Niue

As a person who has travelled extensively I have to admit that I was apprehensive when I realised that the minimum stay in Niue was a whole week. I loaded myself up with books anticipating hours spent lying in the sun reading. As it turned out, the only reading I had time for was on the plane on my way over. My husband and I checked into the Matavai and were amazed that we were able to watch dolphins literally from our balcony. During the humpback whale season you can even whale watch from there too. Our week was absolutely packed with adventure. We enjoyed driving around the island, stopping frequently to admire the scenery, explore the coastline and its numerous coves; perfect retreats for lazing, snorkelling and peering into aquarium like rock pools. After the action, it was great to stop and chat with the lovely locals over a flat white or a cold beer at the Crazy Uga Cafe. My advice if you are heading to Niue is to read the arrival booklet (given to all tourists on arrival) and plan your week, because some things happen only once a week and you wouldn’t want to miss them! We had a fantastic time hanging out at Willies Washaway Cafe on the beach which is only open on a Sunday. It was so laid back that you can grab yourself a drink, pop your money in the till and collect your own change. My husband and I were lured to Niue by the promise of ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences and unspoilt nature and we weren’t disappointed. For me, the highlight of our trip was swimming with dolphins in the ‘gin clear’ water. As I was towed alongside the boat with these incredible animals, I felt like I was part of the pod. We also encountered many unexpected surprises. One evening we were invited by a local to hunt for ‘uga’ (coconut crab) which was a bit of a workout as we tramped through the lush forest in the night time in search of these huge colourful crabs. It was a fun activity made even better when we tasted the ‘uga’ – a local delicacy. Another day, we were watching a boat catch wahoo just out from the shore. Later that evening we were at Falalafa for dinner and discovered that the chef was also the fisherman we had been watching. No wonder the sashimi we were enjoying was so incredibly fresh – we had just seen him catch it! Niue totally exceeded our expectations.