From the sea approaches Niue is flat with its cliff faces resembling a large ‘Swiss cheese’ composed of coral limestone rock peppered with caves, hidden caverns and chasms, buried grottoes and other subterranean natural fissures that are yet to be discovered and developed into tourist attractions.
The island is approximately 73km in circumference with two distinct terraces. The upper terrace, 60m high at its highest point, slopes steeply to a 0.5m coastal terrace ending with high cliffs, some over 20m above sea level. A rugged fringing reef, which in places over 100m wide, surrounds the island.
