An expedition by bike to find the Tjibauo Cultural centre across town and past the airport. It is a rather amazing modern building set on a peninsula, designed by Enzo Piano using curved glulam timber columns to create crysalis like pods housing art installations, exhibitons, libraries, concert venues and lecture halls.  Jean Marie jibaou was a Karnak politition and freedom activist who was assinated by a fellow Karnak- perhaps he was a bit too friendly with the french. His two brothers had previously been killed in tribal disputes. The artwork on display was mostly modern interpretations of traditional designs-  lovely carvings and paintings commisioned for the centre- the freshness and precision of the work in contrast to the rather coarse and aged apearance of the museum pieces. 

 

The buildings create a wondeerful feathery effect on the skyline making it hard to see where the trees and the buildings merge.

We cycled back via the coast road- avoiding the hill and most of the traffic but increasing the distance 3 fold.  We stopped for a swim and a late lunch in Anse Vata which is the beach resort- a bit more upmarket than Gt Yarmouth but not a lot. We had stopped in a rather posh restaurant in the previous bay and the barman looked at us in our sweaty T shirts and shorts and said the kitchen was closed but allowed us a beegrudgling alchohol free beer. (alchohol restrictions on when and where you can purchse booze are quite strict. Maybe New Caledonia is more like its namesake than just geography, necessitating the big firendly hand of the state to kurb excess. The waitress then took pity on us and offered us the menu but by then Diana had take umbrage and refused to order. She was happier with burger and chips in Anse Vata- my attempts at moving up market vetoed again.