Alofi

History

In 1922 the first hospital in Niue opened in Alofi.

In January 2004, Niue was hit by the fierce tropical storm Cyclone Heta, which killed two people and did extensive damage to the entire island. Many of Alofi's buildings were destroyed, including the hospital. Government buildings were shifted to a less exposed site 3 km (≈ 2 mi) inland from the west coast, named Fonuakula, after the storm. This site is within the village boundaries of Alofi South.

Geography

Overview

It is located at the centre of Alofi Bay on the west coast of the island, close to the only break in the coral reef that surrounds Niue. The bay stretches for 30% of the island's length (about seven kilometres) from Halagigie Point in the south to Makapu Point in the north.

The council's territory borders with Avatele, Hakupu, Lakepa, Liku, Makefu, Mutalau, Tamakautoga and Tuapa.

Climate

| Alofi |23|28|260 |24|29|250 |24|28|300 |23|27|200 |22|26|130 |21|26|80 |20|25|90 |20|25|100 |21|26|100 |21|26|120 |22|27|140 |23|28|190 Alofi features a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification, with no discernible dry season. The city has a noticeably drier stretch from June through September. However, all of these months average more than 60 mm of rain, the limit for a dry season month. Average temperatures vary slightly throughout the course of the year in Alofi hovering at around 27 C, during the warmest month (February) and at around 23 C during the coolest months (July and August).

|Jan record high C = 38 |Feb record high C = 38 |Mar record high C = 32 |Apr record high C = 36 |May record high C = 30 |Jun record high C = 32 |Jul record high C = 35 |Aug record high C = 37 |Sep record high C = 36 |Oct record high C = 31 |Nov record high C = 37 |Dec record high C = 36 |year record high C = 38 |Jan record low C = 20 |Feb record low C = 20 |Mar record low C = 20 |Apr record low C = 14 |May record low C = 15 |Jun record low C = 13 |Jul record low C = 11 |Aug record low C = 11 |Sep record low C = 15 |Oct record low C = 15 |Nov record low C = 11 |Dec record low C = 17 |year record low C = 11

Transport

The town is serviced by Niue International Airport. There are also numerous roads, both paved and dirt, that crisscross the town.

The island's main seaport is Sir Roberts Wharf. It is close to the centre of Alofi, within 200 metres of the capital's post office and just to the north of the Chamber of Commerce building. It is a small wharf, capable—due to the island's topography—of only handling smaller flat-bottomed boats. Larger cargo vessels and fishing boats moor near the reef, and barges are used to offload cargo. Major strengthening, extension work, and renovations to the wharf were commissioned in 2020, after cyclone damage earlier in the year.

Notable people

• Dalton Tagelagi (b. 1968), politician
• Sam Pata Emani Tagelagi (1935–2011), politician

References

Notes

Sources

References

1. [[#MFAT. New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade]]
2. [[#gov.nu. Government of Niue]]
3. [[#weather. Weatherbase]]
4. "Niue Census of Population and Housing 2022". Niue Statistics Office.
5. [[#SPC. SPC 2008]], p.5.
6. Terry Magaoa Chapman. (1982). "Niue, a History of the Island". University of the South Pacific.
7. (7 September 1922). "GALA DAY ON NIUE.". New Zealand Herald.
8. "Alofi {{!}} Encyclopedia.com".
9. [[#heta. East-West Center]]
10. {{OpenStreetMap link. r. 1558549. Alofi
11. "Niue International Airport".
12. "A much stronger and bigger Sir Robert's Wharf officially commissioned". Television Niue.