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.

Welcome to 2024

We’ve kicked off New Year’s Eve in grand style onboard the Brilliance of the Seas. Our evening began with a six course degustation menu, complete with pairing wines, at the Chef’s Table. This is a private dining room onboard the ship. It seats ten people around a long table framed by a wall of glass offering expansive views out to sea.

We were then entertained at the onboard theatre by a rather camp Freddie Mercury tribute show before moving to the ship’s central atrium for the countdown to midnight. After far too many mojitos and margaritas we eventually saw in the new year with hundreds of others dancing and cheering from eight jam packed tiers. 

It was a memorable moment watching a cascade of balloons descend from the ceiling as multi coloured strobe lights circled the atrium. One clever group commandered a glass elevator and timed its descent as the balloons fell. Garry and I then retired to the piano bar where we held court at the bar while our fellow passengers came and went. 

We’ve also been blessed with extraordinarily calm seas. A late breakfast this morning somewhere in the midst of the Coral Sea was simply idyllic. I think the photo above says it all. Happy New Year everyone!

So long, farewell, adieu

Our cruise around the Coral Sea has begun. We boarded the Brilliance of the Seas shortly before noon today. Our premium Key pass let us skip the check-in crowd. As a result, it took us less than 15 minutes to get on board. Although, in all honesty, there was hardly anyone there at noon. I must admit it was an odd sensation going through immigration at the terminal. I’ve never left Australia “by land” so to speak.

Once on board we kicked off our cruise with a light lunch in the main dining room. Our window table offered a stunning view of the Sydney Opera House. We then explored the ship until our cabin became available shortly after 1:00pm. 

We’ve booked ourselves into a spacious Junior Suite with a balcony. The room included a walk-in robe, a tiled bathroom, and a separate lounge space we can screen off with a curtain if someone wants to read late on the sofa (i.e Garry).

We also chose a cabin on the starboard side of the boat. As a result, we enjoyed a breathtaking view of Circular Quay and the Opera House while sailing out of Sydney Harbour shortly after 5:00pm. The weather was perfect as we boarded but by the time we sailed through the Sydney Heads, it had become a little overcast.

As the Australian coastline recedes into the distance, it’s hard to believe that we’re finally off to Vanuatu. Our ship is equipped with a Starlink internet service so we’re still connected to the 21st Century. Stay tuned for more adventures in the days ahead. 

Finally, here's a nifty data sheet about the ship that was left for us in our cabin.

Note:

This post is the blog’s 1300th post. It’s been an extraordinary experience documenting life’s ups and downs since 2005. In the months ahead you’ll find Garry and I spending time in London and Germany on business, plus another side trip to New Zealand for me.

Caley cocktail hour

We had six friends over for cocktails and a light dinner yesterday. Our hospitality was motivated by two things. First, we wanted to clean out the last of our Christmas leftovers before going on a cruise this weekend. Second, we'd offered to host a birthday gathering for Jacqui, a friend living in Moore Park Gardens.

Everyone came over at about 4pm for cocktails and one of my famous charcuterie cheese boards. The weather was perfect for a rooftop afternoon, sunny and warm. We then progressed to BBQ sausages and onions on brioche buns, before finishing the evening with birthday cake, homemade Christmas panettone pudding, and brandy snap ice cream.  The last of our guests finally departed at about 1am.

The moon also put on an impressive show.  A brilliant amber orb rose above the northeast horizon at about 9pm and sent all of our Facebook and Instagram-friendly guests scrambling to capture the best photo of the night. I'd watched a similar moonrise the night before and had been stunned by its size, colour, and brightness.  The shadows it cast had made me think momentarily that we'd left an outside light on.

All in all, it was a fun evening and a wonderful way to make full use of our rooftop balcony. I’ve also learned that making cocktails is a lot of hard work (even if you pre-mix the margaritas)!

Merry Christmas

The turkey is roasting in the oven. The pavlova has been baked. The gingerbread men have been decorated. The table is set. I think we're ready for Christmas. Merry Christmas everyone.

Deck the halls

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Crescent Street.  Last weekend we put up the Christmas tree and decorated the house. Garry's family are joining us for lunch on Christmas Day this year so we thought we'd make an effort. We've been away for the last two years so it's a bit of a novelty to be hosting at home again. 

The silly season is well underway.  Garry and I have been wining and dining our way through a host of exotic venues over the last few weeks. Our calendar has included a private dining room experience at a'Mare in the Crown Casino, a white-party-themed long lunch at Three Blue Ducks in the new Cannery complex in Rosebery, a leisurely business lunch at Chin Chin, and lunch with our staff at Luke's Kitchen in the Kimpton Margot Hotel.

I've also met business colleagues for breakfast at Grounds of the City, sampled boutique gin at Archie Rose, and sipped on cocktails in a private booth at The Rover. There's also been a BBQ event for residents in our building, plus two separate BBQ events with friends in neighbouring buildings at Moore Park Gardens.

I think I’ve just about had my fill of festivities. It'll be nice to kick back and relax on a boat when we go cruising for 11 days after Christmas. Although to be honest, as the sun rose this morning, a quiet coffee on our balcony was just as appealing.