Sunday – December 2, 2018
Last night our ship left Noumea and cruised 120 miles across the Coral Sea to Lifou Island. This is the most populous of the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia. Lifou is bigger than the island of Tahiti and it is the largest coral atoll in the South Pacific.
The Amsterdam slowly passed by the coral reef that surrounds Lifou and we anchored in the beautiful Baie de Santal.
We took one of the tenders into shore:
Most of the people on Lifou are Kanak because the French government declared the Loyalties an indigenous reserve in 1899. As a result the residents were spared the worst features of colonialism. The Kanaks are one of the original Polynesian settlers of the region.
Primitive straw huts were set up to provide shade for a few local people who offered hair braiding, massages, or coconut drinks for sale. There was a more substantial long hut at the top of a small hill where vendors had set up handicrafts and souvenirs.
We were told that the lifestyle of the local people is unhurried and many people grow their own yams, taro, and sweet potatoes in their gardens.
We had been warned that no one spoke English, just French and Kanak. However, like vendors everywhere, the people had enough words to conduct business.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t visit the entire island. We were limited to this gorgeous bay and its beautiful beach. The water was crystal clear, warm and very inviting.
Unfortunately, Jeff and I didn’t bring our bathing suits so we could just dip our toes in the water. It was a beautiful unspoiled beach with pristine water. It was my idea of a perfect tropical paradise.
We stayed at the beach as long as we possibly could and finally reluctantly took the tender back to the ship. The Amsterdam slowly moved out of the bay, past the reef, and into the Coral Sea. It had been a wonderful day! We watched the sun set over the Pacific….
