Blogs from Loyalty Islands Province, New Caledonia, Oceania

Blog 29 Easo, Lifou, New Caledonia, April 17, 2018 – Weather forecast: mostly sunny; temperature 27°C 90%, wind 19kts (5 Beaufort) Our port of call today was the island of Lifou and the community of Easo. According to the documentation provided by the Shore Excursion Team the name “Easo” in the local Drehu language means “smoking fire”. The name was derived from the fact that whalers lit fires on shore to render the fat into oil from the cetaceans they had harpooned in the area during the decade of 1860-1870. Catholic missionaries came to the island in 1858 and established a chapel, Notre Dame de Lourdes, on the promontory overlooking Santal and Jinek bays. The chapel was clearly visible from the ship as we sailed into the Santal Bay. Our shore excursion took us to the ... read more

Bulletin info cyclone n°12 du 09/03/2018 La trajectoire du cyclone Hola devrait s'incurver vers le SE dans l'après midi et se situer sur Lifou dans la journée de samedi. Le cumul de précipitations pourra atteindre 250 mm. Sur Lifou les vents vont dépasser 150 km/h.... read more

On the Isle of Lifou we went on the Melanesian Encounter Tour. This was very interesting. We drank fresh coconut juice, ate food that had been cooked underground and visited the chief's hut. After lunch we visited Jinek Bay and the old church. We walked up to the big cross, from which there were beautiful views of the ship and the Isle. I also did some snorkelling. The water was very clear. Our next and final Port was Noumea. We went on the Tchou Tchou Train - this fabulous little train took us on a city tour and up to the lookouts. Well worth doing. After lunch Steve and I were lucky enough to book on a Sailing Catamaran!!! We spent a gorgeous afternoon sailing around New Caledonia - a highlight for me. Happiness is skipping ... read more

Un petit week-end à Maré histoire de se détendre un peu.... read more

Nous sommes allés passer la semaine des vacances scolaires aux îles Loyauté et plus précisément à Lifou, aussi connue sous le nom Drehu, qui est également le nom de la langue locale. Les îles Loyauté comprennent trois grandes iles : Maré, Lifou et Ouvéa. Lifou est la plus grande des îles Loyautés, elle est plus grande que la Martinique. Pour ce séjour, nous avons pris le bateau Betico 2 (prononcez Beticho) à l'aller, c'est un catamaran à moteur. Ici, il est surnommé le Vomico (Vomicho) puisque souvent le trajet à des conséquences digestives... Notre trajet s'est déroulé correctement et malgré la distribution de sacs à vomi, personne n'a vomi hors des toilettes. Le trajet d'environ 5H00 était sympa puisqu'en partant de Nouméa, nous avons longé toute la côte Sud Ouest puis une partie de la côte ... read more