Niue

The capital of Niue and one of the world's smallest capitals, Alofi sits on the central western coast of this isolated coral island in the South Pacific, serving as the political, economic and cultural heart of the world's newest nation.

One of Niue's most sacred traditional sites, Avaiki Cave on the south coast is believed to be where Polynesian ancestors first landed on the island. A collapsed sinkhole leads into a large cave chamber with a tidal pool, surrounded by Ti plants planted by early settlers.

One of two large bays indenting Niue's western coast, Avatele Bay in the south is fringed by coral reefs and tidal pools, with the blowhole at TePā Point nearby. It offers some of the island's most dramatic southern coastal scenery.

A series of natural ocean-fed rock pools carved into the coral limestone along Niue's northwest coast, the Limu Pools are celebrated for their clear water, good snorkelling and their position below a natural stone arch offshore.

A dramatic narrow limestone gorge on Niue's north coast, Matapa Chasm cuts through the island's coral limestone cliffs to meet the sea, forming tidal pools that fill and empty with the Pacific swell.

A spectacular sea-access gorge in southern Niue, Togo Chasm is reached by a ladder descent into a deep palm-shaded limestone hollow that opens to the ocean, forming tidal pools and a natural rock arch at low tide.