Cleone - CLEONE in Niue

In 2004, before Cyclone Heta hit this island, killing two people and inundating the island, 6000 people lived here.  Now there are only 1200, and they are still leaving.  Sustained only by generous grants from New Zealand (although Niue is independent, they are a new Zealand Protectorate, and the Queen is still the Head of State, and much revered), Niue is either going to die on its feet, or is due for a revival.  In some ways, it is another beautiful Pacific island, but it has unique features.  There are no mountains, but it sits nicely above the sea.  However, this did not prevent a house ninety feet up from being flattened during Heta, and it did not prevent two metres of sea-water washing down the high street (if you can call it that), some 50 feet above the sea.  This took away many shops and buildings, many of which never got rebuilt.  The English-speaking population are generous, charming and friendly and visitors are treated like royalty.  There is a sizeable expatriate New Zealand population (sizeable is relative - there are apparently twenty thousand Niueans or people of Niuean descent living in NZ), and they make a considerable contribution, and were to the fore in the welcome given to the World ARC boats.  Tourism is about the only industry able to generate real wealth at the moment, but though there is a decent airport, New Zealand is a three hour flight away and there is no other practicable route.  Two hundred or so yachts call by every year, but the anchorage is deep and poorly protected.

Putting all that aside, the wide open bay faces west and has a small jetty for the occasional supply ship, one of which arrived during our stay.  Niue's yacht club may not boast many yachts, but it has a convenient club house, with cold New Zealand beers always available.  Twenty substantial moorings have been laid, and the World ARC fleet laid securely to these, rolling slightly in the persistent swell.  The club boasts over 1000 members world-wide, and having been here, you can understand why.  Nothing was too much trouble for them, and all our questions were answered, and as far as they could, all our needs were met, and we were entertained royally by them to boot.

So we have done our laundry, bought some very welcome fresh food, been around the island and attended two great parties.  The first was a welcoming feast of amazing local food; it seemed that practically everyone on the island had been involved with its preparation.  There were all sorts of delicacies, a great deal of delicious fish and shellfish, pasta, breadfruit, salads, two whole roast pigs and several chocolate cakes!  And after this feast the the local dancing teams were on hand to entertain us.  It was a memorable night.  But funnily enough, although we were tired, it was only 9.30 pm when we got back to the boat - we were very glad to get to bed.  The next day was a quiet one - laundry, a walk round the town, and some stuff on the boat.  And in the evening, it was off to the Yacht Club for a couple of beers before the Barbecue.  But I forgot to mention the rain.  We could have been in Scotland (but how often do you spend a rainy day in Scotland in just shorts and no worry about the midges? - Ed); it was raining hard during the night, it rained persistently most of the morning and it was still raining in the evening.  So it was back to the village hall, where beer and wine flowed (kick-started by Admiral Insurance, to whom thanks) and a massive plate of food was served to all.  Northern Sky's Gerry had a night off - a local (expatriate) banjo player was on hand to lead the singing!

Yesterday we hired a car and went touring.  The island boasts magnificent scenery - massive caves, wonderful rock and coral formations, superb snorkelling, thick jungle, stunning beaches, the whole nine yards.  Sharks, tropical fish, sea snakes (deadly poisonous, but very friendly) and pilot whales are there for all to see.  The infrastructure is fine; there are decent roads around and across the island, proper schools, a 11000V electrical transmission system (all underground - it must have cost a fortune) which goes to every village and supplies every house.  There is a telephone system (although the mobile phone net does not allow visitors any access) and plenty of water.  But every village is like a ghost town - three quarters of the houses are empty.  Some are boarded up, some have already fallen into disrepair, and some still have chairs on the verandas and abandoned cars and boats parked outside and look as if the owners just walked away expecting to be back later.  It was reminiscent of a war zone such as Bosnia in the 90s.  It won't take long for the jungle to reclaim them all.  And because there are so few people, there is a real danger that the jungle will swallow up much of the rest of the island.  Paths to the picturesque beaches and coves are becoming overgrown, shelters and facilities have fallen into disrepair and most bars and restaurants have already closed.  Rumours abound: there's uranium here, but it sits in below the natural water storage in the middle of the island; the Chinese and Japanese want to exploit the timber, but the locals, and I am sure the government of New Zealand, are against it; there used to be a small long-lining fishing fleet until earlier this year, but the fish have all gone - possibly victims of the burgeoning colony of Pilot whales.  Whatever the truth, something is going to have to change soon or this delightful little country will effectively cease to exist.

We are off to Tonga today ? it looks like a 240 or so damp and windless miles, and more delights to follow. We will be in touch.

All well with us, and best wishes to everyone.