Useful information for tourists about Niue, cities and resorts of the country. As well as information about the population, currency of Niue, cuisine, features of visa and customs restrictions in Niue.

Geography of Niue

Niue, or Savage, is an island and a state entity of the same name in free association with New Zealand in the southern part Pacific Ocean, in Polynesia, east of the Tonga Islands. Bordered by territorial waters American Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga and French Polynesia.

The state formation of Niue consists of the eponymous raised coral atoll and three underwater reefs. It is the largest raised atoll in the world.

Once Niue was an active volcano, which died out about 3 million years ago, and its upper part, which was above ocean level, was subjected to severe erosion due to natural factors (rain, ocean waves).

State

State structure

Niue is a self-governing state entity in free association with New Zealand. The head of state is the monarch of Great Britain, whose representative on the island is the high commissioner. The prime minister is the head of government. The highest legislative body is the unicameral Legislative Assembly.

Language

Official language: Niue, English

Most residents speak both state languages. The Niuean language is represented by two dialects: Motu (dialect of the northern part of the island, it is more ancient) and Tafiti (dialect of the southern part of the island, more modern).

Religion

The majority of believers (about 97%) are Christians. Most (61.1%) of the island's population consider themselves adherents of the so-called Ekalesia-Niue (the Protestant Church of Niue, which has close ties to the London Missionary Society)

Currency

International name: NZD

The New Zealand dollar is equal to 100 cents. In circulation are banknotes in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars, as well as coins in denominations of 1 and 2 dollars, 50, 20, 10 and 5 cents.

In many resort areas They also accept US and Australian dollars.

Currency exchange is available at any hotel or exchange office, although you can really exchange any foreign currency, except for Australian or New Zealand dollars, only at the Bank of South Pacific and Westpac offices in Alofi.

Credit cards American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are accepted at most hotels, resorts, rental companies and dive centers. Traveler's checks can be cashed at most banking institutions on the island.

Niue Tourism

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Popular hotels

Tips

Tipping is not officially accepted; in the case of renting a boat or yacht, the amount of additional payments should be agreed in advance.

Purchases

Trade establishments are usually open from Monday to Saturday, from 08.00 to 16.00, however, many private shops operate on their own schedule.

Niue does not charge sales tax or VAT.

The medicine

Emergency Phones

Unified rescue service (fire department, police and ambulance) - 999.
Ambulance - 998 (Lord Liverpool Hospital) or 41-00 (Medical & Dental Centre).
Central Police Office - 43-33.
Fire department - 41-33.

National features of Niue. Traditions

It is also not customary to drink alcohol openly, regardless of the day of the week.

Fishing is limited and only possible with the permission of local authorities (fishing tours offered by hotels usually already contain all issued permits).

Underwater hunting using harpoon weapons is prohibited. Also Special attention appeals to respect for coral reefs.

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Niue or Savage- an island and a state formation of the same name in free association with New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean, in Polynesia, east of the Tonga Islands. It borders the territorial waters of American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Tonga and French Polynesia.

The state formation of Niue consists of the eponymous raised coral atoll and three underwater reefs. It is the largest raised atoll in the world.

Once Niue was an active volcano, which died out about 3 million years ago, and its upper part, which was above ocean level, was subjected to severe erosion due to natural factors (rain, ocean waves).

Niue Airport

Niue Airport Niue (Niue International Airport)

Hotels Niue 1 - 5 stars

Niue weather

The climate is hot and moderately humid. The island has two distinct seasons: a hot, wet season from November to March, characterized by high temperatures and humidity, coinciding with the cyclone season, and a cooler dry season, from April to October, with warm, sunny days, cool nights, and strong breezes.

The average annual temperature in Niue varies slightly. The maximum daily temperature in January - February is 30°C, in July-August - 26°C. The average annual precipitation is about 2180 mm, although in the rainy season it can sometimes reach 3300 mm, and in the dry months 80-140 mm, the main share of which falls in January - March.

Niue language

Official language: Niue, English

Most residents speak both state languages. The Niuean language is represented by two dialects: Motu (dialect of the northern part of the island, it is more ancient) and Tafiti (dialect of the southern part of the island, more modern).

Currency of Niue

International name: NZD

The New Zealand dollar is equal to 100 cents. In circulation are banknotes in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars, as well as coins in denominations of 1 and 2 dollars, 50, 20, 10 and 5 cents.

Many resort areas also accept US and Australian dollars for payment.

Currency exchange is possible at any hotel or exchange office, although you can actually exchange any foreign currency, except for Australian or New Zealand dollars, only at the Bank of South Pacific and Westpac offices in Alofi.

American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa credit cards are accepted at most hotels, resorts, rental companies and dive centers. Traveler's checks can be cashed at most banking institutions on the island.

Customs restrictions

Transit of both local and foreign currency is not limited. There is a ban on the import of food, weapons and drugs, of course. Be sure to inspect wood products, plants, vegetables or fruits.

When importing valuable products, their declaration is mandatory.

It is not allowed to export products from skins, bones, tortoise shells, corals, and it is also impossible to export plants that are included in the list of protected by the state.

Mains voltage

Tips

Tipping is not officially accepted; in the case of renting a boat or yacht, the amount of additional payments should be agreed in advance.

Purchases

Trade establishments are usually open from Monday to Saturday, from 08.00 to 16.00, however, many private shops operate on their own schedule.

Niue does not charge sales tax or VAT.

National features Niue. Traditions

It is also not customary to drink alcohol openly, regardless of the day of the week.

Fishing is limited and only possible with the permission of local authorities (fishing tours offered by hotels usually already contain all issued permits).

Underwater hunting using harpoon weapons is prohibited. Also, special attention is paid to the careful attitude to coral reefs.

Country code: +683

First level geographic domain name:.nu

Emergency Phones

Unified rescue service (fire department, police and ambulance) - 999.
Ambulance - 998 (Lord Liverpool Hospital) or 41-00 (Medical & Dental Centre).
Central Police Office - 43-33.
Fire department - 41-33.

The relief of Niue is quite often compared with a bowl or - with a share of humor - with a hat (and, in fact, it looks like it). Its soils have a rather complex geochemical composition. They are rich in iron phosphates, iron and aluminum oxides. Radionuclides are also present in them, but in a concentration that is not dangerous for humans. Thanks to their analysis, it was found that the island arose about 120 thousand years ago. The porous limestones have formed many caves, often connected into whole complexes, with stalactites and stalagmites inside. Due to the porosity of the soils, there are no sources of fresh water on the surface of Niue, it seeps through the soil, and is extracted from wells. Tropical forests occupy the center of the island.
It is believed that people from Pukapuka were the first to settle Niue, and this happened around the turn of the 9th-10th centuries. In the XVI century. here is another one large group people from Tonga. The tribes inhabiting Niue at about this time split into two warring groups: in the south, from the village of Alofi to the village of Liku, the Tafiti tribe lived, and on the rest of the island, the Motu tribe. The history of their constant strife, which is contained, however, only in local legends and songs, confirms the hypothesis of ethnologists that they were representatives of different ethnic groups. Until 1700, according to historians, there was no power hierarchy on the island, then “kings” appeared.
For Europe, the island was discovered in 1774 by James Cook (1728-1779). But he failed to find mutual understanding with the locals. Stones were thrown at the team, during one of the three attempts to get acquainted with the natives, Cook was hit with a spear in the shoulder. Probably, the islanders already knew that the Europeans brought deadly diseases with them, and therefore were hostile. The British, however, also behaved not too friendly, suspecting that they were cannibals. The teeth and lips of the Niueans were red-brown, and the sailors decided that this was from human blood (in fact, from betel juice, which the natives chewed to maintain vigor).
The enraged Cook called the part of the land he discovered Savage Island - "The Island of the Savages." But the name did not take root: in London it was considered unethical, replacing it with another - Niue. The full name of the island in the local dialect is Niue-fekai. There are many translations of this word. "Niue" comes from "niu" - "coconut tree" and literally means "here is a coconut tree." Sometimes, however, “fekai” is translated as “cannibal”, but this is a clear substitution of concepts: there has never been cannibalism on the island; besides, not a single people in the world characterizes itself negatively. One of the ancient names of Niue is Nuku-tu-taha, which can be translated as "Lonely standing island". In the world, by the way, there are very few experts in the Niue language. Most of all, it is similar to the Tongan group of Austronesian languages, it has borrowings from the Maori languages ​​​​and the tribes inhabiting Samoa and Hawaii.
Europeans appeared on the island again only in 1846, they were the preachers of the London Missionary Society. They were also met with hostility, and they took three youths with them to Samoa to study theology. One of them - Nukai Peniamin - is considered the first preacher of Christianity in Niue.
In 1887, King Fataaiki turned to Queen Victoria of Great Britain with a request to take Niue under his protectorate. Consent was given in 1900. But a year later, who supported Britain in the Boer Wars, she received carte blanche from London to annex the island. The status of a self-governing state of the British Commonwealth in free association with New Zealand (that is, in fact, independence) Niue gained in 1974.
Niue Island, a coral atoll on top of a submerged volcano, is located in the South Pacific Ocean (Polynesia) in a conditional triangle between the island groups of Tonga (480 km west), Samoa (560 km northwest), Cook (1087 km east). New Zealand is located 2400 km southwest of Niue. The relief of the island is determined by two tiers. The upper one is a limestone plateau with an area of ​​about 60 km 2, its average height in the center is 30 m, along the edges - 63 m. The 200-mile economic zone of the island includes significant coral reefs located to the southeast of it: Antiope (180 km), Beveridge (240 km) and Haran (294 km) - and other smaller reefs.

The inhabitants of the island are constantly faced with a difficult choice: to leave or stay? Most Niueans prefer to live away from their homeland.
Niue is in the same conditions as many islands of Polynesia - remoteness from major centers of civilization, the scarcity of its own resources for development, an acute shortage of jobs, the constant threat of hurricanes. If remoteness can sometimes be considered a blessing, then the lack of work is a circumstance, as they say, force majeure. The diaspora of immigrants from Niue in New Zealand is more than 20 thousand people. This seems like a paradox - there has never been so many people on the island in the foreseeable past, but here it must be borne in mind that migration from the island began at the end of the 19th century. and these 20,000 are for the most part the descendants of several previous generations, who, however, consider themselves Niueans.
The population of the island is a variable value. And here's why: natives of Niue often visit their relatives and, being away, are counted as its residents. According to the local government, 1,611 people lived on the island in 2011, according to other sources, including the CIA, this figure varies, but does not exceed 1,500 inhabitants. The official population census of 2006 recorded 1625 people. and a decrease in the population compared with the 2001 census by 163 people. The last exodus from the island falls on the period after 2004, when (this happened on January 8) it was covered by the most powerful hurricane Heta. The wind force reached 300 km / h, waves up to 15 m high fell on the coast. People were warned and, holding children in their arms, fled deep into the island, leaving their houses. And they returned to the piles of rubble. There were dead and seriously injured. Many countries of the world then took part in the fate of the victims.
And still Niue regularly receives financial assistance from abroad. The government payroll is entirely made up of grants from New Zealand, but they are shrinking, which means you have to rely more on your own strength and your own economy. Funds for the development of the Niue economy now come mainly from the European Development Fund (EDF) and the EU fund. Until now, electricity on the island has been generated by diesel generators, and Europe has allocated 3.3 million euros to the renewable energy development project alone. Funds are also being invested in the expansion of state vanilla plantations: the demand for it on the world market is consistently high, and Niue may well significantly expand this item of its export, which is still small. For some time, the state of Niue took steps to become an offshore zone, but the financial structures of the West, not interested in tax preferences for New Zealand, the main client of Niue banks, stopped these attempts. Now Niue belongs to the so-called gray offshores, which do not have all the rights of offshore zones: it is easier to register a business here than in many other places, but hopes are in vain about tax minimization. In 2003, Niue became the first territory in the world to provide free access to the Internet using Wi-Fi technology to everyone (throughout the territory), and no one will take this championship away.
It would be wrong to think that the people of Niue are despondent because of their problems. On the contrary, they are cheerful, they hold various festivals with passion, as it is customary to call any holidays here. Each village has its own festival: these are songs, dances, theatrical performances. State and religious calendar dates are celebrated on a grand scale, sports competitions are also held on these days: rugby (among men's and women's teams), golf and darts. Tourists who come to Niue for diving and yachting are pleasantly surprised local cuisine, which even among discerning gourmets has earned a reputation as exquisite. Niueans cook mainly fish and vegetarian dishes, meat is used extremely rarely.

general information

Island nation in free association with New Zealand for island of the same name in the South Pacific (Polynesia).
Status of a self-governing state: since 1974

Administrative-territorial division: 13 districts, equivalent to the territories of 13 villages (until recently there were 14).
Administrative center: Alofi settlement (Alofis) - 581 people (2006 census).

Languages: English, Niuean.

Ethnic composition: the Niue people, formed from immigrants from Tonga, Samoa and Pukapuka (an island in the Northern Group of the Cook Archipelago) - 91.7%; Anglo-New Zealanders - 7.3%; Chinese - 0.9%, others -0.1%.

Religions: parishioners of Ecalesia-Niue (Protestant Congregational Church) - 62%, Catholics - 9%, adherents of other Christian faiths - 19%, atheists - 10%.

Currency unit: New Zealand dollar.

Major airport: international Airport Hannan in Alofi.

Numbers

Area: 261.46 km2.

Population: 1611 people (2011, Niue government data).
Population density: 6.2 people / km 2.
The most high point : unnamed hill near Mutalau village (68 m).

Maximum Width: 18 km.
Length coastline : 64 km.

Climate and weather

Subequatorial marine, monsoon.

January average temperature: +26°С.

July average temperature: +22°С.

Average annual rainfall: 2180 m.

In the rainy season, up to 3100 mm of precipitation falls, in the dry season their level can drop to 140 mm.

The island is located in the South Pacific Tropical Storm Belt.

Economy

GDP: $7.6 million (2006)

GDP per capita: $5800 (2003).

Financial assistance from New Zealand, the EU and other international organizations and funds.
Remittances to natives from Niueans working primarily in New Zealand.

Fishing (the main commercial fish is tuna).
Agriculture: mostly natural; taro, cassava, coconuts, yams, noni (morinda citrus), lime, passion fruit and other tropical plants are grown, pigs are bred. The inhabitants of the island catch coconut crabs (their other name is palm thief). Valuable varieties of wood, copra, honey are exported to New Zealand, and exports of vanilla, noni and taro are developing.

Industry: small factories for processing coconuts (copra, butter, cream) as well as lime oil and honey packaging.
Trade in collectible coins and stamps.
Services sector: banking services, tourism.

Attractions

■ Alofi: several traditional canoe moorings, one of which - Opahi Landing - is located, according to local legend, at the place where, in 1774, James Cook made one of his three attempts to land on the island; Cultural Center Huanaki with Museum, Ekalesia Church (Tomb Point). Two tombstones at the church fence mark the graves of two kings of the island - Tuitoga (reigned in 1876-1887) and Fataaiki (1888-1896), Fale Fono (Parliament House), two small caponiers, called the Old Fort, at Halagigie -Point, and New Fort, or simply Fort, between the hospital and the old building of the New Zealand Commission.

■ 4.5 km north of Alofi, near Macapu Point, is the main local shrine - the grave of Nukai Penyamin, as well as an experimental farm - a center for animal husbandry and plant research.
■ Avaiki Cave is located 7 km from Alofi - according to local legend, the first settlers of Niue landed here. A little further - Papakha cave (near the village of the same name), near which - best beach islands - Hio.
■ 10 km from Alofi - the caves of Limu-Puls (Ana-Maara), then - the complexes of the caves of Matapa-Chasm and Talava.
■ On the northeast coast - the caves of Lakepa, Anatoloa, Talis Cave, the uninhabited village of Fatiau Tuai.
■ coral reef Beveridge.

Curious facts

■ On July 14, 2011, ISO (The International Organization for Standardization, developer and publisher of International Standards) amended its registry for Niue. Prior to this, the state of Niue was listed in it as a republic, but in reality it was not a republic.
■ In August 2005, the Australian miner Yamama Goldfields announced that the island was suspected to have significant uranium reserves and was starting drilling to explore the deposit more closely, acknowledging as early as October that this was "overly optimistic".
■ Niue and New Zealand are separated by a notional international date line running along the meridian 180° (with some deviations in places). The time difference between the two is therefore 23 hours during the Southern Hemisphere winter and 24 hours when New Zealand enters Daylight Savings Time.
■ The export of plants and animals under state protection, as well as products made from leather, bone, bird feathers, shells, corals, etc., is prohibited from Niue.
Niue is an island formation located in the South Pacific Ocean, in Polynesia, east of Tongo. The full name, which is used only on official occasions and in national folklore, is Niue-fekai. The second name of the territory that is the possession of New Zealand is Savage (Savage Island). It received this name in 1774, when James Cook discovered it for Europeans. Coral island with a population of only 1.8 thousand people covers an area of ​​about 260 km2. It is the largest single raised atoll in the world. The administrative center of Niue is the village of Alofi.

Niue on the world map

The hilly relief of the island of Niue, which has the shape of a bowl with raised edges about 70 meters high and a central 30-meter part, indicates that in the past the island was active volcano, gone under the water. The coast of Niue is indented with rocks, cliffs and caves. The island is surrounded by a massive reef.

The climate of Niue is quite hot and moderately humid. Here you can clearly trace the presence of two pronounced seasons: hot, humid (November-March) and dry, cool (April-October), with sea breezes, cool nights and warm days. The location of the island in the belt of tropical cyclones, the zone of southeast trade winds, provokes the formation of strong storm winds and destructive cyclones, causing significant damage to the country's economy.

The relatively small island is divided into 13 administrative districts, each of which has its own center - the village of the same name. Low standard of living, distance from major states and the lack of industry in Niue contribute to the gradual migration of the population. Due to the constant outflow of islanders, over the past 40 years, the population here has almost tripled.

According to the constitution adopted in 1974, legislative power in Niue belongs to the Legislative Assembly, and the executive is in the Cabinet of Ministers. The head of state is the British Queen Elizabeth, who is represented on the island by the Governor General of New Zealand.

Niue map in Russian

The basis of the state economy is the cultivation of bananas and the production of copra. Crafts and ecotourism contribute little to the economic opportunities of the islanders, contributing to their well-being. locals grow a range of crops that are exported to New Zealand.

Quiet and secluded island of the Great Ocean - Niue, specializing in extreme tourism and diving, little known to modern travelers. The picturesque surroundings of the island, exotic vegetation, traditional crafts and crafts form the basis of its national color. Photo materials used from Wikimedia © Foto, Wikimedia Commons

Niue - General information

Officially recognized name- Niue (also known as Savage).

Location- located Island state Niue is in Polynesia, in the South Pacific. The country is part of the Kingdom of New Zealand. It has no land borders with other states, but Niue has borders with the territorial waters of the Tonga Islands, the Cook Islands and the American Samoa Islands.

Territory- 261.46 square kilometers (229th place in the world).

Population- Approximately 1,800 people (237th place in the world).

Ethnic composition of the population homogeneity (homogeneity). 81% of the total population are Niueans (descendants of the indigenous people of Polynesia), 11% are representatives of other islands of Oceania (mostly Fijians, Samoans, Tuvalians and Tongans), also a small number of inhabitants are Europeans, and they make up 3%; 2.5% - Asians, 2.5% - representatives of other nationalities.

Religion- most of the population are adherents of Protestantism - 62%, about 9% - Catholics, Mormons - 8% and Jehovah's Witnesses - 2%. Small religious groups on the islands include: Hindus, Baha'is, Methodists, Sikhs, Seventh Day Adventists, as well as representatives of various Christian faiths. A small number of the island's inhabitants consider themselves atheists.

Capital- Alofi.

Largest cities- Alofi, Hakulu, Avatele, Tamakautoga, Vaiea, Liku, Hikutawake, etc.

The official language is English and Niue. It is worth noting that the Niuean language is only a drop in the ocean among the large group of Polynesian languages. The writing in this national language appeared relatively recently and uses the Latin alphabet of 17 letters. Also, the language has two dialects within the same island: the Tafiti dialect, characteristic of the south of the island, and the Motu dialect, characteristic of the northern part of the island.

Form of government- a constitutional monarchy.

dominant person is the Queen of Great Britain Elizabeth II, her viceroy in the Pacific region is the governor-general, and now the direct authority on the island is represented by the chairman of the governor-general.