Niue Weather, climate and geography

Weather and climate

Best time to visit

Tropical climate bathed by southeast trade winds, Niue has warm days and pleasantly cool nights. The wet season is from December until March.

Required clothing

Loose, natural fabrics; a cover-up for the evenings.

Geography

Niue is an isolated island located 480km (298 miles) east of Tonga, 560km (348 miles) southeast of Western Samoa, 980km (609 miles) west of Rarotonga and 2,400km (1,500 miles) northeast of New Zealand.

Affectionately known as 'the rock', Niue is reputedly the largest upraised coral atoll in the world. It has 2,500 hectares (6,178 acres) of the most undisturbed forests in the world, designated tapu areas by the locals, where no humans were allowed to set foot for centuries.

Now all the tapu forests, except the one controlled by Hakupu village, are penetrable. These forests are full of lush undergrowth, coconut palms and some of the oldest-known ebony trees on earth. Light and scattered forest covers approximately 14,000 hectares (34,594 acres). At the edge of the forest, the coast gives way to coral outcrops.