Timeline This historical timeline provides a quick overview of Niue's history. The dates that are uncertain have been greyed out to alert you. 1 million years ago: Niue's volcano reaches the surface of the ocean and becomes inactive. First the seas wear it flat, with perhaps remnant of an old crater. A coral limestone cap forms in a period of rising warm seas.
250,000 - 100,000 years ago: The Alofi Terrace was formed surrounding the island.
400 - 1100 AD: first settlers on Niue by Tongans and Samoans. The Tongan influence is stronger in the south of the island (Tafiti) whereas the Samoan influence is stronger in the north. Oral tradition relate the origin to five tupuna (gods) known as Fao, Huanaki, Lageiki, Lagiatea and Talimainuku (Fakahoho) who came from the unknown land Fonuagalo. In the 1300-1600 years of settlement, oral tradition has remembered only 7 kings. There have been several waves of settlement or arrivals from other islands.
1774: June 20th, Captain James Cook discovers the island. After attempting to land three times (at Tuapa, Opaahi and Avatele) while receiving three hostile receptions, accosting him and his party "with the ferocity of wild boars", he left, naming the island Savage Island. The island remains free from human contact for half a century.
1825?: Niueans murder the crew of a passing whaling ship. There were also other whaling ships wanting to trade for fresh food and water.
1830: June 19th, John Williams called at Niue, determined to land missionaries on as many islands as possible. The two Aitutakian missionaries did not want to stay, and John Williams decided to kidnap two youths in order to convert and educate them but the two youths Niumaga from Alofi and Uea from Makefu remained inconsolable as they saw their island disappear. This did not endear Europeans to Niueans.
1830: several months later, Uea and Niumaga were returned but they had a hard time being accepted again. Uea was killed together with his father, but they brought the loku (papaya, pawpaw) fruit, the gospel and the kafukula ('red cover', the name for syphillis, a serious slow-killing sexually transmitted disease). Also a form of influenza breaks out. 183?: Niumaga and Peniamina Nukai leave for Samoa. Peniamina became a servant of the famous missionary Dr Turner, learnt to read and write and became converted to Christianity.
183?: London Missionary Society (LMS) missionary Aaron Buzacott tries to land but fails.
1846, October 26: Peniamina and Fakafitifonua (a Niuean with influence in Niue) arrive (for their fifth attempt) back from Samoa on the John Williams and land at Mutalau in the north, with a large box full of wonderful European goods. As no epidemic followed his landing, they were very lucky, although many plots existed to kill them. Eventually Peniamina was able to preach and convert many to Christianity. He is firmly remembered by a national holiday named after him (Peniamina Day).
1849 October: the first Samoan teacher, Paulo arrives and takes over Peniamina's station of Mutalau. Paulo established the first 'parliament' or fono enabling Niueans to talk conflicts out rather than going to war.
1850: Commodore Erskine visited Niue in the Havannah and found no mistrust of the white man amongst Niueans. At the time the Sabbath congregations in church numbered over 100. Unfortunately Peniamina had an extra-marital relationship with another woman, which although acceptable in Niuean society, was not acceptable to his missionary superiors, and he is banned to Samoa, surrounded by an atmosphere of disgrace. He died on 6 March 1874 and was buried in Makefu
1853: while chasing the castaways of a shipwrecked Spanish-Portuguese vessel wrecked off Tepa Point, the HMS Calliope, commanded by Sir E. Horne, becomes involved in a 'misunderstanding' during which Niueans get killed.
1854: the missionary church at Avatele becomes operational.
1859: George Turner sees 1100 people present at a church service in Alofi. Georges Lawes takes over a well organised church, established by Samoan pastors. There were no more wars, infanticide and cutting the fruit trees of the dead. But by 1862 he realises that the word of God is not strong enough to discourage thieves and other bad elements. He established a network of local 'policemen' but these became corrupted. What he needed was authority and he looked toward annexation by England to provide such. In 1859 a petition to The Queen was mooted but not acted upon.
1863: Peruvian slave traders carried off some 109 men in three ships to work the guano deposits in Peru (the guano pits of Chincha Islands), yielding precious phosphate fertiliser.
1866: Mr H W Patterson became first resident trader for the company Messrs. Godefroy & Son, Hamburg.
1867: Mr R H Head begins trading for the notorious Bully Hayes, pirate and blackbirder (slave trader)
1868: Mr Charles McFarland of Apia took on board his schooner 60 men and 20 women who were sick of the missionaries' rules against what was essentially fun and tradition. So began a drain of able young men in search of income, fun and labour in Samoa, Queensland, Tahiti, Fiji, Malden Island and many other places. Some settled there while others returned. Christians are becoming 'luke-warm' towards the church whereas non-christians openly hostile. Gradually the women outnumber the men almost two to one. The lure to go abroad became even greater as men returned, awash in cash earnt from working in plantations where they could earn twice their earnings from working their own fields. They also became used to drinking alcohol.
1870: the missionary ship John Williams is wrecked, and Niueans discover just how rich the missionaries were, quite unlike what they were preaching.
1872: George Lawes leaves on furlough and is called to the mission of New Guinea. His brother Frank Lawes takes over a well established church. It was a tall order for Frank to follow in the footsteps of his father, but his dedication earnt him even greater respect.
1876: Mataio Tuitoga, chief of Alofi is elected king of Niue, as a counter force to the missionaries' power
1879: British High Commissioner Sir Arthur Gordon visits Niue to speak about British protection
1887, July 12th: King Tuitoga dies and months later Fataaiki succeeds him. Fataaiki writes to Queen Victoria "We the chiefs and rulers and governors of Niue-Fekai desire to pray Your Majesty and Your Majesty's Kingdom, if it be your pleasure to stretch out towards us your mighty hand that Niue may hide herself in it and be safe." This petition is sent again in 1895 (see box below).
1896, January 15th: King Fataaiki dies. King Togia from Tuapa succeeds two years later (1898), a most unloved and unpopular candidate. A law is passed forbidding the sale of land to Europeans, and another forbidding sales of liquor to Niueans.
1899, October 10th: The Samoan Convention puts Niue and other islands under the patronage of Great Britain, leaving Samoa to the Germans.
1900, April 21st: Sir Basil Thomson was sent from Tonga to Niue to sign a treaty of Cession and hoist the British flag [1]. But in these times, New Zealand also had a desire for empire, calculating the possible benefits from commodities grown elsewhere: a mercantile empire. Premier of NZ, Richard Seddon visits Niue and King Togia. 1900, October 19th: Lord Ranfurly, Governor of New Zealand proclaims British Sovereignty over Niue but in reality paved the way to full annexation by NZ, as Niueans were blissfully unaware of all that. 1901: Queen Victoria dies. In a four months visit, Percy Smith reconstituted the Fono as a Council of Representation of the eleven villages of the island. 1902: Mr Maxwell arrives in Niue to become the first Resident Commissioner. The Cook and Other Islands Act 1902 is enacted, providing for individual ownership of land but not addressing shared ownership. By prohibiting the selling, giving, willing or even abandoning of land rights, it replaced excessive flexibility by excessive rigidity. Under the colonial law, rights to land could be acquired only by accidents of birth, that is by compulsory inheritance. 1903: a New Zealand parliamentary delegation visits Niue. Niueans thought they had ceded their island to Britain, not to NZ and they were even more angry discovering that NZ had put them under the Cook Islands with which they had no affinity. 1903, September 29th: New Zealand's Cook and Other Islands Amendment Act establishes a separate administration for Niue under a separate Resident Commissioner. Niue is now under foreign power and so enters the New Zealand period. 1910: after 38 years of dedicated service, Frank Lawes retires, leaving behind a base for the development of a nation. Under Frank Lawes, people were gradually moved from the forest into coastal villages and new types of houses were built, cottages with thatched roofs and limewashed walls and windows closed with venetian blinds. European type of clothing was now worn by all. Export trade consisted of wild mushrooms, arrowroot and copra. Plantings of cotton were successful until the world commodity price for cotton slumped. Niueans learnt the Tokelau tradition of weaving hats and baskets from Pandanus leaves. The first NZ doctor, Dr Schumacher, a German, establishes himself on the island. 1914: a police constabulary is established. The First World War commences. Resident Commissioner Mr Cornwall manages to recruit 150 Niueans as volunteers for the NZ Army to be sent to Egypt in 1916, then on to France to fight in the trenches from which few returned. 1922: the hospital in Alofi is opened to fight consumption (tuberculosis) and venereal diseases. A leper colony exists at Makogai. 1924: a local radio station was built. 1927: the English language replaces Niuean vernacular language at schools. 1920-1950 a healthy banana industry provides for export returns, but a disease puts an end to that. 1929-1934: the world depression also hits Niue and its export earnings. 1940-1945: world War Two does not demand Niuean lives after the disastrous experience with WWI. 1944: Mr Larsen is appointed Resident Commissioner with ideas ahead of his time as he builds capacity by sending Niueans overseas for training. Mission schools are augmented into the NZ education system. Niueans are trained overseas as teachers. Larsen allows other churches to establish in Niue, resulting in a wide representation and an over supply in churches. 1950: a severe drought hits Niue, destroying crops and hopes. Banana plantations abandoned. 1953, August 14th: Mr Larsen is murdered by escaped convicts who had a grudge against him. The murderers were sentenced to death in NZ but this sentence was finally converted in May 1954. Mr J M McEwen becomes Resident Commissioner (to 1956), endearing himself quickly to the Niuean people by speaking their language and turning the Council from yaysayers (yes-men) to active decisionmakers. McEwen has significant experience with Maori land problems and the problems with the Land Court in the Cook Islands. He designs a land registration system suitable for the Niuean situation. 1959: a severe hurricane devastates the island 1960: an even more destructive hurricane takes all before it. Niue becomes a place in the minds and hearts of New Zealanders as aid streams in and the island is rebuilt. 1964: the Niue Assembly decides that persons who had been absent for 20 years or more would automatically lose their former land rights on Niue, because retaining them would retard economic development. 1969: The Niue Island Assembly Land Ordinance 1969 modifies the Cook and Other Islands Act 1902 to provide for group interests in land. 1972: the Hanan Airport becomes operational, opening flights to Niue from Auckland 1974: Niue becomes self-governing 1979 another serious hurricane strikes 1989: Cyclone Ofa strikes with much damage. 2004, January 4-6: Cyclone Heta, perhaps the strongest hurricane ever, strikes Niue, destroying more than ever before. Government buildings are shifted from South Alofi inland and a new hospital must be built. Read more about Cyclone Heta.