Isle of Pines, New Caledonia 🇳🇨

Hello World,

Another island in New Caledonia is The Isle of Pines, so called for all the native pine trees on the island. Seriously! Captain James Cook gave this name during his second voyage to New Zealand in 1774.

We visited here a number of times cruising around the Pacific Islands and would swim in the sea in Upi Bay.

In French, The island is nicknamed ‘l’île la plus proche du paradis’ meaning The Closest thing to Paradise and I totally agree! I of course bought a magnet with a painting of the gorgeous beach on for my collection and loved it here!

Melanesian people had lived on the island for over 2,000 before the Europeans first visited. The French took possession in 1853, so the native Kunies opted for the Catholic Religion. The French Penal colony can still be seen in the village of Ouro in the west of the island.

Kanumera Bay and Kuro Bay are also gorgeous with lovely blue water, though we spent most of our time in Oro Bay. I loved doing wheelchair duties on the pier for tender boats while working on the ship here and the sun would shine down and the locals would play music. I have such fond memories of New Caledonia and loved visiting here.

Love Curls x