Niue Food Itinerary: 5 Days

5-Day Foodie Itinerary for Niue

While five days in Niue is not nearly enough time to experience “The Rock of the Pacific” to its fullest, this Niue food itinerary for 5 days will certainly help you make the most out of your limited time. Experience new sights, food tours, restaurants and tastes each day with this foodie holiday plan for Niue! If this itinerary is too full-on, however, see a more relaxed version toward the end of this article.

Note that some activities on this Niue food five-day itinerary are only available on certain days of the week. This itinerary is based on if you arrive in Niue on a Friday (local time). If you arrive on a different day, be sure to move days around accordingly. See current flight schedules in Which Airlines Fly to Niue?

Overview: Niue Food 5-Day Itinerary

Day 1 – Arrive in Niue and Start Sampling the Restaurants
Day 2 – Catch Dinner on a Fishing Charter
Day 3 – Spend the Day at Avatele Bay and the Washaway Cafe
Day 4 – Do a Niuean Plantation Tour
Day 5 – Pick Up Some Niuean Food to Take Home and Departure.

How to Get Around Niue in 5 Days

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

Car Rental

Due to the lack of transport options and to make the most of this five-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?

Day 1 – Arrive in Niue and Start Sampling the Restaurants

Travel time: 5-10 minutes drive.

Fakaalofa lahi atu! Your foodie getaway begins after going through the customs and quarantine process of Hanan International Airport, as explained in Everything You Need to Know About Arriving in Niue, pick up your rental car outside of the airport or catch an airport transfer organised through your accommodation.

For home cooks, 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: Hio Cafe & Bar (Tuapa) – Friday happy hour starts at 5 pm (but things change all the time in Niue, so see Opening Hours in Niue: Odd Hours, Tide Times & Things to Know for advice), so enjoy some sundowners, as well as Niuean tasting platters, wood-fired pizzas and more at this highly recommended eatery.

Day 2 – 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: Vaiolama Cafe – Get a fresh baguette and a cake from the cafe cabinet and sip on fruity smoothies or a coffee. The cafe also has an 18-hole mini golf course on the clifftops!

Drinks: All Relativf – Located at the Swanson Complex just outside of Alofi, this is the establishment to sip on real-fruit cocktails and smoothies.

Dinner: Kaiika – Try sushi prepared by a Tokyo chef or sourdough pizza at this popular restaurant!

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!

Day 4 – Do a Niuean Plantation Tour

Travel time: 20-40 minutes drive.

Head north to the village of Mutalau where you’ll join Tony of A5 Plantation Tours. This 4WD tour of a local plantation and rainforest will teach you how to husk a coconut and explore a real plantation where you’ll learn about modern and traditional methods for growing cassava, taro, sweet potato, watermelon, pawpaw, banana and much more. Taste some of the fruit that is in season and meet the local coconut crab, the uga, which is a local delicacy.

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

Restaurant Recommendations

Lunch: Crazy Uga Cafe – For lunch, they serve up salads, paninis, pasta, fish and chips, etc.

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.

Day 5 – Pick Up Some Niuean Food to Take Home and Departure

Travel time: 5-10 minutes drive.

This is the point that you realise that just five days in Niue is nowhere near long enough! This morning, we recommend checking in your bags at Hanan Airport when it opens at 9 am, so you have time to pick up some Niuean food before catching your flight in the afternoon.

Don’t miss picking up some Niuean honey made from the cleanest bees in the world, available at the Double M supermarket. Additionally, pure vanilla products are for sale at the Niue Vanilla Store.

Back at the airport, park up your rental car and leave the keys in the car. Go to the Quarantine Office to get your quarantine certificate for the food you are taking home with you. Then go through security to enjoy one last drink in Niue at Bo’s Bar by the Runway before your flight.

For more information on the departure procedure, see Leaving Niue: The Niue Airport Departure Process.

Alternative Itinerary: Niue Relaxing Food 5-Day Itinerary

Below is a quick overview of a more relaxed food itinerary for Niue. During this itinerary, you will be staying in the same accommodation.

Day 1 – Arrive in Niue, check-in at your accommodation and start indulging in Niue’s restaurants
Day 2 – Do an orientation tour of the island
Day 3 – Visit Avatele, its beach and the Washaway Cafe
Day 4 – Tour a Niue bush garden on the Maala Garden Tour
Day 5 – Shop for some foodie souvenirs and get prepared for departure on an iconic Niue plane day.

Alternative Niue 5-Day Itineraries

Is this five-day food itinerary for Niue not quite speaking to you? How about checking out our alternative itineraries for five days?

Finally, if there’s anything we’ve missed from this Niue food itinerary, you’re likely to find it in The Food Guide to Niue: Places to Eat, Food Tours & More.

Author

Robin C.

This article was reviewed and published by Robin, the co-founder of Niue Pocket Guide. He has lived, worked and travelled across 16 different countries before settling in the South Pacific, so he knows a thing or two about planning the perfect trip in this corner of the world. He is also consulting regularly with Niue Tourism to ensure content accuracy. Robin is also the co-founder of several other South Pacific travel guides and is a regular host of webinars with the South Pacific Tourism Organisation.

Contact Robin via our contact page