Sunday 22 August More exploring of Niue

Cliff at Vaikona

I see no ships

Day 2 with the hire car and we'd decided on an early start to tackle some of the longer walks. Vaikona caves is the longest one and rated as hard with a guide recommended. Of course we can do it without a guide as our friends from Bubbles did this walk 2 weeks ago, so can we. Underfoot is sharp coral so you have to be careful where you step as a slip onto these glass sharp rocks would hurt. The vegetation is long established trees and creepers with lots of spider webs swung across the track. Fortunately the track through the forest is marked at regular intervals with red arrows or you could easily loose your way. We walked for over an hour climbing over fallen trees, coral walls, through the webs and came out on a cliff overlooking the eastern shoreline, a wave cut platform pounded by the seas and backed by a sheer wall and caves. Dramatic stuff.

Through the cave entrance

Retracing our steps back inland we found the turn off to the entrance to the Vaikona caves, a slim horizontal crack in the rocks. As we gingerly entered, edging our backsides down the slope, our eyes became accustomed to the semi light and we could see the stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Twenty feet down the cave opened to the sky with a blue pool at the far side and a jumble of moss and fern covered boulders to cross to reach it. This is the point where we came to ropes to help you lower yourself to the bottom. This bit didn't appeal to me and Erin so we sat and watched ready to go for help if the 4 boys (I include David in boys because he is enjoying the more physical challenges with the young guns) and Cat clambered down. They scrambled across the boulders and swam in the pool. Brady, Brian and Brad went further swimming through a blind tunnel into an inner pool. This would have been a wonderful hiding place for local people to escape invaders because it isn't visible from above and the entrance is so small. David and Cat climbed back up and the 4 of us then crawled up to the exit and began our walk back to the car. The boys would climb fast and catch us up. They caught up as we got back to the car and the rain started to gently fall. The walk was described as hard. It should also have been noted as exhilarating. David was still grinning and chatting as we drove on to lunch.

View into Togo chasm

Sunday no trading is observed in religious Niue so we'd taken a picnic lunch which was eagerly devoured at the picnic seats, no tables, at the start of the walk to Togo Chasm. Togo chasm is an easy walk out across a field of uplifted coral peaks, the concrete and rope hand rails make it accessible for all. The chasm is reached by climbing 50' down a sturdy wooden ladder. Imagine a sand floor with palm trees growing in the middle and sheer rocks faces rising 80' and above the palm trees on all sides. This photo features on all the island brochures.

the bridge

In the corner closest to the sea there is a muddle of boulders. A scrambled through these leads to a cave and out to the water, a pool with a bridge with the sea rushing under it. Niue is the largest uplifted coral island in the world and the caves and topography that's been created by the sea are well worth exploring.

Bridge from above

By now it was late afternoon and we were ready for some play time. We went along to the Wash Away cafe, a bar perched under a cliff and above possibly the only sand beach on the island. We went for a dip in the sea and then up to the bar at 4 o'clock for a self service drink. Self service because it is illegal to sell alcohol on a Sunday, but customers can help themselves and put their money in the till. It's not illegal to cook the best beefburgers with a fried egg and beetroot but the bar owners can't take money for it. The solution is to put the money in the till or to go along to their sister restaurant in the main town and settle your bill the next day. The honesty system must work for them to do it every week. Can you imagine this ever happening in London?