Blog 28 Kuto, Ile des Pins, New Caledonia, April 16 ,2018 – Weather forecast: partly cloudy; temperature 26°C – 90% humidity, wind 17kts (5 Beaufort); passing rain shower in late afternoon Today we dropped anchor in the bay off the town of Kuto, Ile des Pins, located in southern Melanesia. The island achieved its name after Captain James Cook mapped the island in 1774 and was impressed by the tall pine trees covering the hills which were clearly visible from his ship. It was reported to us that there is clear archaeological evidence that the islands were inhabited at least 4,000 years ago. In the later portion of the 1800’s the French government used the island as a penal colony. Today the island is home to 3,000 individuals and the primary industry is tourism. Being at
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