Niue

Niue is a self-governing island country in free association with New Zealand. It is situated in the South Pacific Ocean and is part of Polynesia, and predominantly inhabited by Polynesians. One of the world’s largest coral islands, Niue is commonly referred to as ‘The Rock’, which comes from the traditional name ‘Rock of Polynesia’. It is positioned inside a triangle drawn between Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands. It is 2,400 kilometres (1,500 miles) northeast of New Zealand, and 600 kilometres (375 miles) northeast of Tonga. Niue’s land area is a little over 260 km2v (c.100 square miles) and its population around  1,700 people. The terrain of the island has two noticeable levels. The higher level is made up of a limestone cliff running along the coast, with a plateau in the centre of the island reaching approximately 60 metres (200 feet) above sea level. The lower level is a coastal terrace approximately 0.5 km (0.3 miles) wide and about 80-90 feet high, which slopes down and meets the sea in small cliffs. A coral reef surrounds the island, with the only major break in the reef being in the central western coast, close to the capital, Alofi.

There are three outlying coral reefs within the exclusive economic zone, with no land area: Beveridge Reef is a submerged atoll drying during low tide, it measures 9.5 km North-South by 7.5 km East-West, with a total area of 56 km², with no land area. The lagoon is 11 meters deep. Antiope Reef is a circular plateau approximately 400 meters in diameter, with a depth of at least 9.5 meters. Haran Reef (Harans Reef) is reported to break furiously. Albert Meyer Reef is almost km long and wide, with a depth of at least 3 meters, and is not officially claimed by Niue.

Coastline at Avatele – ©Flickr user fearlessRich CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Niue is one of the world’s largest coral islands. A notable feature of the island is the number of limestone caves found close to the coast. The island is roughly oval in shape (with a diameter of about 18 kilometres), with two large bays indenting the western coast (Alofi Bay in the centre and Avatele Bay in the south). Between these is the promontory of Halagigie Point. A small peninsula, TePā Point (or Blowhole Point), is located close to the settlement of Avatele in the southwest. Most of the island’s population resides close to the west coast, around the capital, and in the northwest.

The island has a tropical rainforest climate, with high temperatures and rainfall throughout the year. Although there are no true wet or dry seasons, there is a noticeably wetter stretch from October to May.

Birding Niue

Niue is attempting to pursue a policy of green growth. The Niue Island Organic Farmers Association is currently paving way to a Multilateral Environmental Agreement (MEA) committed to making Niue the world’s first fully organic nation by 2020. It has already become the first entire country to be designated an International Dark Sky Sanctuary. Niue aims to use 80% renewable energy by 2025 and has a number of solar energy installations. The country has declared its entire economic zone a marine park.

Limu Reef – ©Msdstefan at de.wikipedia CC BY-SA 2.0 DE via Wikimedia Commons

The island is home to approximately 60 native or pre-European plants, and approximately 160 naturalised flowering plant species. Compared to other Polynesian islands, Niue has sparse documentation for what plants were traditionally found on the island (almost no records are found between the documentation by James Cook’s crew in 1774, and Truman G. Yuncker’s botanical survey of the island in 1940).

The Huvalu Forest Conservation Area is a 5,400-hectare site on the eastern side of the island. It was established in 1992 and protects the largest area of primary forest in Niue. It has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports populations of Crimson-crowned Fruit Doves, Blue-crowned Lorikeets, Polynesian Trillers and Polynesian Starlings.