Descending further into the chasm. There seems to be a few stories about how Niue got its name. One story tells of settlers from Samoa sailing in the ocean for weeks without seeing land. Upon seeing a coconut, a sailor shouted out "niuē!" - "look, a coconut! - leading them to shore. Another story goes that since Niue has such few beaches, no coconut trees were established on the island, so a Samoan king gave the settlers the present of a coconut, helping them along.