Ile des Pins, New Caledonia

We finally left New Zealand. Seemed like we were waiting forever for favourable conditions. We got away early August and arrived after a seven day passage. New Caledonia is a further south than Fiji and Tonga, so it is a little cooler here. Actually our 3mm wetsuits aren’t quite warm enough, but we tough it out. Especially since there is so much to see snorkelling. You will see in a couple of the pictures below, a cuttlefish changing appearance in a matter of seconds. First time we saw one of these. Really cool. We also encountered dolphins, whales, sharks, sea snakes and large remoras under the boat waiting to be fed. The sea snakes are amphibian and make there way to land every day. We even encountered them walking to the top of Mato island. They are very passive, neither agressive or shy.

Cuttltfish in defensive posture

A second latter more relaxed

Mount Nga

At Ile des Pins we hiked up Mount Nga with Serge and Joanne (SY Spirare), Lucie and Robert (SY Grace). It is the highest peak on the island at 262 meters. Spectacular view from the top.

Our biggest activity seems to be hunting for fruit and veggies. The supply ship arrived the other day so we are nicely topped up. 50 limes, 20 tomatoes, 20 oranges…………etc etc. The capital Noumea where we checked in has everything. All the delicacies from France. To bad we stopped eating bread.

Wildflower on Mt Nga

The internet is difficult for us to get. When we leave Ile des Pins we probably won’t have internet until we arrive back in Noumea late October in preparation for our departure to Australia. So it will be trusty old radio e-mail until then.