New Caledonia Map

 

 

 

         

          Map of

        the Pacific

 

latest picture: September 3, 2008

• click a picture to see details

73  The petroglyphs of Katiramona

Southeast of Païta are showing circles

engraved on stones in the riverbed

 74  Carved totem poles mark the

entrance to a tribal village near Païta.

They are part of the Kanak culture

75  The Tontouta River near the international

airport of New Caledonia with the same

name – 28 miles Northwest of Nouméa –

meanders peacefully through the plain

76  The mission of Thio in St. Philippe

on the Southern East coast is surrounded

by beautiful tropical vegetation .....

 77  ..... a young girl of the

mission’s community poses

for the camera .....

78  ..... Tiaré flowers (Fangipani),

the symbol of the Pacific, are blooming

in the mission garden of Thio

79  We follow the scenic tropical

East coast South of Thio .....

 80  ..... with the

many tiny bays .....

81  ..... and palm groves with white

sandy beaches, inviting to set up a camp

82  A good mining road near

St. Gabriel leads us to a perfect

bush camp with a lovely view to

the East coast. The red soil

suggests that the region contains

a lot of iron, besides other minerals

like nickel and chrome

 83  ..... On the hills surrounding us,

cruelly exploited by all the various mines,

the vegetation slowly starts to recover.

We discover and admire hundreds of

the carnivorous “Pitcher Plants” [we

have seen similar plants in Sarawak

(Northeast = picture line 10 left;

South = picture line 8 middle) on

Borneo (= picture No. 44)]

84  In the plain, the sun is setting

85  In the South of the East coast

towards Petit Borindi, the coast is

blessed with beautiful scenery

 86  A twisted tree with huge branches

provides the much appreciated shade on

the black sand beach Southeast of Thio

87  Pandanus trees are growing

mostly on coastal areas

88  A honeyeater (Friarbird) is feeding on

nectar of a red bottle brush flower

 89  A bee has settled down on a "Dracophyllum verticillatum" (Dragon-leaf)

90  A Hibiscus flower, common

in the subtropics

91  

 92  

93  

Forgotten and uninhabited „ Robinson Crusoe“ islands often appear far out in the blue Ocean

94  Flowering trees near Canala on

the East coast. Due to its blossoms,

often parrots can be seen

 95  The Ciu waterfalls in Canala

are a refreshing sight in

their natural setting

96  Opposite of the Ciu waterfalls

near Canala we discover this

indigenous cemetery of Kanaks

97  

 98  

99  

Banana leafs, Araucaria trees, Bougainvillea and towering Royal Palms dominate the subtropical vegetation in Canala at the East Coast

100  The renovated Fort Téremba

near Moindou on the West Coast served

once as prison of deported criminals and

political detainees from France .....

 101  ..... between the ruins of the

scattered buildings carpets of

yellow thistles are blooming .....

102  ..... a roofless building in a

privileged setting under a beautiful tree

103  We relax four days at the windy,

two miles long white sandy beach of

Poé near Bourail, despite that the

water is still too cold to swim .....

 104  ..... we enjoy

fascinating sunsets .....

105  ..... and every kind of blue

and green colors of the sea. The

colors are changing constantly

106  Halfway between Bourail and

Poé Beach is the romantic Turtle Bay

(Baie des Tortues) with its towering

Araucaria trees. It is said that below

each tree a warrior of the tribe of the

Bourail-basin is buried vertically

 107  In Melanesian tradition, this cliff

next to the Turtle Bay, called “Rocher

le Bonhomme“, is said to be the entry

point to the underwater kingdom of the

dead. To gain access to the paradise,

the deceased must plunge from the cliff

into the natural water hole. The warden

then checks that those seeking entry have

pierced ears before allowing them access

108  The towering Araucaria

trees assign Turtle Bay its unique charm

109  Beside of the Turtle Bay lies the

“Bay of the lovers“ (Baie des Amoureux).

The two are connected through

a small walking path

 110  „Christmas Stars/Winter Roses”

with their deep red flowers are a special

attraction between the greenery

111  The Néra River is

meandering through the green valley

112  The Bâ waterfall, 8 miles North

of Houaïlou, plunges through a black

cliff into a refreshing pool. It must be

very impressing with a lot of water

 113  A special gem along the East

coast, 7 miles South of Poindimié, is

the little church of St. Paul in Pambou

at the feet of towering Araucaria trees

114  Janice – a sweet Kanak

girl – sits on the hood of our

LandCuiser for a

remembering picture

115  Liliana looks like an ant at

the bottom of this Araucaria tree.

They can grow as tall as 100ft

 116  Bus stations in the North are

wonderfully painted, but

unfortunately often ruined with graffiti

117  After Ponérihouen on the East

Coast, we drive over a long iron bridge,

originating still from the Second World

War and nicknamed “Eiffel-Bridge”

118  Children at the Tiakan Camping,

4 miles North of Ponérihouen, are eager

to learn about our epic journey .....

 119  ..... the setting of the camping

in a large coconut palm grove at the

beach with its hot showers is worth

the fee of US$ 11.50

120  This traditional Kanak hut

(Case) is the main attraction of

Poindimié’s city beach

More websites from New Caledonia:

 

• Pictures from the first part of our Caledonia trip: Nouméa and the South of Grande Terre
• Pictures from the third part of our Caledonia trip: North #2 of Grande Terre

Articles in newspapers about us in New Caledonia:

Article: "Un voyage sans fin", Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes - August 27, 2008