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Reports
Niue – 19°02.00'S, 169°56.00'W
) Information Submitted by

Jeanne Socrates - Nerida

Graham Morfey- Flight of Time

Jack & Peggy Heady - Scimitar

John & Julie Davies - Enduro

2) Date

1995, 1998, 2000, 2007

3) Harbour or Area Covered

Include Lat & Long

Niue Island - 19°02’ S 169°52’ W

Main village - Alofi - 19?02’ S 169?56’ W

4) Suitability and Attraction for Yachts

A small island (259 sq kms), Niue is one of the world’s smallest self-governing states (with help from New Zealand) The island is also well known for its limestone caverns and crevices. The scuba diving is unsurpassed as the water visibility is in excess of 30 metres.

5) Marinas, Berthing or Anchorage

Niue Yacht Club have laid seventeen excellent mooring buoys either side of Alofi jetty for the use of visiting yachts and for which a reasonable charge is made. Anchoring is precarious because of the underwater chasms and coral. There is a $5(NZ) harbour charge. The anchorage is very comfortable during easterly winds. With south easterlies the anchorage can become very rolly. A sustained or strong westerly wind may necessitate a quick departure.

Buoys have been laid which are strong. It is possible to anchor if all the buoys are taken (we did). It is deep and coral. The risk is that the anchor will get hooked irretrievably. We did not hear of this happening and the local dive company would recover the anchor for you. The yacht club allocates the moorings and will place you in the queue.

The dinghy “landing” is by hoisting the dinghy up with electric crane, so you need a harness ready. The landing can be very difficult at high tide with a swell running.

We experienced no problems with the anchorage but some boats did have a strong Westerly and had to leave their moorings.

6) Entry Ports - Alofi

7) Formal Requirements for Yachts Entering/Departing: from/to abroad

I called 'Nuie Radio ' (VHF16) to let them know I 'd arrived & needed to clear in - they organized a friendly guy from Customs to meet up with me on the nearby wharf - only problem being that my dinghy was stowed deflated & would take a time to organize.. but he had no problem waiting for me...

Agriculture, Customs & Immigration. Upon entering the harbour, contact Niue Radio on Ch. 16 and they will make arrangements with all offices for clearance. There is currently no exit charges for visiting yachts.

Customs and Immigration in town. Essential to call Port Control on approach before you anchor.

c) visa requirements

None

8) Location/Existence of:

a) harbour master - None

b) customs/immigration - On the hill above the dock for Customs and Immigration - behind the Westpac Bank. They may well come and fetch you from the jetty.

c) health authorities - The Customs man covers health.

d) police - A short walk southwards along the village main road.

10) Attitude of Officials to Visiting Yachtsmen - Extremely friendly & easy to deal with. No clearance at weekends. The Customs people also run the island’s duty-free shop!

11) Repair/Hauling Facilities - None.

12) Sailing Directions or Charts

BA charts 1174, 4630

13) Cruising Guide and where

Obtainable. Include Phone and/or E-Mail

14) Port Radio Services

Niue radio on Ch 16 or 2182 open 24hrs.

15) Weather Forecasts

Niue Radio on CH 16

16) Yacht Club(S)

Mamata - a very helpful, nice lady who seemed to know everyone on the island & was able to answer any questions. Her husband Jim runs the Y.C. and mooring buoys.

17) Other Facilities:

drinking water Available on the dock.

Fuel: (2007)is EXPENSIVE! Difficult because you have to jerry can it from station (good walk out of Alofi town) out to the boat. I used a hire car when touring island to load jerry cans and got help to put jerry cans into dinghy when in water by steps.... NB If you don 't have bikes, you can hire them - a good way to get around a fairly small island!

gas (propane)/gaz - Across the street from Petrol station or from the Yacht Club.

chandlers - None

bank - WestPac in Town. CREDIT CARDS: They DO NOT use them anywhere on Nuie!! Go to the Bank in Alofi & get NZ dollars with your card (only place you can use it!) or with cash (US dollars OK, NOT pounds sterling!)

shops/market - Three small supermarkets, one butcher, one deli, various small stores - all located in Alofi. Reasonable open market.

restaurants/hotels - A few restaurants and one major hotel. Some small 3 & 4 room guest houses. The Sunday evening barbecue at the Niue Hotel is good. Island Night at Gabes restaurant provides what is probably the best value-for-money buffet in the world. Handy little café at the shopping area for coffee, breakfasts, hamburgers, etc.

post office/telephones including mobile facilities - POST: Only one flight/week to/from NZ - post goes out on this every THURSDAY NIGHT... so don 't wait until Friday to think of posting something...! In Alofi. Nuie Telecom office for Fax & Phone services and Nuie Radio is all in one small shop unit in main shopping area.

internet cafes - Free! Two screens available from midday for three hours.

best mailing address - General Delivery, Niue.

showers - At the top of the dock (sometimes hot). Get the key from the deli, or the Niue Hotel/Yacht Club or the Tourist Office.

laundry - Through the Niue Hotel or next to the hospital

transport/air services - No taxis or buses. Rental cars & motorcycles available – use Alofi Rentals because they helped pay for the laying of the moorings! Only two flights off the island per week.

medical facilities/hospital - Yes.

18) Recommendations or Warnings

A wonderful island with very friendly people. Go to all the sights including the Fia Fia at Hakupu and the special evenings at Gabes Restaurant. Divers appreciated the exceptionally clear waters. Best of all, whales come into the anchorage and we were able to swim with them. Excellent little Tourist Office in the shopping area. Guided tours of the island and caves available (best is ‘Tali’s Tours’).

19) Other Information – please include here general impressions, opinions, comments or any other matter which might be of use to those visiting.

Jeanne Socrates (2007) Interesting, little, enjoyable, friendly island with some good walks/viewpoints and diving/snorkelling. But not much good for provisioning or eating out!!!
Anchorage on W side - best to take a mooring buoy (about 15 there, so plenty) - newly laid this season by Nuie Divers & Nuie Y.C. - nice people! NZ$10/night (5sterling).
Dinghy - NO dinghy dock - you have to hoist your dinghy onshore each time you go in, surge is sometimes a problem, I hear - I had no such problem while there.
The hoist is electric but the hook has to be pushed out over the water over the dinghy - come in to the stone steps & grab the rope left there for that purpose. You need also to push the dinghy out over water on the hoist to lower it down when leaving. All gets OK 2nd/3rd time around - lit at night time. I dealt with dinghy single-handed at night twice - just to illustrate it 's not really a big deal!! Make sure you 've something rigged on your dinghy when going ashore for the hoist to hook onto,
so it goes up staying fairly horizontal!! (Use same rig as you would normally at anchor, for hoisting your dinghy out of water?)
Fuel: is EXPENSIVE! Difficult because you have to jerry can it from station (good walk out of Alofi town) out to the boat. I used a hire car when touring island to load jerry cans and got help to put jerry cans into dinghy when in water by steps.... NB If you don 't have bikes, you can hire them - a good way to get around a fairly small island!
POST: Only one flight/week to/from NZ - post goes out on this every THURSDAY NIGHT... so don 't wait until Friday to think of posting something...!
CREDIT CARDS: They DO NOT use them anywhere on Nuie!! Go to the Bank in Alofi & get NZ dollars with your card (only place you can use it!) or with cash (US dollars OK, NOT pounds sterling!)

Jack and Peggy Heady report::- This island has the warmest, friendliest people we’ve met anywhere. Most of the people speak English in addition to their native Niuean language. They are happy to help in whatever way they can. Don’t miss the Island Night Feasts in the outer villages. A major event for teenagers is hair-cutting (for boys) and ear piercing (for girls). If there is one being held during your stay don’t miss it!

John and Julie Davies add:- A wonderful little island which very much depends on visiting cruisers to bring in much-needed cash - but it and its people are not quite as enchanting or colourful as Aitutaki. There is an electric crane at the jetty in Alofi which is used by everyone for lifting dinghies in and out of the water. It is fast, efficient and easy to use. You are not allowed to leave your dinghy alongside the jetty. Make sure you have your lifting strops in the dinghy. There is also a trolley provided by the Yacht Club for wheeling your dinghy to a parking place away from the crane.

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