Warm Rain Ship's Log

Au Revoir New Caledonia

After a month in New Caledonia it is time to head back south to New Zealand to avoid the cyclone season.  Our track will allow us to stay for a few days on Norfolk Island, which is part of Australia. The trip is about 860 miles from Noumea, NC to Opua, NZ but we are watching the weather carefully since it can get really ugly when you get near NZ.

Some Pics Uploaded to Website

We finally have an internet connection - yippee! I've gone back through the posts from the last month (beginning 9/28 forward) and added some pictures. So, if you're interested in seeing the pictures just scroll backwards through the posts.

Noumea Aquarium

This morning we visited the Noumea Aquarium. The exhibits were wonderful! We saw lots of different types of coral and fish that we haven't seen during our snorkeling in the South Pacific. The aquarium is small in comparison to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Northern California or the Seattle Aquarium, but all 6 of us were very impressed. They had several aquariums that filled an entire wall and lots of nice seating in front of each one, so we spent lots of time just sitting and watching the goings on in each huge tank. We were amazed that we could sit there for several minutes then see a new fish swim by that we hadn't seen before.

They had a tank full of live chambered nautilus. We've collected their shells on the beach at Ouen Island but had never seen a live one. They're pretty weird looking - kind of like a big snail that propels itself through the water with tiny jet propulsion. 

One of the most impressive fish was the lion fish, which is beautiful but very poisonous. We've seen them while snorkeling in Fiji but kept our distance so it was cool to be able to see one close-up.

We're in Noumea

Yesterday we got a slip in Port Moselle Marina and are getting the boat ready for the 860 mile trip back to New Zealand in November. There are many boats leaving for Australia this week and many ICA Rally boats here with us. It has been fun hearing about everybody's travels in the month we have been here in New Caledonia.

Ouen Island

We've had a great few days at Ouen Island. We spent 3 days anchored at Port Koube where Tom changed the zincs (in pretty rough, windy weather) and we cleaned the bottom of the boat in preparation for our passage to New Zealand. We beach-combed at Port Koube and found some partial chambered nautilus shells, something you rarely find on the beaches. I hope we'll be able to clean them up so that I can add them to my small shell collection. On Saturday we moved on to Port Koutoure to meet up with our French friends Guy & Isabelle (s/v Pro's Per Aim) but they had moved on to Turtle Bay. We spent a quiet evening at Port Koutoure then moved onto Turtle Bay on Sunday where we reunited with Guy & Isabelle. We hiked up to an abandoned jade mine and had stunning views of the water and reefs below.

This morning (Monday) both boats moved to Uie Bay. We took our dinghies up the river at the head of the bay. The shoreline was filled with a mixture of trees and shrubs - mangroves, coconut trees, pine trees all anchored in the red clay soil of New Caledonia. At times the river was so shallow that we had to lift up the outboard and paddle with our oars. All in all it was a fun outing.

Tonight we're going over to Pro's Per Aim for a wonderful dinner of French crepes - yummy!

Yeah Baby!

Today I caught a 4 foot Dorado on the way to Ile Ouen from Ile des Pins. There is enough fish for several boats and with 3 boats in the anchorage, guess what's for dinner?

Still at Isle of Pines

Yesterday we kayaked around the two bays here at Isle of Pines then enjoyed a fun evening aboard Free Spirit with Paul, Michelle and their two kids. It's so beautiful here that we're finding it hard to leave and many people have said that Isle of Pines is the prettiest spot in all of New Caledonia! What's not to like? Beautiful anchorage and beach, a dinghy dock, fresh water, trash disposal, fresh baguettes at the bakery, great hiking trails, etc. So, we're going to hang around a few more days before starting to make our way toward Noumea.

Kuto Bay Walkabout

Yesterday (10/11) we went ashore to stretch our legs and took what we consider to be the best hike we've done in years! We found a trail near the ferry terminal that followed the coastline around the point of the bay. We had stunning water views with waves crashing on the reef a few feet below us. There were underwater caves and blow holes, private beaches just large enough for two people. We walked through a pine forest, whose smells and sights made us homesick for the San Juan Islands in Washington. We stopped frequently for pictures and had the whole place to ourselves. After a couple hours the trail ended at the boutique right near the dinghy dock - who'd have thought! We are constantly amazed at the precious surprises afforded us out here cruising - this hike was definitely one of them.

Another Scare

This morning the Gendarmerie chased all the boats out of the bay saying an earthquake occurred in Vanuatu only 250 miles away and there was a tsunami alert for New Caledonia. We all ran out of the bay for deeper water until the alert was canceled. We are OK but a bit worried about why there is so much seismic activity in the South Pacific this month.

Isle of Pines Road Trip

Yesterday (10/7) we rented a car and toured Isle of Pines with friends Jan & Dave. It was the best island tour that we've had since the Marquesas last year. The island has paved roads - something that we didn't see much of in Fiji or Vanuatu, and they drive on the right side of the road like we do in the U.S. We started off by visiting the small town of Vao, stopping at the beautiful Catholic church and the grocery store. It's amazing but there are only 3 grocery stores on the entire island, so we couldn't pass up a chance to see if they had anything at the store in Vao that the other store we had been in didn't have.

We picked up a few things for our picnic lunch then stopped at St. Maurice Bay. This was, I think, the highlight of the trip for me. Above the beach a fence of carved totem poles encloses a statue of Jesus. The monument commemorates the arrival of the first missionaries to the island and is also a war memorial. The carvings are wonderful on the silvered totems and with the backdrop of the bay, stunning.

Next stop was Oro Bay. We waded across a stream bed in knee-high water then hiked on a forested trail to the piscine naturelle, a clear blue pool cut off from the sea by a high reef. There are lots of beautiful tropical fish in the pool and you can snorkel there, but we just enjoyed the view from knee-high water before returning to the park to enjoy our picnic lunch followed by a bowl of ice cream procured from a small snack shop.

The Grotte de la Reine Hortense was amazing. It's an immense cave in a limestone cliff nestled in a lush tropical forest and is said to have been where Queen Hortense took refuge for several months in 1855 during an inter-tribal conflict. The cave is filled with stalactites and stalagmites. Just inside the entrance is an alter to the Virgin Mary (pictured below) and at the very back of the cave is a flat rock ledge where the queen is said to have slept. Light floods the back of the cavern through an opening in the roof from where the roots of a banyan tree descend into the cave. We came prepared with flashlights as it's black as night inside once you walk away from the cave opening and the floor of the cave is muddy and uneven, but the muddy feet were well worth the effort.

After a short stop at Gadji Bay we visited a graveyard (Cimetiere des Deportes). After the Paris uprising in 1871, 3000 Communards were deported/exiled to Isle of Pines. Most of them were buried in this cemetery. We also visited the ruins of the prison where the exiled were taken when they arrived on the island.

All in all it was a fabulous day. I'll upload pictures once we're back in the land of internet connections.