Niue this! Niue that! Niue! Niue! Niue! It's so different! This morning I was awoken by a chorus of roosters just outside my window. Niue has been my temporary home for five days now! Except for that whole debacle coming here I've enjoyed every minute of it. After getting a vanilla bean shake I was thinking of the Limu Pools but then thought I'd head toward the northwestern corner of the island and visit the fascinating and remarkable Talava Arches. These giant limestone arches are two of Niue's most exciting geologic features. I underestimated how hot it was today and how long it would take to reach the arches. It's a very hot and steamy walk over jagged limestone, and I was foolish to wear jandals. There's no shade and you should bring plenty of water. On either side of my are "trees" without many leaves, and some various low-lying plant life.
The odd lizard, rat, or crab would scurry by as I was dripping sweat. A half hour seems like an eternity when it's as hot as it was today, and was the time it took to reach a cave. Slippery it was as I journeyed through, and there I get a fabulous view of the arches. Being here today I was recommend letting someone know where you're going or go with someone because if you fall into the ocean or if you hurt yourself there's little to zero hope of being seen or found. The cave is just as spectacular as the arches and offers a bit of a cooling effect as I admire the arches in awe!
I'm so glad I opted to visit Niue! I really feel like I have the whole island to myself; I've only seen a couple of other travellers. After exiting the trail to the arches, just to my right was the short walk to Matapa Chasm! Ahhhhhhhhhh....invigorating!!! It's a refreshing and seemingly theraputic dip after the hot walk to the arches! There were a couple of locals swimming but when they left I was alone in the chasm. The high walls keep it sheltered so it's cool whilst swimming or snorkelling.
The fish are colourful but are not nearly as abundant as in the Great Barrier Reef or Fiji. After a swim and snorkel of more than an hour so I'd hitchhike back to Alofi. Sharing my experience today would be very, very interesting!
