New Caledonia
Although it wasn’t easy to find accommodation and an open car rental company upon our arrival to the island on a weekend, we managed to start touring around the island on the following day.
We decided to camp to balance the budget, and it was also a nice change.
It is also the easiest way to find a place for the night as there is not so many hotels/hostels around. Prices tend to be high on the island, almost as much as in Polynesia. Camping grounds are very basic, sometimes unattended, not what we are used to in Europe, and cooking facilities don’t exist in practice, but you manage with imagination and frequent baguette, cheese and ham.
Outside the capital Noumea the island is not so populated. Most of the villages are small, and it might be even difficult to find a shop around. Almost all the people outside capital are natives, and there are tribe name sings all around the island.
People seem to live fairly modestly.
The landscapes are great and vary from beaches and palm trees to dry hills, swamps and mangroves.
The most important source of income on top of tourism is nickel mining. According to Wikipedia article as much as one fourth of the world’s nickel resources are in this tiny island!
The roads are mostly in good condition, but you might get surprises when getting off the paved main roads. We got stuck in mud one day during the hottest midday hours. For few hours we tried to get the car to move. Just when we had given up and decided to search for help, an angel with his giant jeep appeared from nowhere and pulled the car out. He said he had helped few cars already that day.
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Last day in New Caledonia we wanted to relax and enjoy a paradise island next to the main island, Ile des Pins. The boat ticket costed way too much, but as we had heard so good things about the place, we wanted to see it. It would have been worth it to stay longer, but unfortunately we had no time, as the boat runs only three days a week. The place does look like a paradise island. Water is clear and snorkeling good!
But cannot be lucky always with the weather, just that day it rained almost all day.
When the sun is not out, the weather gets even chilly together with the wind.
We had no umbrella with us, and when getting back to the boat, we were soaking wet. And of course no changing clothes with. The local grannies felt sorry for us and donated some of their old clothes. They had fun seeing Chris in a Pareo (skirt) ;)
Other islands worth visiting close to New Caledonia would be Loyalty Islands.
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Next we are heading to New Zealand, the destination which Netta has awaited the most on the trip.