Drama on the high seas

Our cruise was scheduled to visit a fifth port called Mystery Island. This is an idyllic sandy atoll located just off the coast of Aneityum, the southernmost island in the Vanuatu archipelago. However, shortly after leaving Luganville, this port call was cancelled when a passenger experienced a “medical incident” requiring urgent evacuation to a hospital.

Our boat initially diverted to Port Vila, but soon after announcing news of this unscheduled stop, the captain decided to sail directly to Noumea. As a result, we spent an extra day at sea before reverting to our original itinerary on Lifou Island. While disappointing, the diversion resulted in a second scenic transit through the narrow strait of Canal Woodin and along New Caledonia’s southern coast. 

The images above were taken during the more scenic parts of our diversion, while the map shows our subsequent return to schedule. The relocation route was a curious one. I suspect the captain was buying some time to ensure we didn’t arrive too early in Lifou.

The passenger transfer eventually took place just outside the entrance to Noumea harbour. It was fascinating to watch it unfold. The captain turned the ship so that its gangway entrance on Level 2 was sheltered from the prevailing wind. He then held this position using the ship’s bow and stern thrusters. This skilful manoeuvre resulted in remarkably calm waters forming alongside the vessel. 

The patient was then evacuated by wheelchair using a temporary pontoon platform normally reserved for tender transfers. In a final touching gesture, passengers like myself who’d watched the drama unfold spontaneously applauded as the Noumea Coastguard rescue boat pulled away.

Garry and I had originally booked a cultural excursion to a local Melanesian village on Aneityum. However, after regularly quizzing our guides on earlier excursions, I don’t think we’ve missed much regarding tribal life in Vanuatu. The cruise company subsequently refunded our excursion fees. We’re not complaining. This credit all but covered the cost of a spa treatment we enjoyed earlier in the cruise.

During the diversion to Noumea, we experienced our own “medical incident”. As we returned from breakfast we were greeted by our cabin attendant. He explained that a rather bedraggled, sickly looking, seabird had been found on our balcony. A quick Google search confirmed it was a White-tailed Tropicbird. They're easily identified by a slim tail feather that extends almost three times the length of their body.

A short time later, the ship’s “bird man” arrived. He scooped the forlorn bird into his hands and removed it from our balcony. However, I have no idea what happened next. Although, as Garry rightly noted, “The guy’s hardly going to wring its neck in front of passengers.” A fair point.

Life in Lifou

Lifou, the largest of the Loyalty Islands, was our final port of call today. Our cruise ship anchored offshore in Santal Bay. After a leisurely breakfast, we caught a tender to shore and spent a couple of hours exploring the village of Easo. Initially, misting rain sent the humidity soaring making for a rather sweaty, steamy walk.

Our first stop was a small chapel called Notre Dame de Lourdes. It sits high on a bluff overlooking the bay and is crowned by a cast iron statue of the Virgin Mary. A sign at the entrance says the statute weighs more than two tonnes. Despite the humidity, the sweaty, 800-metre walk and final hill climb were well worth the effort. The views of the coastline were spectacular, including a rather Instagram-worthy view of our ship.

According to a sign in the vestibule, the roof of the church, statue, and all, lifted off during a cyclone in 1880. The roof was eventually located on the floor of the bay by divers and hauled back to its rightful location which must have been quite a feat. The statue, which fell into the chapel, seemed to survive the ordeal unscathed. However, the salty sea air is taking its toll as sections of the Virgin are covered in rust.

We then made our way in the opposite direction to an impressive white-rendered Catholic Church called Eglise Catholique ne Drehu. A bilingual sign outside explained the history of the building. Apparently, the stone used in its construction comes from stalactites and stalagmites extracted from nearby caves more than ten metres below ground. Unfortunately, the church doors were locked so we made our way back to the landing pier. 

The heavens opened up shortly after returning to the pier. For almost 15 minutes it bucketed down. Garry and I briefly debated abandoning our pre-booked excursion to Luecila Beach on the opposite side of the island. However, we decided it was worth the drive if only to see more of the island and its local life. I’m glad we didn’t let the weather beat us as the rain cleared during the thirty-minute trip to the beach.

Luecila Beach was another spectacular destination. Its crystalline white sands arc around the vibrant azure waters of Chateaubriand Bay. We spent a couple of hours swimming in the warm tropical waters and resting in the shade. It really was the perfect way to finish our cruise through the Coral Sea.

While we were at Luecila Beach, I took a walking tour with one of the locals through the neighbourhood village of We. He explained that Lifou is home to about 10,000 people, who belong to 37 tribes led by a local chief. The largest of these is in We with approximately 700 members. The island’s tribes are also grouped into three administrative districts, each led by a Grand Chief.

Our local guide shared some fascinating stories about tribal law and the administration of community justice. He also explained how most families still build and maintain a traditional, conical thatched hut alongside their modern homes. 

Likewise, many families still sleep overnight in them, especially during the warmer months. However, our guide’s family doesn’t use his hut as much as they used to. As his kids have grown older they want their privacy and prefer spending time on the internet.

The building of each family’s traditional hut is a community affair. Our guide told us that he’d recently rebuilt his own hut. The work was undertaken by the entire community and took five days to complete. In return, all he and his wife had to do was keep everyone fed and hydrated. 

One final fun fact. You can always tell which hut is owned by one of the three Grand Chiefs. Their hut has an entrance with a twin doorway. One door is for the exclusive use of the chief and his family. The second is used by visitors and local villagers coming to pay their respects. We saw one of these double door huts from the bus while driving to the beach.

Nouvelle Calédonie

We’ve been enjoying the highlights of Noumea today. We spent an all too brief stop in the capital of New Caledonia visiting three of its most popular sights on a whirlwind 2.5 hour bus tour. Our boat docked at 7:30am before sailing again shortly after 3:30pm.

Garry and I disembarked early to spend an hour wandering through the centre of town before joining the bus tour. Our walk took us past Place des Cocotiers (which translates as Coconut Tree Square), past the rather forlorn City Market and Fish Market before making our way back along the waterfront.

Place des Cocotiers features several landmarks including a white marble fountain adored with a classic white marble goddess. However, it’s newest addition, unveiled in June 2022, is a statue depicting a famous handshake between Karnak separatist leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou and loyalist Caldoche leader Jacques Lafleur that sealed the French-brokered Matignon Accords. This agreement brought to a close decades of often violent conflict between the territory’s indigenous and settler communities.

The first stop on our bus tour was the quaint cream and yellow trimmed Eglise Norte-Dame de L’Immaculee Conception. This beautiful little church is starting point of Christianity in New Caledonia. Its exterior includes an impressive statue of the Madonna on the top of its bell tower.

We then drove to the world renowned Tjibaou Cultural Center. This distinctive building was designed by Italian architect, Renzo Piano. It sits on a narrow peninsula and features a series of pavilions shrouded in spiny towers patterned after traditional Karnak grand huts. The tallest of these ten iconic structures is an impressive 28 metres high. 

Our tour spent 45 minutes at the centre visiting both the award-winning building and an actual Karnak grand hut relocated and reassembled nearby within the grounds. This towering conical structure was once home to a local Karnak chief. It’s thatched, timber construction is genuinely impressive both inside and out. Sadly our tour didn’t stop long enough to visit any of the centre’s cultural exhibits other than a brief wander through its hall of totems.

The totem hall houses six impressive totem poles collected from across the Pacific region. I was captivated by the colourful Nambal totem. It’s capped by a soaring bird with its wings spread wide. This particular totem comes from Vao Island located in northern Vanuatu. Although, others in our group were drawn to the equally towering reef sculpture outside. This graphic artwork depicts a rather erotic legend that tells the story of the Olal Reef’s creation. I’ll let the photo above speak for itself!

The last stop on our tour was the Quen Toto Hill lookout. The crest of this hill is adorned with a heavy artillery gun from the Second World War. Out guide explained that Noumea was a major front base for the American during the war. In the centre of town you can still see remnants of a large military hospital that nursed casualties from the infamous battle for Guadalcanal.

The lookout also offered an expansive view of the lagoon and many inlets that shape the southern coast of New Caledonia. We also caught a brief glimpse of our boat anchored in the heart of town.

I’ll leave you with a final fun fact. New Caledonia contains about 7.1 million tonnes of nickel reserves, about 10% of the world's total. As a result, nickel production accounts for 6% of the island's GPD, 24% of private employment and almost 90% of exports by value. 

Noumea Harbour’s northern shore is dominated by a massive smelting plant that includes a lengthy, slightly iridescent, green slag hill. We noticed green glass granules in the concrete paving around town. Apparently the local authorities are seeking creative ways to make productive use of this ever-growing pile of industrial waste. 

Follow this link as we explore our final port of call in New Caledonia, the island of Lifou.

UPDATE

We subsequently made an unscheduled return sailing to Noumea two days later.  Follow this link to learn more.