New Caledonia- Like Old Caledonia, But Tropical and Without The Haggis

#10-New Caledonia

Named by the ubiquitous Captain James Cook, New Caledonia is one in the long line of  Pacific Islands named almost randomly after Latin names for familiar lands back home ("New" Hebrides, Guinea, Britain, etc.). Perhaps they can be forgiven after years at sea. After all, these are the same men who mistook manatees for mermaids. Caledonia is the ancient, poetic name for Scotland, and no, it is nothing like the Scotland I remember. It is much more like Tahiti: tropical, beautiful water and coral reefs, and part of France. In fact, the idea to come here was conceived in French Polynesia (see my April 22, 2010 post). I found a cheap fare from New Zealand, and so our stay in New Zealand had visits to two French former colonies as bookends.
There are some significant differences between the two.Firstly, the indigenous culture, called Kanak, is primarily Melanesian, not Polynesian. The people are darker-skinned, closer to Australian aborigines. There are many different dialects on the big central island (Le Grande Terre) and the architecture and social organization is different. The most striking example is in the structure of the hut of the chief, the Grande Case, with the tall conical roof and center carved pole.

Grande Case at the Cultural Center

The geology is different from Polynesia too. The islands are not volcanic or coral-based (although the main island is surrounded by the world's largest lagoon and the second largest coral reef). They were previously part of Zealandia with New Zealand, and are very rich in mineral reserves, especially nickel. It is warm and humid, and Tres  Chere ($$$$). Think of what something should cost, then double it. Your best bet would be to find a friend who lives here and sponge off them. If not, hunt for a good plane fare and hotel deal, and plan to picnic one or two meals a day.

View from Anse Vata

The capital and only major city is Noumea, and we stayed near the beach called Anse Vata.
It is where a major US headquarters was during WWII, and a lot of servicemen from 'the greatest generation" passed through here. They say there is still appreciation here for the US protecting then from Japanese invasion, and there is a US Memorial downtown (across the street from a McDonald's).

Our first tourist stop was the local Aquarium, small but impressive. They have a wonderful display of coral, and were the first aquarium to grow it, and they have the only display of phosphorescent coral found in the ocean depths. They also were the first to display nautiluses, which normally live 300-1,000 feet deep in the sea.

There were lots of other beautiful, strange, and unusual things to see, like the mudskipper, a truly amphibious fish that crawls on land using its fins and breathing through its skin.

Mudskipper

Beautiful sea stuff

Lion Fish

Unicorn Fish

Another worthwhile stop is the Museum of New Caledonia. These carved poles are typical decoration outside the huts.

Below is an example of a "headpiece" of typical Kanak money. It was not used for barter, but more for spiritual and tribal purposes, exchanged at weddings and ceremonies like that. Below the head is something  symbolizing the vertebrae like a string of shells, followed by a tail traditionally made from hair of the flying fox (really a large bat; see below), making the whole item 1-3 feet long, and it is kept in a woven purse.

Head of Kanak "Money"

Funeral masks and costumes are common in the South Pacific and Papua-New Guinea, used in ritual dances. Here is a local example.

Funeral Mask

There was a great example of a Grande Case in the museum also.

The next day, we took a trip to the Kanak Cultural Center, named after Jean-Marie Tjibaou,

Jean-Marie Tjibaou

a leader in the Kanak independence, assassinated in 1989. The building is a dramatic combination of the old and new, very impressive, and a must for any visit to Noumea. You will be greeted by a wooden carving of a mythical chief, whose pursuit of a local maiden led to a deep channel being dug by his appendage, separating the mainland from an island (or so I'm told).

Chief with Appendage

The views are spectacular.

The zoo is also worth a visit to see rare native wildlife, although hard to get to, with no public bus and requiring a hike up a steep, hot hill through a sketchy neighborhood. You can visit national bird, the rare flightless Cagou

and the previously mentioned Flying Fox. (When he stretched his wings, I felt like I was in the presence of the Batman!)

The highlight of the week was a day trip to L'Il- des-Pins (Isle of Pines). It is a 2-3 hour ferry ride south of Noumea, and was home to an infamous prison for political prisoners of the Paris Commune in the 1870's. Now it is known for outrigger (called pirogues here) canoe rides across peaceful bays studded with floating limestone isles, tall pines, coral reefs, great snorkeling, and capped of with a traditional bougna lunch (the Kanak version of a luau).

Pirogue

Baie d'Upi

Baie d'Ouamea

Le Roche islet in Baie de Kanumera

Moonrise on the Ferry back to Noumea

We had one day left in N.C., so took a short water taxi ride from Anse Vata beach to the Ile aux Canards (Isle of the Ducks) for more sea, sun, and snorkeling.

 
To summarize, New Caledonia:
1) Worth the trip.
2) Different than Polynesia.
3) Beautiful.
4) Did I mention hot, humid, and expensive?
and
5) Definitely NOT Scotland.
On to Sydney!