30/410/09

We’ve had a series of grey days here, with the promise of more to come.  I haven’t photographed Noumea much as the architecture is pretty dull, perhaps my original assessment of “surprisingly cosmopolitan” was a bit of an exaggeration.  There are some expensive shops and some good traditional French Restaurants. If there’s an old quartier we haven’t found it yet.  For me the highlight was a visit to Tjibaou Cultural centre located in the middle of a vast park, a 30 minute bus ride from town. Tjibaou was a Kanak leader assassinated by extremists in  1988 and the centre is a tribute to his vision.  

These amazing structures, designed by the Italian Architect Renzo Piano, sit like UFOs in amongst the greenery although they owe some of their form to the high pointed ceremonial structures build by the Kanak Indians.  They are floodlit and I would love to install some giant colour changers.

The afternoon included a walk on the “Kanak path” amongst dozens of  plants as the mythology of the creation of man is explained it including  the symbolism of the different plants.

“At the dawn of the world, the moon places one of its teeth on a rock emerging from the sea of beginnings.  Under the warmth of the sun’s rays, the tooth begins to decompose.  It is then that the first living things appear.  Those who remain on the rock are transformed into lizards and those who slide into the water become eels and snakes. Téà Kanaké is born from these first beings. In another version of the myth of origin, the moon throws a yam cake wrapped in taro leaves into the sea and the first beings are born from it.”

The yam is  given the same respect  as a human being.  It is the symbol of man and it used in all traditional ceremonies.

I also liked the “Fish Poison Tree;” in the past its nuts were thrown into the water to put the fish to sleep and harvest them by hand.  Poison tree fishing is now illegal. Perhaps this is TMI but I found it all fascinating.

According to our weather guru, a wind window is opening up and we are planning to leave on Sunday.  I have just completed the formalities as they are closed on the weekend.