New Caledonia: South Lagoon

The Great South Lagoon and Isle of Pines

New Caledonia boasts the second largest barrier reef in the world, declared a World Heritage site in 2008. Exploring the huge lagoon south of Grande Terre, we stayed at several lovely little islands.

Unlike the Loyalty Islands, we rarely had an anchorage to ourselves. Also, being farther south—i.e. away from the equator—the air and water were cooler, so we wore wetsuits to swim. But snorkeling was enjoyable, and every location looked picture postcard perfect.

The photo above is from a hike at Ilot (Islet) Mato; below we were beachcombing at Ilot Ua.

Ilot Amedee is known for its lighthouse; it was erected in 1865 and is the tallest metal lighthouse in the world.

Tall art,
dwarfing Art

We took advantage of the unusual lack of wind to relax on the boat for a while...

Sudoku in the morning

Rehydrating after a swim in the afternoon

Some wildlife from those islets:

These remoras (sucker fish) had a heyday under our boat,
and even attached themselves to the many turtles that hung around the area

Sea snakes are frequently seen on land, where they come to sleep and digest their food.
They are highly venomous but have very small mouths,
so it's almost impossible to get bitten.
We did not test that claim.

An adolescent sea eagle trying to look inconspicuous in its nest,
right at eye level along a beach

These underwater photos were generously shared by Rob of S/V Wind Star; we all snorkeled along this wall of coral at Ua.

Ile des Pins

The Isle of Pines was our final destination in New Caledonia, and we wished we could have stayed longer. It had beautiful beaches and lovely forests (and reputedly good snorkeling, though we spent our limited time there on land rather than in the water).

We had seen the unique araucaria pines scattered around New Cal, but there’s a reason why the French named this place Ile des Pins: the statuesque trees cover large swaths of the island, as well as the several smaller islands nearby.

Scenes from a walk along a peninsula by the anchorage:

And scenes from a day driving around the island with friends Paul and Chris from S/V Georgia:

 The official "Welcome to Crab Bay" sign

Try as he might, Art did not find any crabs in Crab Bay

Art and Paul in Queen Hortense's Cave

We waded across salt water rivers to get to some of the scenic spots

Juxtaposition of a French Catholic memorial
and traditional Kanak totems 

Closeup of some of the carvings

Tree art:
several homes hung decorative objects from trees in their yards

There was much more to do and see on the Isle of Pines and we were reluctant to leave, but an excellent weather window was available to sail to New Zealand. It’s not uncommon to have to wait a few weeks for a good time to cross those 850 miles, so we felt we had better take advantage of the opportunity.

Ah, the end of a cruising season... with no large negatives (major breakdowns or particularly bad weather) and plenty of huge positives (rich cultural experiences and stunning scenic beauty), this one felt charmed.