We continue with our trend of liking each place just a little more than the last. Niue is awesome thanks to the people (both locals and cruisers) and the unique natural habitat. The limestone and coral that comprise the island produce very little “run-off”; evidently this is why the water is so amazingly clear. Dallas and I have found reasons to jump in every day since we’ve been here..

Paul from S/V Disa and his two new crew members arrived here on Monday night, and it has been great to catch up with him. We heard him hailing Niue Radio on VHF 16 as he approached (as all boats are required to do here for some reason) and were quite excited to hear his voice. That night his brother whipped up a fantastic dinner aboard their boat, and we heard all about their adventures including their trip to Palmerston. Apparently they had the misfortune of being “adopted” by the mayor of Palmerston who displayed poor table manners and encouraged them to share their liquor with him and him alone. If nothing else, visiting Palmerston seems to guarantee a good story or two.

Disa picking up the mooring next to us

 We spent much of Tuesday on the internet, in large part trying to learn more about New Zealand marinas and make a decision about where to spend the cyclone season. Several marinas no longer have catamaran berths available, but of those that do, we selected Tauranga Bay Marina due to its proximity to various places of interest such as Auckland, Bay of Plenty and its nice beaches, several restaurants/bars, marine services, etc. Plus it’s a little easier to get the boat out to nice cruising grounds than it would be in Whangarei where most cruisers go.

Tuesday night we attended a potluck BBQ at the Yacht Club. It was interesting to see the selection of foods, a few of which revealed the limitations of cruisers’ supplies (e.g., salads and casseroles made from canned veggies, lentils, and ramen noodles). After dinner, Bruce from S/V Migration showed Casablanca, a classic. Dallas and I had both seen it before but found it interesting to watch with a group that included both French and Germans.

Wednesday was a full day. We joined up with S/V Disa to rent a car and explore the caves along the northern coast of the island. Dallas was the designated driver and had to get a Niue driver’s license for $8. He thought it funny that the policeman didn’t know how to work the license-making machine, so he gave him a receipt in order to demonstrate his driving credentials. He did well with driving on the left side of the road, although he frequently turned on the windshield wipers instead of the turn signal (which was on the right), and made one wrong turn into the right lane, just in front of the police station. Just in case he wasn’t challenged enough by the experience of driving on the other side, he had to contend with chickens crossing the road (to get to the other side) as well as a seemingly random quarry placed in the middle of the main road. At least there wasn’t much traffic!

The caves were pretty spectacular. Each one consisted of beige and red-orange limestone that has been eroded by water over the years into intricate formations and stalactites/stalagmites. Some required only a bit of climbing down a trail to the opening of the large cavern, while others required longer hikes or offered fresh- or salt-water pools in which to snorkel. For example, Matapa Chasm was a freshwater pool located in between two very steep limestone cliffs. According to legend, it is where the kings used to bathe. Since we had the rental car until noon today, we decided to get up early this morning to check out one last cave on the other side of the island. We selected Vaikona after hearing other cruisers talk about it. By the time we finally found it, time was limited, and somehow I got talked into jogging down the rocky trail to the cave. Fortunately there were no injuries minus a few minor bumps and scrapes, and we managed to get to the cave, climb down into its mouth and traverse the rocks to the pool, have a short dip in the cool water, and get back to the car in an hour and a half. Exhausting, but well worth the effort.

Exploring Palaha Cave

Quite a view from Talava Arches

Taking a break, island-style

The water was refreshing at Limu

 After all of that, the guys from S/V Disa were still up for scuba diving this afternoon (as were we, of course). All three were inexperienced divers to various degrees, but each was able to have an enjoyable dive of the reef below the boat at their own speed. It was fun to see their pleased expressions when they were done. Tomorrow we will go with the local dive pros on a cave dive!  

Paul enjoyed his second-ever scuba dive