Niue-Shopping & Food

Shopping:

The most popular Niue souvenirs are hats, mats, bags, and baskets made from locally grown pandanus. Niuean weaving is considered amongst the finest in the Pacific and the local women are very proud of their skills. The items are all hand made by local woman and are increasingly rare works of art. The best places to buy these popular souvenirs are at one of the 14 annual village show-day festivals. Each of Niue’s 14 villages hosts a show-day every year to feature local cooking, craft, sporting, and cultural skills. Schedules are available at the Niue Visitor Information Centre and from www.niueisland.com

Food

Niue restaurants offer Polynesian and European cuisine. Traditional local cuisine includes coconut, crab ‚uga, taro ‚talo, breadfruit, cassava, and shellfish. The locals are extremely proud of their cuisine and put a lot emphasis on the quality of the product.

The very best range of traditional local food is found at the annual village showdays, where pigs and chicken are cooked in a large earth oven, or umu alongside root vegetables and other local delicacies of game, fish, and fruit. The village showdays provide the perfect opportunity to sample a wide variety of traditional food. There are regular fiafia (dance) nights at various restaurants around the island.