WANDER-FULL

Some of the best memories you create on holidays are those that aren’t planned or are happy coincidences. They can also be right away from the main sights, in a quiet moment or off the beaten track. Take our trip to Niue for instance, one of the moments that has stuck with me since coming home was from a quiet night at Shanny’s house playing a few games of cards. We took a step outside and sat on the front porch, sharing a few drinks and tales of past adventures, just as a whale breeched in the ocean below and the sound of the water from its blow hole echoed in the quiet of night.

In between these special moments however, it’s great to have an idea of what you can do during your stay. After all, there are certain things you wouldn’t want to miss! In light of this, I’ve put together a list of 22 things to do in Niue, which includes some well known spots and other little things that only the locals will know (and owe it to Shanny for showing us how they do things on the island!). Here it is:

1. Dine at Kaiika and try the tempura sushi or ‘The Niuean’ pizza
2. If you time your visit right, check out one of the local show days for some traditional island food, performances, local crafts and much more
3. Enjoy lunch with a view with an order of fish and chips at The Crazy Uga
4. Take a leap of faith off the cliffs at Matapa Chasm
5. Crack open your own coconut
6. Pay a visit to the islands primary school (take some small school supplies or show and tell to become an instant hit with the kids)
7. Earn some brownie points with your significant other and book a luxurious stay at Lau’s Getaway
8. Book a snorkel tour or learn to dive with Buccaneer Adventures Niue Dive
9. Hire a car or scooter and ride around the entire island, exploring the coastline the way around
10. Put on your dancing shoes and hit up ‘top club’ (the golf club) on a Saturday night, sharing a few drinks with the locals
11. Try the Niuean go-to hangover cure of raw fish (with lime juice, fresh coconut milk, diced tomatoes, capsicum, cucumber and spring onion)
12. Enjoy some lazy Sunday afternoon beers at the Washaway Café and Bar (one of the worlds few remaining honesty bars)
13. Search for the strangest pieces of coral you can find at Avatele Beach
14. Lose count of how many sea cucumbers you come across (and try not to step on) in the reef
15. See whether you can stomach some taro (a root vegetable that’s a staple part of the Niuean diet)
16. Go whale spotting at Ana’ana Point
17. Watch ‘the boat’ come in and deliver new stock for the island down at Sir Roberts Wharf
18. Get your Niuean drivers licence from the police department in Alofi
19. Try your hand at learning the language
20. Snorkel at Limu Pools
21. Explore the mighty Togo Chasm
22. Share a few poolside cocktails at the Matavai Resort pool bar