LOCATION OF NEW CALEDONIA CLOSE TO AUSTRALIA

New Caledonia was 6 days sail NW of New Zealand, which we achieved with just a blip of bad weather lasting 18 hours.  We were lucky, many had to endure 2 full days of wind on the nose and five other sailing boats were in serious difficulty when they left just a week after us!  As we sailed North West into the direction of where the bad weather often comes from, we were grateful not to have any worse surprises! 

Noumea, Capital of New Caledonia

 Finding ourselves in France, which is printed over the maps of New Caledonia – is almost like cheating.  OOOhhh –lala that’s wonderful, we can be in the South of France without having to take the boat all the way back to Europe!  All the delicious food imported from France is the main attraction, plus we’re made most welcome being citizens of the European Union.

David celebrating his 60^th with arms wrapped round his French and American girlfriends onboard  Kanaloa

US, NZ and Oz citizens are only given a one month visa, whilst we were given 3 months with no problem extending it.

 French Sailing Friends, Florence and Thierry whom we met in 1998 in Curacao on their boat Malvina now live and work here, and have produced one boy with another baby on the way.

This large island was cut off from the Australian part of Gondwanaland and has many of the same species of plants, which have developed in their own individual way.

Overlooking Southern end of New Caledonia

Indigenous ‘kanacs’ are Melanesian in origin, which means black skinned, curly haired people that appear to have come from Africa,  Of course they didn’t sail here all those thousands of years ago, they came from Indonesia, where the same black people are still living in some of the southern islands.

Culturally, the ‘kanacs’ which means people from Pacific Islands in the Australian lingo, are so well cared for by the French Government, that they have the schooling, basic foods, electricity and water all provided for them in their villages. 

Many have cattle farms on the dry NW coastlands

 I only need to say here that once people have benefits, they soon realise that work is only necessary if you want to spend it on luxuries, so the indigenous population here suffer the same way that all unemployed people do in the developed world, except that they don’t have to suffer if they can forego the consumerism, as many have been given back their own land on this beautiful island. 

Schoolgirls waiting for bus home by the bridge

 Sadly they think that independence will be wonderful for them, oblivious to their cousins in Vanuatu who are struggling hard, realising that they were not ready for independence when they got it 25 years ago!

These are  the classic colours that encourages travellers to come to Iles des Pins

Soft Silvery sand beneath the feet is a joy

The tall Norfolk Pine trees give the Iles of Pines its name. 

We had our good friend Eric Pinel who does our website (kanaloa55.com) come and stay with his girlfriend.

Eric and Alice’s Honeymoon on Kanaloa

 She had just joined him in Tahiti from France to set up home together.  They wanted to check out New Caledonia for life-style before finally deciding on Tahiti.  The cool Winter weather happily made the decision for them.  Tahiti is better!  

These splendid Auracaria trees behind the boat below are related to the Kauri trees in New Zealand.  There are almost ten times more species of plants here than in New Zealand, to give you an idea of how old the land is.

Iles des Pins traditional craft

Ariel view of the main entrance to Iles des Pins

Singer at Iles des Pins

The French discovered that nickel lies all over the surface of the top of the mountains here, exposed by erosion.  As nickel is used so much in the manufacture of stainless steel and in electronic technology, the country has become the most important exporter in the world.

Blue River Provincial Park

 Protected Anchorage close to the Riviere Bleue Park

The red earth is caused mainly by weather

Erosion after mining from the top soil

Thankfully, hardly anybody lives here, giving the impression of virginal, untouched country when one gets away from the open cast mining.

Nautilus shells

Claude and I were able to collect bags full of them from one of the beaches

We sailed all the way round it, taking 6 weeks – which gave us plenty of opportunity of getting the general layout of the landscape, flora and fauna.   The main island, called ‘Grand Terre’ has a very different climate and landscape between its eastern and western coasts.  The east coast is wet, lush and mountainous with a shoreline cut by narrow but deep estuaries.  The west coast is dry and windy, with wide, grassy coastal plains on which graze the cattle, and large but shallow coastal bays, line with mangrove forests and beaches.  Almost 75% of the ‘Grand Terre’ is surrounded by reef, giving wonderful protection to sailing and fishing vessels whilst circumnavigating.

Young ‘Kanac’ boy dancing

Kanaloa circumnavigating ‘Grande Terre’

Underwater soft corals were a feast for the eyes

Angel fish, anemones and soft corals thrive in cool waters

As were the flowers above ground

(Oxera Nerifolia)

Carved Totems around burial ground

On Ile des Pins

A soft morning sunrise in a sheltered anchorage

NW New Caledonia

David flying in friend Patrice’s microlight

Bonte, with Microlight carried aft

Bonte’s owners, Pierette and Patrice

With daughter Delphine

Who sadly died in December 2005 in a minibus accident

While working as a missionary in Nigeria

Sun set the colour of the red earth