Since we started on a Sunday, we mostly avoided the annoying party crowds we had experienced the time before. It was easy enough to get to the beach, where we could then get busses to town for provisioning and departure formalities as well as some tourist fun.
[Maryanne]The highlight of our 'tourist fun' was a trip to see the Tjibaou Cultural Center. I was especially keen to see this as we'd missed any of the traditional Kanak experience in the northern islands. Aside from plenty of information boards and exhibits (traditional and modern) within the center, outside there are various styles of kanak huts to see, there was also the option of a cultural show staged within a guided walk around the garden trails. The guide takes you along The ‘Kanak path’ circling the park lands while explaining the native plants, and with actors enacting the five stages of life per the Kanak belief of the first man: Téâ Kanaké. The museum buildings themselves are quite stunning in their own right looking very modern while being based on Kanak themes. We were warned when we purchased our ticket that the tour might be in French, but by the time we arrived for the schedulded event, apparently enough other English speakers had accrued and we had a wonderful Kanak woman guide give us an excellent tour and answered what must have been 100s of my questions as we walked through the gardens
Exploring the buildings and gardens
The cultural show/tour was especially enjoyed
Our last night in town - we had to spend the last of our local money (any excuse!)
[Kyle]Once we were cleared out, we sailed the short distance to Nge island (a nature reserve, also known as Ile Laregnere), just inside Dumbea Pass. There, we could grab a Park mooring and take one last breath before heading out to sea the next morning. We ended up being the only one there, which gave us an unobstructed getaway for an engine-less departure.
One last snorkel in tropical waters for a while
Our last anchorage in New Caledonia: Îlot Larégnère
No comments:
Post a Comment