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At the end of two hours of slow flight from Tonga over the endless South Pacific, the travel's end is finally in sight: the island of Niue emerges at the horizon. |
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The raised coral coast is beaten endlessly by the ocean waves, producing a vapor which obscures the land from a distance... |
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... but on a closer approach from the air, all the beauty of the coast is revealed. The incredibly clear waters show the corals fringing the island, droppig precipitously to hundreds of meters of depth. |
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The Royal Tongan plane is briefly on the ground at Alofi airport, before turning around for the return trip. For several days, no other flight will reach Niue. |
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Niue has no real beaches. Completely made of coral, the island is surrounded by a shallow ring of sharp corals... |
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... which rapidly gives way to a first descent around 25-40 meters. Further on, the bottom drops off for hundreds of meters into the blue. |
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A big coral head just under the surface of the water gives a taste of what is expecting below. |
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Niue is home to an amazing number of sea snakes. Though extremely poisonous, these animals are gentle and mostly indifferent to humans. They can be often encountered also in the shallow waters during reef-walking. |
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For those not into diving, very few beaches are available, as well as a few protected swimming holes and pools, such as this one at Matapa. |
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A short walk away, the Talava arches offer a spectacular view... |
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... and another secluded and protected swimming hole... |
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... as demonstrated here. |
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The island is sufficiently large and varied to provide a myriad of different landscapes. These include a stretch of tropical rainforest, numerous caves, and geological oddities such as these stretch of pinnacles on the south-eastern coast... |
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... which hide the spectacular Togo chasm. |
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Swimming and diving are done expecially on the western side of the island. Elsewhere, the coast is almost uninhabited and costantly beaten by the ocean waves, as here on the northern side. |
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Another favorite spot for swimming and easy snorkelling is Limu. |
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Limu is famous for its coral formations, and is rich with tropical fish. |
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Limu is characterized by infiltrations of underground water, as seen here. At low tide, the influence of these bubbles of cold water is so dominating that the water becomes quite freezing. |
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The real beauty of Niue is underwater. |
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Spectacular coral formations are home to fish of all sizes and colors. |
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The clarity of the sea around Niue is amazing. Here, one can clearly see the bottom at 27 meters, also in this picture taken from the surface with a cheap disposable camera. In other occasions, bottom depths of 50 meters could be seen from the surface. |
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Sometimes sea snakes get interested in the persistent snorkeler... some strange fellow maybe? |
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A moment of freedom. |
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Often seen are bottle-nose dolphins. They can be met while snorkeling... |
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... or seen playing in the wake of the boat. |
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Also sharks are common. Perhaps too much, and this one paid a price for being too eager to feed on the fishermen's harvest. |
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This other fellow on the contrary is well alive, and not too scared to pose for a few shots. At 20 meters, the disposable camera is still clicking! |
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Back on the land. The main road of Niue makes a full circle around the island, crossing a dozen villages such as Namukulu shown here. |
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A double rainbow in Alofi. |
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One last sunset... |
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... and it's time to leave. At the end of the flight from Alofi, the first islands around Vava'u in Tonga signal the arrival in another country, and the beginning of the long trip home. |
