Blue Planet Journey

One of the nice things about revisiting a place is that you have a better idea of what to do and see.  The first time we visited the Isle of Pines in New Caledonia, Caroline, Doc Martin, and I walked around a little peninsula looking for a snorkeling area away from the other 2000 visitors.  After a short walk with our gear through the columnar pines , we ended up right where we were trying to avoid... the snorkeling spot suggested by the crew of the Celebrity Solstice .  The water was a bit turbid and there were not a lot of fish... not ideal snorkeling conditions.  We ended that trip with a walk to the other end of the beach (where you are stopped by a "private beach" sign - a resort).  Caroline and Doc Martin snorkeled out a bit, and Caroline came back with two thumbs up... we have to try this site on our next trip. That next trip was yesterday. Isle of Pines.  The first time we visited, we walked around the peninsula at the top, to eventual...

Araucaria columnaris, New Caledonia New Caledonia is a French island territory (an “overseas collective”) east of Australia and north of New Zealand.  It is in the process of getting its independence, which I believe is scheduled for a binding vote in November, 2018.  I wouldn’t call it a speck in the South Pacific, but there had to be some luck in early explorers finding it (both Kanak, the original people, and European). We had 3 days in New Caledonia... 1 in the capital city of Noumea (the most populated city),  and 1 each on the island of Lifou , and the Isle of Pines . Noumea is the largest city in New Caledonia, with about 200,000 residents.  I don’t know how the wealth is distributed, but New Caledonia has about a quarter of the world’s nickel reserves, so mining exports are important.  No excursions were offered to the nickel mines, but I did get 1 photo from a distance... the gray clouds emanating from the smokestacks made them pretty visi...