At sea…I have set sail away from New Caledonia and the exotic South Pacific!
I am on my final leg of this sea voyage and on my way to Australia…we will reach Sydney in 2 days!
Today I saw my last Tiki and bid them and this incredible region adieu! Tiki sightings are such a symbol of Polynesia and an important icon of my travels here…
I hope to return to the unforgettable beauty of the South Pacific and once again swim in that warm brilliant sea!
Noumea, New Caledonia…fashion can come in the most unlikely of places! The main square in town, Place des Cocotiers, hosted a celebration and brought out the local elders to display their Polynesian style!
Booths selling local crafts, homemade delicacies, and homegrown produce lined the square. But the women dancing and enjoying the music in their homemade hats stole the show for me!
Each trying to outdo the next in their woven palm hats…they were so excited that I liked them and wanted to take their picture!
Hats off to primitive style! Ladies, you look great!
Noumea, New Caledonia…our last South Pacific stop before heading straight to Sydney, Australia! The French influence is everywhere here from the language to the food.
I head to Anse Vata beach, making my way past the yacht filled marina. The beach is long with a very narrow strip of sand…the temperature is noticeably cooler than yesterday!
Instead of relaxing here, I can see Duck Island in the distance and decide to jump on the water taxi…the water is a similar brilliant shade of aqua blue as Lifou but it’s set against a riviera of high rise hotels and apartments. The feeling is much more Nice, France than Paradise, South Pacific! The water taxi speeds it’s way to little Duck Island off shore as the blue water sprays all around us…
Duck Island is a spot of an island that I am able walk its entire perimeter in less than 10 minutes! But the beach is very French, outfitted with chic loungers and bright umbrellas that can be rented for an exorbitant fee! Again, reminiscent of the French Riviera but here in the South Pacific…
There is no denying Duck Island is lovely! The island is a natural bird sanctuary and has a more rustic look. The coral here is beautiful all along the sand; this coral of all sizes is mixed with sea shells all in stark chic white! I think how beautiful these would look filled in tall glass cylinders in my home…but unfortunately there is no way to get this back for some decorating magic!
It’s a nice place, but honestly the more undiscovered Polynesia is much more stunning and makes you feel a world away!
Lifou, New Caledonia…as we near New Zealand, we arrive at one of the Loyalty Islands that is part of the larger French territories of New Caledonia.
There is no port, no taxis, no hotels, and no organized tours on this remote piece of Paradise! We take the tenders ashore to a rickety wood platform steps from an incredibly bleach white stretch of coral sand beach.
I have never seen water this color of aqua blue! It’s beyond stunning and it just calls out to you to swim in! How can it just get more beautiful as we go from island to island in the magnificent South Pacific?
I take a stroll beyond the lush vegetation of our landing site to Baie du Jinek; an underwater natural aquarium! Crystalline waters revealing a bevy of underwater coral refuges that hold a population of exotic fish! It’s so clear you can view the marine life below from the cave edged shoreline above!
I spent some time snorkeling…seeing fish of every hue and I can’t help but to be awestruck by the striped sea snake slithering between the coral beneath me! So much so that the surprise of seeing this unique animal causes me to begin inhaling the salt water and I have to stop for an above water breather…I am disappointed I don’t have a waterproof camera to capture what looks like an animated children’s film below the surface!
The rest of the day I just enjoyed the seemingly undiscovered beauty of the beach, probably still looking as it did when Captain Cook discovered this perfect little island!
Life really doesn’t get much better than this!
WhereamIgoingto 