Tag Archives: Isle of Pines

Postcard from Kanaky

 

“…If you ever want to travel to New Caledonia, drop me a line. I will send you the contact details of my great friend Hnawish who owns the Motel Chez Rachel at the Baie de Chateaubriand. We will guarantee you the best rates and friendliest service on all the island…”

Kanaky is the indigenous name given to the  group of islands we know as New Caledonia. Its people, the Kanaks, are very friendly and welcoming – they listen to reggae, smoke a wee bit of local parsley and basically live at a very different pace. Letty and I took some timeout to relax and immerse ourselves in its natural beauty.

Kanaky's Luengoni Beach at Lifou Island

Kanaky has some, if not the most beautiful beaches on the planet. This is Luengoni Beach – La plage de Luengoni

I had previously traveled to Kanaky in 2004 so I knew what to expect, and I took this opportunity to show my wife some places I had enjoyed with my Swiss friends Tonton Ruppen and Papa Cristobal.

We saw cook pines (a tree endemic to New Caledonia) as we descended into “La Baie des Tortues”(Bourail)- they welcomed us in all their majestic splendour.

La Baie des Tortues

La Baie des Tortues – Turtle Bay in New Caledonia, near Bourail

We snorkelled in the natural coral pool at “L’Ile des Pins” and saw Nemo, Dory and a bunch of their friends.

Isle of Pines, Isle de Pins - Kanaky - New Caledonia

The natural swimming pool with its beautiful clown fish and coral on Isle of Pines. Kanaky number one

We were blinded by the white sands at Luengoni and Peng beaches.

Kanaky has some of the most beautiful beaches on the planet.

Peng Beach on Lifou Island – Kanaky

Luengoni beach - Kanaky

Luengoni Beach Kanaky has to be the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. Trip Advisor’s top 10 beaches of 2014 makes me laugh.

We saw our friend Paul fishing every day at the Baie de Chateaubriand.

Baie de Chateaubriand - Plage de Chateaubriand - Kanaky

Chateaubriand Bay on Lifou Island – Kanaky number one

And we had a great time with great friends…

Fred cooking a delicious Kanaky style paella

Paella on Lifou island by Fred – Kanaky

If  you ever want to travel to New Caledonia, drop me a line. I will send you the contact details of my great friend Hnawish who owns the Motel Chez Rachel at the Baie de Chateaubriand. We will guarantee you the best rates and friendliest service on all the island.


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