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Published: February 10th 2010
Our Glass-bottom Boat
We are about to board our glass-bottom boat ride to Duck Island.New Caledonia was discovered by Captain James Cook in 1774, and though he dropped anchor and named the island after a part of Scotland, he never claimed it for his sovereign. Instead, it was left to the French who officially annexed New Caledonia in 1853, when a penal colony was set up here. Convict labor was instrumental in helping to erect many of the colonial-style buildings, and the convicts continued to toil on the island until the penitentiary was closed in 1897. By the end of the 19th century, the French realized that the real worth of the island was in the large reserves of cobalt, copper, nickel, chrome and manganese. The minerals are near the surface and are easy to extract, and mining is still the backbone of the economy.
During World War II, thousands of American servicemen transited through the islands. These soldiers gave a great lift to consumerism, built the airport, and introduced, among other things, the ubiquitous Jeep. It was worth about $10 at the time but now changes hands for thousands. New Caledonia, which has the largest coral lagoon in the world, with its blend of French and Melanesian cultures is now one of the
most popular holiday destinations in the South Pacific and a particular favorite of the French. An interesting non-custom of tipping is strictly prohibited …and they mean it.
We arrived in Noumea this morning and decided to start the day by walking around the city center for a while after breakfast. We were somewhat surprised…the stores didn’t really have much to offer and they all seemed to buy from the same vendors, or at least the same quality. We did go over to the market area, but they were in the process of closing up. So, we walked back to the ship and had a quick lunch.
Our first excursion today, Glass-bottom Boat at Duck Island met at 12:30. We took the transport over to Fun Beach, which was partially around the island into an area of 180-degree difference from where the ship was docked. This part of the island was definitely the high-end, classy tourist area. It’s where we boarded the glass-bottom boat. It was pretty windy and the waves were choppy. We went slowly as the water was pretty shallow, which allowed us to see the vast array of different types of coral. Duck Island is a
Duck Island
Duck Island is a beautiful daily resort spot where people can take their boat to or be ferried to and enjoy the amenities of the beach, snorkeling, wind surfing or just hanging out on a beach chair. Lots of wind surfers today...going fast because of the winds. mini-resort where people are ferried to and from for the day and enjoy snorkeling, wind surfing and a variety of water sports. As our captain and guide circled the island, we started seeing more and larger fish. And then, we stopped near a different shaped buoy and the captain went into and barrel that he had covered in the bow and pulled out a handful of French bread. He started breaking off pieces and throwing it in the water. The water started to boil with the fish coming up to feed on the bread. He then began passing out hunks of bread to us and said to start feeding the fish. WOW…they just started coming to the surface in mass…all kinds of them. So, we stayed there for about 20 minutes getting the fish to virtually eat out of our hands. After that fun we went back to shore and boarded our transport back to the ship.
We were scheduled for our 2nd excursion of the day, Le Petit Train. It’s a small open-air train to explore a relaxing 2-hour orientation tour of the city. In the downtown area we drove past the World War II American Memorial, dedicated
Fish
We are in pretty shallow water and have enjoyed the beautiful coral and start to see fish under the boat. to our soldiers. The tour also took us back to the popular tourist area, past the place where we got onto our glass-bottom boat ride, along the fabulous Promenade Vernier that was made possible by the Rotary Club, and in the bays to see the kites that propel the wind surfers. We went up to a vista point overlooking the island, breathtaking views of surrounding islands and incredible blue waters. From there you could also see the huge nickel plant, which is the primary industry of the island. We also got a close-up look at the Notre Dame Du Pacifique, a fabulous statue and cross. After some refreshments there we re-boarded the train and headed back toward the ship, going past the first home that was built on the island and through another part of the downtown.
Early that evening, as we departed New Caledonia, we were treated to a traditional band and dancing send-off.
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