Niue
04 October 2017 | Niue, South Pacific Ocean
Larry Green
Here we are another week in paradise has nearly passed and in a few hours, we will be off to The Kingdom of Tonga. Do not laugh or guffaw, it is a Kingdom and a sovereign nation covering a large chunk of Ocean with something like 132 islands, most of which are uninhabited. It is under 250 NM from here, so we will leave tonight, Wednesday and arrive about 36 hours later on Saturday morning. I know, the math does not work until you realize that The Kingdom of Tonga is on the far side of the International Dateline. So when we leave tonight it is Thursday night in Tonga.
In theory the International Dateline is the 180th meridian, i.e. it is 180° East Longitude and 180° West Longitude. Which makes it exactly halfway around the world from Greenwich, England. In practice for some reason, most likely political the Dateline, though not the Meridian, is bent a bit eastward to put Tonga on the far side. The actual Longitude of Tonga is about 174° West.
Niue, which I may have misspelled in previous comments, is a striking and unique island. It is known locally as the rock of the south Pacific as it is, geologically, nothing more than old coral reef that has been pushed above the ocean over the past few million years to a height of about 200-250 feet above sea level. Yesterday we did some exploring, and we will do more today before we leave, and the striking part of the island is that it is really a jungle except for the floor of the jungle or forest is coral. One of the coolest parts of this particular geology is the caves, which are all over and in particular virtually line the coast.
The caves have served many purposes over the centuries, including as burial sites, weaving houses, canoe storage for fishermen and as religious sites. If you drive along the coastal (almost only) road every quarter mile or so there is a pathway leading down to the shore and to either a small beach, a reef or some caves. These are not some path hacked out of the jungle, but well-maintained series of stairs, ladders, and grating to ease ones’ way down. Yesterday we swam and snorkeled in a couple of the pools inside of caves. Extraordinary is the only word that comes to mind.
The people here are the friendliest we have encountered anywhere. And helpful beyond all reasonable expectations. Yesterday we were attempting to complete some electronic paperwork required for entry into New Zealand for the cats. The paperwork was in French which neither of us reads or writes, and the internet connection is better at the Vanilla Shop, so we were there. In frustration I asked the proprietor of the Vanilla Shop if she by chance spoke French. She did not, but said she thought the women over at Alexis (a small shop) spoke some. We went there and it turns out she spoke Portuguese and Spanish, along with English, but no French. She thought a moment and said, I am certain Anne speaks French, let me call her. Soon after we were back at the Vanilla Shop with the good internet and Anne drives up and sits down to help. She does speak and read French, but was not quite up on some of the technical terms in this document, but helped a great deal. No one expected a single thing in return. All were simply good people trying to help. What a great feeling!
Niue also has an International Yacht Club, which we became members of, and now have reciprocity worldwide. The club facility is not up to par with many of the nicer clubs in the world but it has everything you might want.
Niue also has the most interesting pothole problem I have encountered. Within a mile of downtown the roads are perfect, however as you progress further potholes begin to appear, and some have been filled, the further you go the bigger and deeper they become. In some cases, a foot or more deep, and a couple of feet wide. However, it is still beautiful.
One unusual tradition we have encountered here and also in Bora Bora is the disposition of the mortal remains of family members. They have no cemeteries. Most front yards have one or more grave sites, often elaborate and some even with open structures built around them for visiting. At first it was a bit disconcerting, especially if attempting to visualize what such an arrangement would be like in the US, but after a while it is so common that the only ones you notice are the very elaborate sites.
Incidentally, all the vexing little problems from auto pilot to charging the batteries which were frustrating on the sail here, have been fixed. Also, I may have found a solution to my Iridium/satellite communications problem…..but More later