The South Pacific is full of wonderful island adventures just ripe for the picking.
Of course, we are all used to the old
favourites of Fiji, New Caledonia,
Vanuatu and New Zealand, served by
P&O for decades, but the new wave of
emerging Pacific destinations are exciting
for repeat cruisers looking for new
adventures in paradise.
CW travelled to the tiny island nation of
Niue, one of the smallest sovereign
countries in the world, to investigate this
new cruising hotspot.
Along with neighbouring Polynesian
nations, Tonga, the Cook Islands and Samoa, Niue is now featuring on the cruise
calendar of several major lines.
The 110-pax Clipper Odyssey made two visits in 2010, while Holland America’s
February visit with the 1400-pax Amsterdam was regarded by all as a total success.
Around 600 guests came ashore to be feted by the locals in their own way and
experienced dancing, markets and island tours in a nation-wide effort the gave great
satisfaction to all.
The 500-passenger German adventure cruiser, MS Albatros followed a few weeks later.
At the time, Niue Tourism’s Hayden Porter said “The cruise market has in the past
been a non affair, but a huge community effort this time around saw some massive
benefits for local businesses and satisfied tourists.”
Ponant’s brand new 250-pax L’Austral is one of several ships confirmed for 2012.
Porter, one year into a two year contract as Tourism Development Manager, sees cruise
ship visits as an important boost to the island’s economy as well as the tiny country’s
profile.
With no ‘postcard’ white sandy beaches, surfing or branded 5-star resorts, Niue looks
to its other assets to attract travellers in search of a Pacific Island experience with a
difference.
Until now, Niue has enjoyed a reputation as a niche scuba diving destination with
sublime caves, gullies and hard coral gardens.
Even the humble snorkeller can have life-changing experiences as they swim among
resident pods of playful spinner dolphins, swarms of sea snakes or the migratory
humpbacks which start to arrive around July. Sea turtles too are regular visitors to Niue.
Ashore there are numerous options for visitors looking for delightfully unstructured
natural excursions.
These can take the form of virgin rainforest walks, subterranean cave tours or swims
in stunning tidal pools embraced by savage coastal landscapes.
Morning fishing charters are popular too and anglers can be confident of catches that
include such pelagic species as tuna, sailfish, wahoo and giant trevally.
As an oceanic island, these giant fish can often be caught just a few hundred metres
from the wharf using inexpensive ‘tinny’ runabouts.
Niue is certainly an ideal adventure cruise
destination for those vessels undertaking boutique
ocean voyages with just a few hundred passengers,
but with planned wharf improvements and various
infrastructure upgrades, the port of Alofi should soon
be better suited for larger vessels too.
That said, any more than around 1000 passengers
ashore at any one time will likely stretch the little
islands resources to the limit. Instead the plan is to
limit development to sustainable and manageable
levels that retains the fundamental character and
charm of Niue.
Website: www.niueisland.com.
