My Kind of Town. (On 2nd thoughts - not)

Sunday 17^th June 2012.

Noumea!

Woke early, I think because the motion of the ship was different, barely rocking at all. Went out onto the balcony to see what we could see. It was just after sunrise, the water was very calm and we could see green hills. Seems so long since we saw green! Anyway, after a quick breakfast, we left the ship and stood on solid ground, ran the gauntlet of the ship’s photographer, then all the local touts trying to sell tours. There’s a supermarket across the road so we bought 2 big bottles of water 100CPF each, so cheap enough, took them back on board, then ran the gauntlet again.

There was a guy selling tickets to the hop-on, hop-off bus for $5AU, which was very cheap, we were expecting $15, but the first price we saw was $10, so $5 is a worryingly cheap price. Wonder what the catch is. Anyway, we rode the bus around to the morning market which was good for a look, and McDonalds, with free wi-fi is just over the road. So, that’s where we are now just to post this. Not sure if we’ll get another opportunity, haven’t really sussed out the internet on board.

Back to the bus stop and didn’t have to wait long before it came along. We think the driver was related to some famous race car driver, because, although she wasn’t dangerous, she didn’t waste any time. There was a quick announcement for Baie des Citrons, before continuing on to Anse Vata where we picked up a family. Past the Aquarium we flew, the family sounded slightly interested, but no real option to get off here it seemed, maybe if you called out? Anyway, we’re just along for the ride really. So, short answer is, I think we got what we paid for! The dearer HOHO went further afield we think. May have to confer with fellow passengers to confirm this.

We nipped back into the supermarket to buy a shopping bag, like the green bags we have at home. I’m getting quite a collection of foreign ones now. Got a cooler bag style for 395 CPF, to go with the ‘normal’ one we bought at the morning market for $1.50AU. Decided to have lunch on the Pearl, because this is a ‘don’t think too much holiday’. So fed, watered and etc, we headed back out for the 3^rd time! We keep these security people on their toes! Lonely Planet walking tour in hand we set off around the deserted town centre. It’s Sunday so the town is closed. All the action is at Anse Vata, the touristy part of town. The area around the port is really sad and neglected looking when the shops are closed. Not many have windows you can look into, most are covered with roller shutters. Makes you wonder what prompted that kind of lock-down look. Combined with the locals hanging around, it’s not a good look.

Always after the best vantage point, we climb a set of stairs at the end of Rue Jean Jaures and find our way to a high point behind Cathedrale St Joseph where we had a great view over the town. Next real point of interest was the Mwa Ka, a 12m totem pole opposite the Musee de la Nouvelle-Caledonie. Only sad thing about this fabulous carving was the local indigenous bloke who hit us up for some money. Probably the only English he knows…. ‘please….. money?’ Seems the only locals hanging around town were a bit shifty. Fair Police prescence though, so not too concerned. 

                                                                       Mwa Ka

Thinking we’ve done enough on our ‘do nothing’ holiday, we return to the friendly call of a bar aboard ship, then Oasis, before setting ourselves up for departure at 5pm, which must be about now, the tug boat is here and I feel movement, so I’ll get back to you later!

Gotta mention the ‘adults only ‘ area on board. It’s called Oasis, and there’s a bar (of course), 2 huge spas and heaps of deck chairs. And NO KIDS!!! Very civilised!! Not to feel left out though, there is a place called HQ where only kids and occasionally their parents can go. They can play video games all day – just as if they’d never been uprooted from their console at home! 

The sun had nearly set as the tugboat did it’s work to pull us back from the dock. Some of the locals had come to see us off, a little girl in particular waving madly with both arms and many on the ship waved back. By the time we were under our own steam the town was lit up and looked very pretty. The channel markers beckoned to us beyond the harbour and we spotted the light from Amadee Island. The Captain has made several quite pointed references to the fact that we picked up the Pilot well before entering the local waters and that he will be with us until we leave New Caledonian waters.  Did I mention our Capitain is Italian? And a very lovely man he is too. Once the sun was gone and we were out in more exposed waters, the wind picked up and it became rather cool.

Now that we’ve made up all the lost time, the ship might be back to running at it’s normal pace and we won’t have to suffer the rough ride. We are in an area of high pressure now, so a lady told us at the local market this morning. Thanks to us (I’m thinking she means the ship) she said, the weather was much better than last week. It was great to have a little chat in English to a local who was just out doing a bit of shopping.

Heard later that some of the people on the Tchou Tchou train tour saw a guy pretending to shoot at them with his hand. Nice place this!