Liku Cave & Reef Flat

 Liku in located on the East side of Niue. It is a cave, but at the same time it is very small in length. We call it a big hole in the rock with a huge mouth open to the reef flat. Anyway, Liku is one of the easiest place to reach in Niue, because you can go by car all the way until a few meters from the entrance of the cave. To access Liku Sea Track, all you have to do is take any road to the village of Liku, and when you get there you'll see a very long white construction just beside the road, with a large grassy area behind. It is a church and there is some houses at the far back. Now, at the left side of this building (church) you'll find the entrance of a small gravel road that runs over the grass until the end. Just follow it till the end and you'll see the sign to Liku sea track. It is a little tricky to find the track at the first time but after that, all you have to do is just follow it till the end.

When the gravel road ends there is a car park area and a track down to the reef flat. It is a very short track, may be 50 meters to the entrance of the cave. Well, we've heard that the sunrise in Liku is beautiful to be seen from the cave and we decided to check it out. We woke up about 4:30 in the morning together with the roosters and it was still dark. Got the road to Liku while the entire Island was still sleeping except for some crabs happily dancing on the empty road. On our way we noticed a sky full of stars and decided to appreciate it turning the car's lights off. Yes, living in the City makes us forget how many visible stars the sky has and in Niue it was enhanced by the isolation. Just fantastic.

When we arrived in Liku there were some clouds at the horizon and for a moment we thought all the efforts were for nothing. Luckily the clouds disappeared with the help of a gentle warm breeze and despite not being the best we've seen in our lives it was still gorgeous. After you leave the car park and take the short track down, what you see is the opening of the back door of a cave. There are some steep concrete stairs going down to the reef flat and one must exercise caution because they are slippery and short for your feet. As with all reef flats in Niue, the access to the reef will depend on the tide and the size of the waves at that moment. We were lucky to get in at the right conditions. Remember that if you want to see the sunrise from the reef flat, you must conciliate the time of the sunrise with the time of the low tide and pray for good weather. It is not that easy as it sounds to conciliate all these factors.

There is nothing much to do in Liku. The cave is short as described before, but the area is beautiful. The cave also has some outrigger canoes kept inside protected from the elements. The best view is defiently from the reef flat which receives the swells and winds from the Southeast. From there you can see in the far distance bigger waves crashing against the rock cliffs shaping Niue as it always did. There is one very small rock pool on the reef flat which is deep enough to enter and refresh from the heat. (photo - The tide is already coming in, and waves started to wash the reef flat. It is time to get out).

In Liku, the sensation of solitude makes you really feel in the middle of nowhere in the Pacific Ocean. It is a good and peaceful sensation. We visited Liku twice while in Niue, and the early morning visit was for sure the best due the light. By afternoon the cave will be in the shade.

For a moment clouds obstructed the sunrise in Liku.	The reef platform seen from the top of the hill.
The entrance of Liku Cave has concrete stairs going down to the reef flat	Absorbing the first lights of a new day in Niue.
If the tide is low and the sea calm, you can go down to the reef platform.	In the distance waves crashing against the rock cliffs shaping Niue as it always did.
There is even a small beach in Liku but without water.	One rock pool just beside the cave is deep enough  to refresh you from the heat.