Niue Food Itinerary: 14 Days / 2 Weeks

© NiuePocketGuide.com

How to Get Around Niue in 14 Days

This Niue food itinerary for 14 days (two weeks) includes travel around a 261.5 km² (101 mi²) island. Here’s a quick rundown on how to get around Niue in two weeks.

Car Rental

Due to the lack of transport options and to make the most of this 14-day food itinerary for Niue, we strongly recommend hiring a car. Get advice on hiring a car in What You Need to Hire a Car in Niue. Note, you will need to purchase a Niue Driver’s License to drive in Niue, which you can get from the Police Station.

Bicycle/E-Bike Rental

For those that have a bit of fitness and are looking for a fun way to get around the flat and quiet roads of Niue (not to mention, work off the meals), both bicycle and electric bike hire are available in Niue. Find out more about this transport method in The Guide to Cycling & Mountain Biking in Niue.

For alternative transport in Niue, see the 11 Ways to Get to (& Around) Niue. Plus, compare the most popular methods in Should You Rent a Car or a Bicycle in Niue?

(c) niuepocketguide.com

Day 1 – Arrive in Niue

Travel time: 5-10 minutes drive.

You’ve arrived in Niue! After going through the simple customs and biosecurity process of Hanan International Airport, as outlined in Everything You Need to Know About Arriving in Niue, you’ll pick up your car rental outside of the airport or catch your airport transfer organised through your accommodation.

If you’re making your own food tonight, stop by the Swanson Supermarket just outside of the airport (turn left) on your way to your self-catering accommodation. Plus, now is a good time to purchase a Niue Driver’s License from the Police Station nearby.

Foodie and Self-Catering Accommodations in Niue

• Scenic Matavai Resort (not self-catering; restaurant on site)
• Mahofi Cottage
• Tuaga Lodge
• Taoke Fales
• Scenic Matavai Apartments & Villa
• Namukulu Cottages
• Heleni Jessop’s Fatahega
• Stone Villas
• Lau’s Getaway
• Nic’s Bungalows

While all of these accommodations feature in The 30 Best Accommodations in Niue, check out some of our top picks for self-catering in the 10 Best Self-Catering Accommodations in Niue and advice for choosing the best in How to Pick the Right Foodie Accommodation in Niue.

Restaurant Recommendations

If you’d prefer to eat out tonight, start off your foodie getaway in Niue by eating out at one of the fantastic restaurants available. See a whole list of recommendations in the 20 Best Restaurants in Niue.

Dinner: Kaiika – Try their fresh sushi made by a Tokyo chef! Bookings are highly recommended.

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Day 2 – Do an Orientation Tour and Explore Alofi

Travel time: 5-15 minutes drive.

A great way to start your time in Niue is to take an orientation tour to get acquainted with the island. Explore Niue runs excellent morning tours, pointing out all of the highlights, as well as the hidden gems, along the west coast while sharing the best time to visit them. You’ll also stop by a few attractions along the way. Get local insights into the best restaurants around Alofi and the rest of the island, and where to find them. You’ll know Niue like the back of your hand after this tour.

After visiting a snorkelling spot, you’ll be treated to some special Niuean refreshments, such as drinking coconuts and local snacks.

At the end of the tour, asked to be dropped off in Alofi, where you can sort out a few practicalities for the rest of your stay. Book the tours at the Tourist Information Centre that we’ve recommended in this itinerary and head down to the Niue Vanilla Shop to book the tour. If you want to squeeze in a few more experiences, check out the 20 Best Things to Do in Alofi.

Restaurant Recommendations

Once you’re set for the rest of your holiday, treat yourself to lunch and dinner in Alofi.

Lunch: Vaiolama Cafe – Get a fresh sandwich or panini and sip on fruity smoothies.

Dinner: Katuali Coffee House – Head into town and enjoy some of the best pizzas in town at this cosy cafe and pizza joint.

(c) Niue Tourism

Day 3 – Spend the Day at Avatele Bay and the Washaway Cafe

Travel time: 5-20 minutes drive.

If you arrived in Niue on a Friday, then today is Sunday and a day of rest in Niue. While many tours, restaurants, shops and services are closed, there is one place on the island that is open for just this day of the week: the Washaway Cafe!

Found on Avatele Beach, the Washaway Cafe is an honesty bar where you write down your food order at the kitchen and take a table number. Then you help yourself to drinks and simply pay for everything at the end, telling the bar staff what you had. The Washaway Cafe does especially good fish focaccia where the fish is fresh and the focaccia is homebaked.

Swimming and snorkelling are also good at Avatele Beach at low to mid-tide. Watch out for rips in the channel near the boat ramp – learn more in the 10 Most Beautiful Swimming Holes in Niue, as well as more about the importance of the tide in our guide, Tide Times in Niue: Essential for Your Trip!

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Day 4 – Do a Vanilla Plantation Tour

Travel time: 5-15 minutes drive.

Today, you’ll head to Alofi once again where you’ll get to learn the ins and outs of an organic vanilla plantation with Niue Vanilla. Wander around some 30,000 vines of vanilla, which all need to be hand-pollinated. Needless to say, it will be the most aromatic of tours you’re ever likely to experience, as well as super informative to help you understand the expensive market of these flavoursome beans.

Since you’re in the capital, you can spend the rest of your day exploring some of the Alofi sea tracks, such as Utuko Reef which offers awesome snorkelling, in between indulging in delightful food.

Restaurant Recommendations

Lunch: Cafe Tavana – Have fish and chips the Niuean way, with the freshest of fish with cassava fries!

Dinner: Dolphin Restaurant – Give the restaurant of the Scenic Matavai Resort a try, with its a la carte menu accompanied by the soothing tunes of an island band.

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Day 5 – Sample Tropical Treats on the Maala Garden Tour

Travel time: 15-40 minutes drive.

Visit a tropical bush garden and plantation where you’ll come away with a wealth of knowledge about Niue’s unique produce, not to mention the taste of delicious fruit still dancing on your tongue, on the Maala Garden Tour (Liku).

You will be shown the maala (garden) by your friendly and characterful hosts, John and Doris, and learn about growing food crops, tropical trees, herbs and much more. Like most of Niue’s guided tours, this is a very casual experience, so the more questions you ask the better! You can certainly pick up a few tips from your passionate hosts who have developed this garden out of a labour of love.

At the end of the experience, you will be treated to a spread of local fruits, nuts and a drinking coconut – many of which we feature in the 10 Exotic Fruits in Niue You Have to Try!

Learn more about what the tour entails and what you need to bring in the 6 Best Guided Tours in Niue.

Restaurant Recommendations

Lunch: Crazy Uga Cafe – Serves up salads, paninis, pasta, fish and chips, etc. for lunch

Dinner: Vanilla Cafe – Treat yourself to some Indian cuisine.

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Day 6 – Go to a Niuean Umu Night

Travel time: 5-15 minutes drive.

Take the day to relax and tonight (if it’s Wednesday) is umu night at Manuiz (Alofi)!

Try local Niuean dishes, such as takihi, povi masima, moa Niue, faikai ika and more! All of which is prepared in a traditional earth oven in true Polynesian style.

You have a couple of other umu nights that you may want to consider inserting into your itinerary: one at Lilo’s Restaurant and the other at Scenic Matavai’s Dolphin Restaurant – more details can be found in The Ultimate Guide to Niue Nightlife.

Restaurant Recommendations

Lunch: Fana Cafe – Start your day off with aromatic coffee and an indulgent locally-sourced brunch.

Dinner: Manuiz – Try some authentic Niuean dishes, from sweet takihi to lupe (pigeon) risotto at the Manuiz island buffet. Bookings are essential.

(c) niuepocketguide.com

Day 7 – Do a Uga Hunting Tour

Travel time: 5-20 minutes drive.

Today, join the Mokalei family from Taue Uga Tours for a tour of their ancestral rainforest where they have been hunting uga for generations. Uga is the local coconut crab; a delicacy in Niue. There are two tours available, a day tour and a night tour. During the day tour, you’ll help set up coconut baits around the forest, meet some of the local uga and learn more about the Niuean legends and their connection with the forest. On the night tour, you’ll get to see uga when they are most active, see how the baits work and learn how to collect uga in a sustainable way so there are coconut crabs left for future generations.

Again, see the 6 Best Guided Tours in Niue for more advice on where to meet and what to bring.

Restaurant Recommendations

Lunch: Kaiika – Try a New York-style pizza for lunch!

Dinner: Crow’s Nest – Try fresh fish and chips and salads and indulge in some of the moistest cakes on the island!

(c) niuepocketguide.com

Day 8 – Explore the West Coast Sea Tracks and Stop by the Hio Cafe

Travel time: 10-30 minutes drive.

It’s time to check out some of Niue’s amazing coastal attractions. We’re talking about dramatic chasms, magnificent coastal arches, limestone caves and crystal-clear snorkelling pools.

Drive up the west coast, stopping by attractions such as:

• Avaiki Cave – best at low tide
• Palaha Cave – best at any tide
• Limu Pools – best at low-to-mid incoming tide
• Matapa Chasm – best at any tide
• Talava Arches – best at low tide.

Learn more about each coastal point of interest in the 10 Best Sea Tracks on the West Coast of Niue.

Restaurant Recommendations

Lunch: Fana Cafe – Friday is “Fana Mac Friday” where you’ll see what an island-style Big Mac would taste like if they were good!

Dinner: Hio Cafe & Bar – Pours a wide range of drinks, as well as Niuean tasting platters, fish tacos and wood-fired pizzas.

(c) niuepocketguide.com

Day 9 – Catch Dinner on a Fishing Charter

Travel time: 10-20 minutes drive.

Fishing is a way of life in Niue, and while you might not be joining the local fishermen on their vaka (canoe), you will have a more comfortable experience with one of the local fishing charters.

Locals and passionate expats will share techniques of fishing in tropical waters for wahoo, mahimahi, yellowfin tuna, sailfish, marlin, giant trevally and more. Equipped with the latest gear, you’ll be reeling in the big ones, whether you’re an experienced angler or a newbie.

Generally, fishing charters have a “catch stay with the boat” policy, but most will either give you some to cook up at your accommodation or deliver it to one of the local restaurants where you’ll be able to sample the fish professionally prepared for a discount.

Learn more about the experience in The Ultimate Guide to Fishing in Niue.

Restaurant Recommendations

Lunch & Dinner: Head to your favourite restaurants so far (or you’ll have to just see what’s open on Saturday, as options are usually limited). Pick up a restaurant schedule from the Visitor Information Centre on arrival – more advice is available in Opening Hours in Niue: Odd Hours, Tide Times & Things to Know.

© Niue Tourism

Day 10 – Free Day (Sunday)

As today may fall on a Sunday if you arrived in Niue on a Friday, today is all yours to do anything you might have missed over the past fortnight (or anything that you thought was so amazing you want to do again)! That’s with the exception of guided tours, which are not available on a Sunday.

We have plenty of inspiration for new experiences in our 101 Things to Do in Niue: The Ultimate List and the 10 Things to Do in Niue on a Sunday so get scrolling and complete your bucket list for day 14 of your foodie itinerary in Niue!

Restaurant Recommendations

Lunch: Fusion Flava – See what’s cooking at this highly popular food truck along Alofi’s main road (outside of the Vaiolama Cafe entrance), exclusively open Sunday.

Dinner: Crow’s Nest – Serves up excellent fish and chips and extra cakes on a Sunday (note that schedules are subject to change).

© NiuePocketGuide.com

Day 11 – Explore the East Coast

Travel time: 1 hour drive.

Today, hit the road to the east coast of the island, famous for its rugged coastal scenery, from deep chasms to the lush Huvalu Forest Conservation Area. You can visit the highlights of the east coast at any tide, including:

• Anapala Chasm
• Togo Chasm
• Laufoli Umu Pit
• Hikulagi Sculpture Park
• Tautu (Liku) Sea Track
• Motu Sea Track
• Uluvehi Sea Track

See the 8 Best Sea Tracks on the East Coast of Niue for full details on these tracks.

Restaurant Recommendations

Lunch: Pack a lunch for your road trip. The picnic area of the Uluvehi Sea Track is a good place to stop for lunch.

Drinks: All Relativf – A cocktail bar serving up only the freshest and most photo-worthy cocktails.

Dinner: Jenna’s Restaurant – See what’s on the blackboard menu of this rustic eatery in Alofi.

(c) niuepocketguide.com

Day 12 – Mingle at the Niue Market

Travel time: 5-15 minutes drive.

At some point during your trip, you have to check out the Niue Market! You have plenty of opportunities to visit, as listed in the 5 Best Markets in Niue. In this itinerary, the market happens to fall on a Tuesday morning. Not only is it a good opportunity to mingle with the locals and try local dishes like nane, but it’s an opportunity to buy fresh tropical fruit and vegetables to spruce up back at your self-catering accommodation.

Restaurant Recommendations

Make your own meals tonight using the produce from the Niue Market. Alternatively…

Lunch: Little Rock – For a hearty breakfast or brunch to keep you going on your whale swim, pick up a hot roll before they sell out.

Dinner: Dolphin Restaurant – Show up a little early for dinner at the Scenic Matavai Resort and you could catch a coconut demonstration before your a la carte dinner.

© NiuePocketGuide.com

Day 13 – Do a Niuean Plantation Tour

Travel time: 20-40 minutes drive.

Just when you thought there was nothing else to learn about food in Niue, there’s yet another fantastic foodie tour you can get stuck into. Join Tony of A5 Plantation Tours (Mutalau) for a 4WD tour of a local plantation and rainforest. During the experience, you will learn how to husk a coconut, meet some uga and explore a real plantation where you’ll learn about modern and traditional methods for growing cassava, taro, kumara, watermelon, pawpaw, banana and much more. You’ll even get to taste some of the fruit that is in season.

More details on the tour can be found in 6 Best Guided Tours in Niue.

Restaurant Recommendation

Drinks: All Relativf – Sip of real-fruit cocktails and smoothies

Lunch & Dinner: We don’t need to tell you. By this point, you’ll have your favourite!

(c) niuepocketguide.com

Day 14 – Pick Up Some Niuean Food to Take Home

Travel time: 5-15 minutes drive.

For your final full day in Niue, catch up on any activities or sea tracks you might have missed. It’s also a good time to pick up some local foods to take home with you, such as Niuean honey made from the cleanest bees in the world. Honey is available to buy at Double M in Alofi.

Pure vanilla products are also available to purchase from the Niue Vanilla Store in Alofi.

At the airport tomorrow, you will need to purchase a quarantine certificate for the food to make sure it passes through New Zealand customs – find out more in How to Get a Quarantine & Phytosanitary Certificate in Niue.

Restaurant Recommendations

We don’t need to tell you. By this time, you’ll have your favourite!

© NiuePocketGuide.com

Departure Day

Travel time: 5-10 minutes drive.

All good things must come to an end and it’s the same with a Niue foodie getaway. With bellies full and your palette educated, it’s time to check-in your bags at Hanan Airport, get a quarantine certificate for any food you might be taking home with you and wait for departure as explained in Leaving Niue: The Niue Airport Departure Process.

If you still have your rental car, park it up by the “Rental Cars Only” signs at the airport and leave the keys in the car.

As your final foodie experience, there are market stalls next to the airport waiting area. Once you have gone through security, the departure lounge has Bo’s Bar by the Runway, serving cheap drinks and bar snacks.

© NiuePocketGuide.com

Alternative Itinerary: Niue Relaxing Food 2-Week (14-Day) Itinerary

Below is a quick overview of a more relaxed food itinerary for Niue with just one activity per day. During this itinerary, you will be staying in the same accommodation. Plus, there is a fifteenth day added to this itinerary due to the irregular flight schedule to Niue.

• Day 1 – Arrive in Niue and check-in at your accommodation
• Day 2 – Do an orientation tour of the island
• Day 3 – Visit Avatele, its beach and the Washaway Cafe
• Day 4 – Swim at the Limu Pools
• Day 5 – Join a uga (coconut crab) baiting and hunting tour
• Day 6 – Join a culture, nature or plantation tour
• Day 7 – Experience a Niuean umu night
• Day 8 – Browse the Niue Market
• Day 9 – Explore the east coast sights like Togo Chasm and Anapala Chasm
• Day 10 – Experience a Niuean church service then enjoy a relaxing resort/accommodation day
• Day 11 – Tour a vanilla plantation
• Day 12 – Trek to the Matapa Chasm and Talava Arches
• Day 13 – Relax at Hio Beach and the Hio Cafe
• Day 14 – Shop for some foodie souvenirs
• Departure Day – Get prepared for departure on an iconic Niue plane day.