We spent yesterday in Noumea. Officially it’s part of France, about 700 nautical miles north-east of Brisbane.

The local Kanak people are very friendly. We got to sample some of the French food & wine, as well as see some sights around town and some local dancing and singing.

We woke up this morning in Lifou, a small untouched island to the east of New Calediona’s main island. Once again the people we very friendly. They loved Lilly.

The coral reefs here are impressive, so we took in a bit of snorkelling in Jochin bay.

One thing about this ship – you get a lot of exercise. It’s two hundred meters long, and to go to breakfast we walk up 5 floors from deck 5 to deck 10. Do that a dozen times a day and you have a pretty good workout.

More news tomorrow from Port Vila!

Neil

The local welcoming committee in Noumea. We received a very warm welcome from the locals as we disembarked in Noumea.

A view of Noumea from one of the many high spots in town. If you look carefully you can see our ship in town.

Place de Cocotiers (Coconut Square) in the middle of town. We had a bit of a look around Coconut Square in the middle of town.

Baie des Citrons. The kids had a great time playing by the beach at Baie des Citrons (Lemon Bay) which is a short Taxi ride from the middle of town. There are lots of great cafes here.

Liz enjoys a glass of French wine at a cafe in Baie des Citrons. It’s hard work thinking about how to order things in French so we kept it simple

Lifou – a beautiful unspoilt village by the sea.
They had to bring us ashore in the ship’s tenders (lifeboats) because there’s no wharf large enough in Lifou (or deep enough water) to bring the ship in to shore.

Jochin Bay – a great snorkelling spot on Lifou.

Harrison and Lilly check out a local grass hut
I wonder what it’s like in a cyclone?

Lilly makes some new friends
These ladies braided Lilly’s hair for her. She felt like a princess. I think they wanted to keep her.