Niue

Niue is a tiny, remote Polynesian island in the South Pacific, one of the smallest nations in the world, between Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands. Like the Cooks, it is not fully independent but a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, whose people are New Zealand citizens. Only about 1,700 people live there, around the small capital, Alofi, while a far larger diaspora lives in New Zealand. Nicknamed "the Rock of Polynesia", Niue is a large raised atoll, known for its caves, chasms and exceptionally clear water.

Niue is one of the largest raised atolls in the world: an old coral reef pushed up out of the sea, forming a limestone plateau ringed by cliffs, with no lagoon and no real sandy beaches. The coast is riddled with caves, chasms, arches and natural pools. With no rivers to cloud it, the water is crystal clear: divers meet whales and sea kraits. The interior, covered in rainforest, hides caves and sinkholes. The climate is tropical, hot and humid, with a cyclone season.

Settled more than a thousand years ago by Polynesian seafarers from nearby Samoa and Tonga, Niue developed a clan society with a warlike reputation. In 1774 James Cook tried to land but was driven off by the islanders, which is why he gave it the unflattering name "Savage Island". The island opened up with the arrival of Christian missionaries in the 19th century, who converted it. Annexed to New Zealand in 1901, Niue gained wide self-government in 1974 in free association with it. Facing heavy emigration to New Zealand and cyclones, the small nation is struggling to keep its population, its language and its way of life.

People on Niue speak Niuean (vagahau Niue), a Polynesian language close to Tongan and Samoan, alongside English. Niueans have been devoutly Christian since the missionaries came in the 19th century: religion, overwhelmingly Protestant (the Ekalesia Niue church, heir to the missionaries), is at the heart of social life. The village church is a central place, and Sunday, a strictly kept day of rest and worship, rings with hymns. This faith sits alongside respect for tradition, chiefs and ancestors, in a small society where the extended family and mutual help matter a great deal.

Niuean culture is Polynesian, low-key and communal, focused on the land, the sea and the family. It shows in rites of passage, such as a boy's first haircut and a girl's ear-piercing, both big family celebrations, in songs and dances, and in a well-known craft of fine weaving (hats, baskets). Fishing, including for tuna and flying fish by canoe, taro growing and mutual help are at the heart of life. Food is cooked in an earth oven (umu): taro, yam, fish, fruit bat and pork.