Niue and Beveridge Reef

Our first visit to the country of Niue which is one of the smallest countries in the world and in fact one we had never heard of was to Beveridge Reef.  This is a unique area in that it is completely submerged in the ocean except at low tide so one must time ones visit very carefully.  It has unfortunately been the cause of several boat groundings as it is in the middle of no where.  Our timing was perfect and we went ashore by zodiac and were greeted with cocktails as we got out of the boats into the water which seemed very fitting given the name of the reef.  The sandbar and waters were pristine and the crystal clear water was home to plenty of coral but swimming was discouraged as the reef is also home to a large population of aggressive reef sharks.  That was enough warning to keep us in the shallow water wading only.  It was simply stunning to walk te sandbars with no land in sight and realizing that in a couple of hours there would be nothing left to see until the next low tide.  Definitely a special stop.

Today April 6th we visited the island of Niue landing at the capital Alofi which is the second smallest capital in the world.  With the whole island having a population of 2500 you can imagine how small this town was.  There was no such thing as a paved road though unfortunately we did see some Chinese surveyors as the Chinese are going to pave the road around the island for what the islanders did not seem to know.  The highlight of our visit was the trip out to the limestone chasm where after a short walk through the tropical forest we came upon a beautiful chasm in the shoreline where the snorkeling was wonderful and the scenery quite different.  The bus ride out there gave us a good look at the island and we had most informative local drivers which is always the best way to learn about some where.  The main economy of the country is derived from tourism but they rely heavily on aid from New Zealand to survive.  There are no property taxes and property stays in the family which is quite evident by the fact that most homes have some grave sites on the property and one would not want to leave family behind.

Beveridge Reef as seen from the air at low tide

One of the zodiacs arriving at the sandbar with cocktails waiting 

View of the reef as we were approaching.  There was a break in the reef where the zodiac had to enter

Beautiful sandbar in the middle of the ocean over 100 kilometres from land

Ship sitting outside the reef.  One did not go too deep so not to encounter any of the less than friendly sharks.

Another gorgeous day in a unique setting 

One of the few stores we saw.

Eye catching painting on this small building 

The ship right behind the warning sign was a good contrast. Their last big hurricane was in 2004 and the island has never had a Tsunami as the waters around are too deep but New Zealand wanted to put in a warning system so they graciously accepted.

The trail to the chasm

The waters within the chasm were abundant with tropical fish, some that one does not see elsewhere 

The shores of Niue are very rocky and sandy beaches are few on this island