The Country Niue is affectionately known as 'the rock' and is reputedly the largest upraised coral atoll in the world. A single land mass in the center of a triangle of Polynesian islands, made up of Tonga, Western Samoa and the Cook Islands, Niue is located 2400 km north-east of New Zealand, on the eastern side of the International dateline and is 11 hours behind Greenwich meantime. The island isolation and coral makeup create an exciting rugged coastline and reef which provides intimate swimming coves as opposed to the typical long stretches of sandy beaches so predominant elsewhere in Polynesia.
Scuba Diving is unique and exciting
experience, yet one of the safest sporting activities. Niue is the
world’s largest up-lifted coral landmass, 259 square kilometres and stands
70 metres above the blue Pacific Ocean. It is some 380 km east from it’s
nearest neighbour Tonga and 1107 km south from Rarotonga.
Unbelievable Visibility
Niue sits atop an undersea mountain with pristine clear water hundreds of
metres deep just metres from shore. There are no rivers or streams, rainwater
filters through the coral structure of the Island, entering the ocean crystal
clear and devoid of any silt run-off. Dives are into the open Pacific Ocean as
Niue has no fringing reef or lagoon. These two factors mean that we seldom
experience dives with underwater visibility less than 30 metres. Regularly we
have 50 metres or more, especially during the calmer dry season, April -
November. Water temperature is around 29*C in January and 25*C in August.
The landmass of Niue is 259 sq. km, and 13 villages are found along Niue's 67-km circle
island road. The whole island is two tiered but is dotted with a myriad of caves that have yet to be
discovered. Shaped like a saucer and rising only 65 meters above sea level, Niue is
without streams or rivers, and therefore after rain the water filters through the porous
coral out into the ocean completely devoid of any silt run-off. This allows the
surrounding sea to be crystal clear with dive visibility often up to 70 meters.
The flora and fauna are spectacular with butterflies everywhere, and an abundance of
bougainvillea, frangipani, hibiscus and orchids. A variety of ferns and profusion of
"crows nest" grow amongst wild rhododendron and poinsettia. There is a rich bird life with weka, swamp kens, parakeets and white tailed terns.
*****The Exploring Travelogue*****