We were in the dinghy by 0645 heading to shore. Niue has a concrete wharf that is not particularly safe to leave your dingy tied to due to the ocean swell. They have a crane to lift the dinghies out, however the dinghy crane is under maintenance and isn't operational so we have been putting out a stern anchor each day to keep our dinghy off the unforgiving concrete wharf. Back in our trusty "Mazzy" we drove to Makefu for the village show day. We wandered around deciding what to have for breakfast. S and E settled on a trifle each while the boys wanted a sausage. After a protein breakfast of BBQ meat we sampled a few of the other stalls offerings and it was only 8:30am.
P & J checking out the menu…
We then watched the coconut crab (or uga) races which were a bit of fun. There were women mostly, and some children, coming out with their small ugas to enter into the race.
The next activity was basket weaving and my the ladies were fast! We guessed a couple of the ladies were well into their 70's, and a couple older than that, but they were amazing. The speed at which they weaved was superb. We chatted with a lovely lady who was born in Niue but now lives in New Zealand. She visits Niue often as her brother and sister in law are still here. She helped her sister finish off her basket and then gave it to E. She was also kind enough to go and get a coconut for her to put into her new basket.
After basket weaving we watched the men’s (including the school boys) javelin throwing and then the women's coconut bowling. Following that, Tommy Nee (apparently well known in New Zealand) performed a couple of songs and then the show appeared to be over.
We got into our cars and the girls got straight back out as there were dancers coming onto the stage. So the rest of us went and sat on the grass to watch the dancing. We watched the young children, then the high school kids and then the men dance. And finally the young ladies dressed up as Moana came on stage to dance. There were women from the audience going up onto the stage tucking money into the dancers costumes or putting money into a woven basket in front of the stage. This is obviously a local tradition, and I noted one young man was in nearly every dance so he must have made a fortune at the show!
We left after the dancing and drove towards our next stop, Avaiki cave. It was a short walk in to a lovely cave or two which both had salt water pools. We swam in both but the main cave pool was much more beautiful. There was some nice coral and fish life and lots of tiny lung fish. The little lung fish used their tiny fins and flexible tails to slither across the cave walls (looked like they were doing the worm).
Our next stop was Palaha cave. We walked the short distance in and admired the stalactites and stalagmites, and the formations that had become joined.
After the kids clambered through some more tight spaces and explored the caves we moved on to Hio beach. We stopped in for a
bite to eat and a beer. The view was lovely and the cafe very funky. It was made out of a shipping container and the people running it were originally from Niue, but had lived in Sydney and then Dubai for the past several years.
After a yummy burger and fries we drove along to Limu pools. The kids delighted in jumping off the rocks into the crystal blue water 3 metres below, and then found an even higher jumping platform about 6 metres above the water. We also snorkelled around the pool where we saw some pretty coral and a few fish. The current was quite strong just outside the main pool and felt a bit like being in a washing machine on a gentle cycle, so after a quick look or two we returned to the main pool to watch the kids.
Once we were all changed we drove back towards Alofi, stopping at Taupa green for an ice cream. The man was out whipper snipping in the jungle garden but opened the shop for us which was great. After we cleaned him out of hokey pokey ice cream we drove back to Alofi.
After another full day of sightseeing and a trip back to town to check the weather, we returned to our boat and got ready for bed. I can't say enough how much we absolutely love Niue, the people here and the beautiful scenery (but mostly the people) make it a place well worth visiting. If we get to cross the Pacific again in the future we'll definitely be back!
H is continuing to learn new skills with his camera as you can see below. Heaps of the photos have been taken by the kids - they are getting better and better!
