Niue is 601nm but we were hoping to make a stop along the way. Beveridge Reef is legendary amongst cruisers, it is a tiny uninhabited reef, submerged at high tide, which is home to some rich and unique coral and sea life. The only way to visit is by yacht and we have had it on our “must visit” list for some time, knowing it can be challenging to get into, and to anchor, even in good conditions. It would be nice to break the journey as well as it is just over halfway.

In the photo on the left you can see a small gap on the western side of the reef which is the entrance to the atoll.

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Getting there

We left Aitutaki around lunch time, heading out through the pass dodging the incoming barge (the cargo ship was unloading) and had 3kts of current spitting us out of the pass and into the ocean. We had waited much longer for a weather window to leave Aitutaki than we really wanted to, and the window we had certainly wasn’t ideal, but it was do-able. We expect at least one southerly front to pass over us, but we are ready for what-ever the wind gods throw at us. In the dead calm of Aitutaki harbour we were able to raise and lower the main, check, untangle and mark all the reef lines and halyards. It will make for quick and easy reefing in the shite conditions that we were to encounter.

​We had light winds to start with, motor sailing with the main up before we were able to unfurl the gennaker later in the afternoon. Changed to the Genoa as winds built to low 20s with dark skies all around us and seas whipping up to be fairly rough. Overnight the breeze lightened and clocked east, then slightly north so we could goosewing the sails and shake out reefs. It’s slow progress as we wait for the front to come through. We have rainy conditions and the wind continues to shift north. It’s not long into our journey that we realise the conditions we are getting mean a tough decision to skip Beveridge Reef and go directly to Niue (DO NOT pass Go or collect $200…).

The sea-state is too rough and conditions so unpredictable that we could not guarantee a safe entry to the reef. And even if we could get in, it would probably not be much fun, as there is no protection from the elements, and we may get stuck inside! There are several shipwrecks dotted around the reef… We are disappointed but quickly refocus on our revised destination of Niue. In particular we now have less time to figure out where we have “hidden” the courtesy flag! Damned if we could find it before we left Aitutaki….

Looks ominous

After re-routing ourselves slightly more north to aim for Niue, we lost the wind again as we came into a trough. We passed under a long and ugly looking dark cloud band, dodging a particularly nasty black section. It barely raised the wind speed but we avoided a patch of heavy rain. On the other side the wind turned westerly, light at first but increasing for a time before dropping off again. With all of these changes of wind direction the seas are now pretty confused, a bit like us! Finally at midnight the wind shifts south, light initially but it soon fills in and we get sailing again.

Overnight we had some great reaching conditions in southerly winds before it turned easterly and we had some excellent running with a main and Genoa goose winged. It peaked early morning and we had to slow ourselves down with 20kts up the duck! It then died of course and we motored for a bit before wind came back from the north. This flipping back and forth in wind direction is just crazy. It’s hard to trust the forecast when it’s all over the shop. It’s been up and down all day but after lunch another ugly black cloud and the wind has turned south. Not too strong but we are expecting squally conditions from now on. In between we have had a few rays of sunshine and even got some washing done.

Double whammy! 2 fronts are better than one...

Around 11pm the wind started building and as we entered a second southerly front and put the second reef in. Had we stopped a few days in Beveridge reef, this one would have already passed us by, but now we caught up with it! The seas had whipped up significantly and we were consistently seeing wind in the high 20s, and gusting up to 34 kts. We should have had a 3rd reef in but in those conditions it was just impossible to do it, so we had to manage with the 2 reefs we had. With heavy cloud covering the moon it was pitch black with no horizon, quite bleak and uncomfortable -  sleep was out of the question (well for me anyway). We were putting a lot of pressure on the boat and even though she was handling it well, it was still unpleasant and stressful. It’s a while since we have been in such nasty conditions, the only consolation being that we are only a few hours away from Niue, we are making good speed and it will soon be over! Arrival time is early tomorrow morning and thanks to the wonders of StarLink we have been in contact with a boat that is already there. They are reporting calm conditions in the anchorage! Phew! Still haven’t found the Niue flag though…

​A wonderful sight out of the darkness

Niue is a low island, only 60m elevation so on a dark night in heavy seas it was not easy to see. We flick the radar on and have set a course to stay at least 2nm from land, as shown on the charts. The radar validates the charts as the overlay picks up the island exactly where the chart shows it. In the darkness we scan carefully along the horizon and finally just make out the edges of the island on the southern coastline. We gybe to come around the SW corner and start to get some protection from the winds. Conditions continue to ease as we get closer to Alofi and we can see a few anchor lights! What a relief! Now we just need to find a buoy.

Radar shows the charts are spot-on

We drop the sails and I set up the mooring lines to pick up a buoy. It’s just before 6am but still pretty dark. We have the big torch to scan the water but can’t see anything. The buoys have reflective tape but maybe they are all taken, or the tape has blown off! Then, remarkably, out of the darkness there is a dinghy heading towards us! It’s the crew from SV Auryn (who we met in French Polynesia). They had been ashore to the markets early this morning and now kindly guide us to a free mooring buoy. What a wonderful welcome from fellow cruisers! After a sleepless 12 hours, taking a beating from the wind and waves, it was so good to be safely moored that I burst into tears of relief. We had a hot chocolate (with a little fortification of course) and hit the hay for a few hours.

The moorings and some rare blue sky

​Mooring in Niue

The waters close to the coast of Niue are quite deep so anchoring here is not possible. There is no natural harbour on Niue and no marina. On the west coast, close to the main town of Alofi, the Government has installed a number of yacht moorings, secured to the sea floor with massive concrete blocks and chains - they are known to be well maintained and very safe. The mooring field is reasonably protected from the prevailing trade winds - although frankly they haven’t been doing much prevailing lately - but exposed to anything from due south through west to due north. The swell is ever-present, some days worse than others.

​The Niue Dinghy Dock

The crane

In most places we have visited we are able to take our dinghy ashore, tie it to a floating dock in a protected port or marina, or even pull it up onto a beach. But not in Niue. The infamous dinghy dock is basically a concrete pier open to the sea and if you left your dinghy in the water tied to the dock, it would quickly be smashed to pieces by the relentless swell that batters the coastline. Instead you must come alongside the concrete wall in the dinghy, lift it out of the water with a crane (!) and  lower it onto the concrete pier where it is stored while you go ashore, reversing the whole procedure when you head back to your boat.

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There is nothing else remotely like the Niue Dinghy Dock that we have ever encountered anywhere, and no matter how much you read or research in advance, nothing prepares you for your first encounter. You just have to do it! All boats have to dock and launch this way, including the dive boats and whale watching boats that operate commercially. It’s an impressive sight! Some days it can be too rough to launch or go ashore, and we have heard stories of cruisers who could not get back to their boat for the evening when the weather got up, having to take a hotel room in Alofi…

​Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance

Before heading to the dock we need to prepare our dinghy for the experience. Our buddies from Dappere Dodo have dropped by to kindly demonstrate their set-up, which helped enormously. Normally when we lift our dinghy out of the water onto the back of the boat we use 2 lifting points, one forward and one aft. This keeps the dinghy horizontal as we lift it. The Niue crane only requires one lifting point, so we have to rig up some lines to a single, central point in such a way that ensures the dinghy stays horizontal as we lift it – otherwise the contents could fall out, not a good look! It’s not easy to figure out where the centre of gravity is on the dinghy because we have a heavy motor on one end, and 2 fuel tanks on the other. Needless to say it took a few iterations to get this right.

​The moment of truth

Sloping forward a little too much...

We approach the dock, picking our moment between waves to come alongside the high concrete wall. I jump off onto a ledge, just as a wave breaks on the pier and soaks my shoes. Unperturbed I climb the ladder to the dock, quickly read the instructions, and press the red button to lower the hook to Keith who is still in the dinghy. He connects the hook to our single lifting strap on the dinghy and jumps out onto the ledge, holding the painter (line attached to the front of the dinghy). We start lifting and ooops… it is sloping way too far forward! Seems we have over compensated for the weight of the motor on the back! Fortunately we can control it with the painter, nothing falls out and we can guide it over the dock and lower it onto the concrete. The dinghy wheels we installed in La Rochelle are finally coming in useful as we have to wheel it over to the parking area. OK a few adjustments to make, but we didn’t completely embarrass ourselves! Phew!

Checking in

​Checking in was super easy (compared to the dinghy dock!), very friendly officials. Immigration was not there but it’s no problem! They will stamp us in and out on departure. We went in search of the tourist office and had roti for lunch at a little café. There are few rental cars on the island and all are taken, but lucky for us our buddy’s on Dappere Dodo have one, and (as they kindly did in Aitutaki) are happy to share! Alofi is tiny, there are a few shops and cafes, a bank and a post office combined. We are told there is a supermarket out towards the airport, but you need a car to get there, and they probably don’t have anything fresh. Fortunately we are still well provisioned from Aitutaki.

In the middle of the anchorage

A whale of a time

Between June and October, humpback whales migrate to Niue's warm waters for breeding and calving. The waters around the island are deep enough for them to come in very close to the island and we are just amazed to see them cruising through the anchorage each day. We see what looks like a family of 3, possibly a mother an adolescent and a youngster. Such a treat to see them breaching and tail-slapping a few meters from the boat! After dark we are stunned to hear some whale-blows really close by, and with the torch we spot a big humpback surfacing just a few meters away! Whoa! Not sure what their eyesight is like, but we hope they don’t accidentally come up between the hulls.

Palaha Cave

​Caves and ChasmS

We join with Team Dodo & Second Sun, who have both managed to organise rental cars, and have invited us to come exploring with them. With the kids and adults there are 11 of us distributed between 2 cars - a noisy and somewhat chaotic drive up to Avaiki cave ensues. It’s a short walk down a forest track and then across some rocks to the cave that you can swim in. The water is crystal clear and cold, fresh water on top of salt water and beautiful to swim in. The turquoise water contrasts with the purple crystalline coral growing on the waterline. Outside the cave, along the shore is a rock shelf and with the tide out it is a shallow coral garden that you can walk around. Some amazing coral and seaweeds in the shallows. Something that is quite unique to Niue. There are “sea tracks” like this all along the coast, which appear at low tide and you can walk along and explore the coral gardens and rock pools.

Next stop is on to Matapa Chasm, again a short walk from the road through lush forest to reach this long, narrow and high-walled chasm which runs down towards the sea. It is almost enclosed, but for the s-bend in the end and we can just see through a small gap to the ocean. Again we see the beautiful purple hue covering the rocks, a kind of crystalline coral algae. It forms a line around the tidal zone, and looks amazing against the turquoise waters. The water is deep and again, fresh and cold on top with a distinct layer.

Matapa Chasm

Island Drive

Team Dodo have kindly given us the car keys so we spend the morning on a short drive around the south side of the island. Out of curiosity we dropped into Swansons supermarket (ok we can’t help ourselves!), and verified that there was no fresh produce, and definitely no eggs! The weekly flight delivers limited supplies and no doubt they are gone within minutes!

​Drove to Washaway bay in the SE corner of the island. It is beautiful and wild, with high cliffs around and a small beach and dock. There is a dinghy lifting crane here too, although we wouldn’t be too keen to use it! It looks even crazier than the one in Alofi!
 
Next it was on to the eastern side of the island and we took the path towards Togo Chasm. The walk through the forest was beautiful, very green and lots of lava rocks scattered about. Very like “Lord of the Rings”. We emerged from the forest to a lookout over a rocky shore and down towards the ocean. The track continued about a kilometre or more to the sea and the chasm but the wind was howling and rain getting heavier so we couldn’t continue down.

Avaiki Cave

We treated ourselves to lunch at the Matevai resort, with their balcony overlooking the sea, although sadly the experience was underwhelming and not so much of a treat. We headed north in the afternoon and stopped at Palaha cave - a huge & spectacular limestone cave opening onto out onto the coast. It’s wet & incredibly slippery and we both take a bit of a dive!
 
Next stop was Limu Pools, a short walk from the road but quite spectacular so I raced back to the car to get my swimmers and went for a swim. These are tidal pools surrounded by limestone rock formations, with water so crystal clear, but deceptively deep. There are some fish and coral here as well, and fresh water mixing with sea water.

Swimming in Limu Pools

​Hunting UgA

Around 6pm we went ashore again and hoisted the dinghy - we are getting really good at this! Met Dodo and Second Sun ashore and we all drove around the top of the island to the NE corner to meet Tony, who took us Uga hunting. It was pitch black by the time we started, with Tony leading us along a very rough path. I begin to think I should have left a trail of breadcrumbs, as we are so focussed on looking for Uga (coconut crabs) that we get disoriented. The kids are a little over-excited and the Ugas can probably hear us coming a mile off! As we all quiet down we start to spot quite a few crabs hiding in the lava rocks. Some up quite high. They feed on the coconuts that either fall from the trees or are scattered around by the locals who like to hunt them too. Tony found three edible-sized crabs for us and deftly tied them up with some vine that he finds in the forest. The really big ones are well past the eating stage and after being passed around for a biology lesson, they are released to continue their evening’s coconut-grazing. Likewise smaller ones are left alone. The middle sized ones are fair game though and the kids carry our tethered trophies back to the car. We finish the evening with fresh coconut water before heading back to the pier to launch the dinghies in the dark!

Gotcha!

​The oddest birthday gift…

SV Dappere Dodo, dressed to the 9s!

​The Uga spent their final night in captivity aboard Second Sun and Dappere Dodo and the Uga hunters re-united the following day to consume our quarry and celebrate Cassie’s Birthday with lunch on Dappere Dodo. We heard how Paul had to get up in the middle of the night to tie a rope around their Uga who was desperately trying to make good its escape!
 
It was very amusing to watch Paul try and untie his Uga without getting bitten – those claws are pretty nasty. Finally all the ties were gone but the Uga clung on to the bucket for dear life! Paul finally decided to take the bucket with the Uga attached and insert it into the boiling water, quickly putting the lid on! Problem solved! They sure put up a tough fight – both Paul and the Uga!
 
Like lobster the Uga turn orange when cooked and were delicious! Even better than mud crabs. Dappere Dodo was dressed overall for Cassie’s birthday looking very dapper indeed. I thought long and hard about what to offer as a birthday gift and I have to say it is the first time (and probably the last) that I have given someone a half-carton of eggs for their birthday. Cassie was absolutely delighted! She had been out of eggs for a week now and there were none to be had on Niue! Now she could treat everyone to Dutch Pancakes. Of the many things we take for granted, eggs has been one thing that I never expected would be hard to get. Particularly when chickens seem to be roaming wild! Only cruisers will understand the significance of this gift… If you know, you know!
 
It was a lovely way to finish our time in Niue. The sheltered bays of Tonga are calling us after a week of being buffeted by the rain, wind and waves of Niue, and we are craving some sunshine. We left in the evening with several other boats, hoping for a kinder passage to Tonga. Oh and yes we did finally manage to find the Niue flag before we left!

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