“… a sparkling jewel in the Pacific Ocean.”
If Moorea was an unspoiled, and largely undeveloped, paradise then Noumea is a gem which has been polished to a sparkling jewel in the Pacific Ocean. My goodness what a fabulous place this is and I can see why it is known as the ‘Paris of the Pacific’. It is more like the South of France in appearance with its palm trees and beautiful bays but infinitely nicer (fewer traffic jams and very polite locals).
However, before I start thinking in terms of it being a future holiday destination and mentally awarding it 5 stars on Trip Advisor, I need to give myself a very stern reminder that the only way to get here is to fly from Australia or Japan. In common with the South of France, it is also ridiculously expensive.
We arrived at the spectacular archipelago just as dawn was breaking but had a long transit along the river to Noumea, the capital city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia.
Did I know that the barrier reef off these islands is second only to Australia’s Barrier Reef? Absolutely not. The islands of New Caledonia have a sub-tropical climate and at its coldest, Noumea’s average daily maximum temperature is still 28C. Today was much warmer. Our welcome was nothing short of ‘hot’ with a display of drumming and war dances from grass-skirted warriors enthusiastically performing on the quayside before the ship could properly dock. Once clearance was given, people were keen to go ashore and, for me, the chosen tour of the island was via one of the brightly coloured, open-carriage little trains – locally known as ‘The Choo-choo’. It was absolutely perfect as the day just got hotter and hotter.
We did the sights and saw bay after bay of beautiful aquamarine water. Some were breezy and perfect for kite surfing, whilst others provided calm waters for safe family bathing. People in New Caledonia are passionate about sailing, which is obvious from the number of yachts and huge variety of crafts filling the marinas and at anchor in the bays. Each family owns at least one and they are used for visits to the other islands, visiting friends and just enjoying life. Generally speaking, Noumea has an up-market population and buying a house with a sea view here costs over US $1m for something basic. Very few are basic.
“Education is incredibly important…”
Different races live happily side by side and some have intermingled. The Melanesians, who were here first, have been joined by Polynesians, Europeans, Indians, Vietnamese and Chinese. The Indians and Vietnamese came to mine the nickel which was discovered here and two huge nickel mines feature on the island’s landscape. The Chinese came and developed their China Town. It never ceases to amaze me that almost everywhere I go in the world, I can be sure of Dim Sum and Sweet and Sour! Of course amongst the early settlers were white missionaries who brought both Catholic and Protestant religions to the islanders. Today 55% of the population is Roman Catholic, 35% Protestant and 10% Muslim (the latter being courtesy of prisoners who were shipped here from Morocco when Noumea was a penal colony).
But religion ‘bends’ a little more here. We saw a fabulous looking fish restaurant which is owned and run by nuns! Apparently you can go and have a delicious lunch and sing an Ave Maria with them at the same time.
Education is incredibly important and schooling begins at 3 years old. When children go into Primary School, at the age of 6, the school day is from 07:00 until 16:00. When they are in High School or University, the day stretches from 07:00 until 18:00 or 19:00. The children all wear bright blue shirts as their school uniform. Skirts and trousers seemed to be grey or blue. It doesn’t matter which school you go to, the uniform is the same across the island and, just like children everywhere in the world, passing visitors were an excuse to forget the lesson, rush to the windows and wave furiously.
French ‘chic’ is much in evidence amongst the European population. Everything is put together with style and elegance and the shops cater for lovers of French designer goods and matching prices. The native population is also ‘très jolie’ with vibrant colours and flowing garments. Bars and restaurants offer local brews and delicacies but our morning treat, on board The Choo-choo, was a delicious pastry and some local ice cold cider, enjoyed whilst gazing out onto the world’s largest lagoon. Not quite your average Friday morning!
After a lengthy wander along the promenades and through the parks, a visit to the beautiful Lemon Bay rounded off my day perfectly. Waiting for the sun to drop behind the distant hills in a water’s edge bar, with a glass of chilled Chablis, served with canapés and a flourish, was a perfect time to reflect on some of the quite outstanding experiences of this trip. And still there’s more to come! Hop on the shuttle bus back to the ship and Australia next stop.
This fascinating concept has passed many people by. Some have done it so many times it has lost its enchantment but I totally appreciated the fact I could now add ‘Time Traveller’ to my list of life experiences. Not only did I skip forward 24 hours in the blink of an eye but went from trailing the UK by 12 hours to being ahead by 12 hours. Hope everyone enjoyed the 24th February – I didn’t miss it, honestly, and what’s a day between friends.
Of course, Tahiti is known for the famous people who have lived here. Captain James Cook started the trend in 1769 and in 1788 William Bligh stopped by in HMS Bounty to collect breadfruit for the slave plantations in the West Indies. He stayed too long, his men enjoyed life with the happy-go-lucky Tahitians and the day of departure was not greeted with any enthusiasm. Hence the legendary mutiny and the departure of a group of beautiful Tahitians who sailed to the Pitcairn Islands with Fletcher Christian and his crew (having dispatched Captain Bligh and his supporters in a long boat). Moving on a year or two, Gaugin, Somerset Maughan and Rupert Brooke all chose to live on Tahiti.
The cruise around Pitcairn left me wondering how on earth they got on and off this lush green volcanic island with its towering cliffs and steep rock faces. In spite of the calm seas, the tide raged relentlessly against the craggy shore line and it was difficult to spot any natural harbour. A circuit of the island seemed to reveal just one inlet, complete with a slip-way which appeared man-made. So how did the Bounty fare? There seemed to be no roads on the island but steep pathways linked houses built in terraces on the hillside. Jacqui enlightened us that the only mode of transport is quad bike (how exciting) or by walking the 2 square miles.
One of the things I had looked forward to on this trip was today’s visit to Easter Island. Sadly, for me, it was a disappointment, simply because we were not allowed to set foot on the island and had to make do with a ‘sail-around’.
Like many islands in this region of the world, Easter Island is volcanic (now extinct). The moai were carved from the volcanic rock and some of the island’s ‘red’ rock was used to further decorate the statues with ‘top knots’, some of which still survive. Some statues stand, some kneel and some sit. Some are half buried by deposits of soil and minerals washed down the hills during bad weather (cyclones are known to hit the island). The early statues tend to be smaller but as the Polynesian islanders became more proficient, the later ones were much larger.
I have to mention lunch at the partially open air restaurant. A traditional drink in Chile is ‘pisco sour’. This is made from distilled grapes and is ‘soured’ by lemon. Delightful! We were given this in Puerto Montt as an aperitif and it was definitely not strong. However….. Santiago wanted to leave a lasting impression. Bigger glasses and a punch like a swinging sledgehammer caused general noise levels to rise and loud laughter joined in when copious amounts of the local wine were added to the mix. I had visions of people sliding gently under the tables for an early siesta but fortunately everyone arrived back at the bus.
kathrainbow 