+++ Niue Whale Wonders +++

Humpback Whales of the Pacific

August 9 – 23, 2024

The only way to reach Niue is by taking a 3-hour direct flight from Auckland International Airport, 2 times a week every Tuesday and Saturday. As we are crossing the international dateline the arrival will be one day before. This means you have to catch the early morning flight (around 9 a.m.) on the 10th from Auckland to Niue to arrive on the day before. We will spend 14 nights on the island – from August 9th to August 23rd 2024.

Meeting Point for this trip will be in Auckland accordingly.  Your tour leader will be in a hotel nearby the airport the night prior to the departure to meet you there. We will publish and offer the hotel overnights as soon as flights will be available (11 months before departure). Feel free to ask us about packages including your international flights or also extension programs in New Zealand.

Action plan:

Meeting times will be discussed on spot for the next day. We will meet for breakfast of course and head from there together to the dive shop.

For your whale and freediving adventures we will enjoy the private boat with maximum 6 passengers. The whale trips normally take up to 4 hours and will happen either in the morning or in the afternoon, depending on weather conditions, guests or the trip leader’s decision. It’s not really possible to say which times are better as nature is unpredictable. If there are no whales to be found we will use the time to get some water time in the magical caves or on the reefs of Niue. The package includes 10 days of excursions on the water. On 2 of those days we will add a freediving experience either before or after the whale search in the caves and reefs around the island. On the free day we will enjoy a special island tour from Niue Blue. This leaves us with another 2 full days for your own activities and adventures. Please note that in Niue there are no shops or companies working on Sundays. It’s a strictly sabbatical day, same as in the Kingdom of Tonga. This local tradition should be kept in mind and respected.

Scenic Matavai Resort

As the only full service resort on Niue, the Scenic Matavai Resort offers the best of both worlds — an uncrowded, authentic Niuean experience with the convenience of contemporary luxury. Enjoy watching Humpback Whales and Spinner Dolphins right from the deck while enjoying a meal from of the two onsite restaurants and finish the evening with cocktails by the pool.

Fakaalofa lahi atu – Welcome to beautiful Niue

Niue is a Pacific Island paradise like no other – one of the smallest countries and one of the largest raised coral atolls on earth. It’s a place where it’s normal for complete strangers to wave at each other, a place where nature hasn’t been broken and things are ‘the way they used to be’. Niue is a large upraised coral atoll, positioned as a standalone island in the centre of a triangle of nations made up of Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands. It’s located 2400km northeast of New Zealand, on the eastern side of the international dateline.

The island’s isolation and coral origins make for an exciting coastline. There are no lakes or rivers that runoff into the ocean which ensures crystal clear water year round. The whole island is dotted with a myriad of caves, sheltered rocky coves and secret beaches, some of which have yet to be explored. The Huvalu Rainforest is home to amazing indigenous trees and has been designated as a Conservation Area to protect and conserve the islands primary rainforest and natural fauna and flora. Scattered throughout the 14 neat and colorful villages, Niue’s less than 1500 residents enjoy dual citizenship, as a self-governing nation in free association with New Zealand. They are bilingual, speaking both Niuean and English, and enjoy an independent lifestyle. The locals are very respectful, genuinely friendly and hospitable to visitors and have accepted tourism as an important component to their economic development and well-being. They are well educated and enjoy life.

Humpback whales of Niue Island

From July to October each year the Humpback whales arrive in Niue’s waters to nurse their young. Niue is one of only a handful of places in the world where you are allowed to swim with the whales. Mother nature of course doesn’t guarantee an experience so whale interactions are strictly dependent on the whales being around, within range, settled and the weather conditions being safe. At night, you can sometimes hear the whales slapping their giant fins against the water and you may even be kept awake by their calls, unlike anywhere else in the world – they can come that close to the shore because the water is so deep.
As far as we know the density of the whales is not as high as in Tonga. However, there are only three operators with a handful of boats for whale watching, so expect little or no traffic on the water. Also, as Niue is made entirely of porous limestone, it has no lakes or streams. This means that the rain quickly filters through the island into the sea below, resulting in no sediment in the water and the visibility (diver’s favorite word) can be up to 80 meters. This clarity is ranked amongst the very best in the world and, coupled with the warm water, makes for an exceptional dive, snorkel and freediving experience!
On land Niue Island offers you beautiful landscapes and grotesque limestone formations on its coast. Take a walk along the coastline or through Niue’s tropical rainforest and experience ancient Polynesian wilderness first-hand. Also, there are bicycles and even e-bikes to rent to explore the island.