Mystery Island, Vanuatu

The winds and weather was so rough last night that there was talk of not being able to tender today, which would mean another day at sea and no stop on Mystery Island. : ( Luckily… the weather today was okay, and I caught a tender boat over to the island around 11am. My roommate Candice and I were delighted at how pretty the island was. There are no inhabitants (the natives come over from the neighboring island), and you can walk around the island in less than one hour. Many people were snorkeling, relaxing on the beach, or strolling around the little market. Around 2pm on our way back to the boat the storm came in, we got absolutely soaked while waiting for the tender! We then experienced an extremely rocky ride to the ship, where I grabbed lunch in the Lido and watched the rain fall on the windows.

Noumea, New Calendonia

My day in Noumea was a little overcast, but luckily the rain decided to hide for most of the day! Noumea is known as the soul of France in the South Pacific, and it’s the capital city of the island! Everyone speaks French and the currency is still the Pacific Franc. A few of us got off the ship right at 8am to explore the island. There was a nice old church where a wedding was taking place; I snapped a quick picture of the bride as we walked by. Andrew from New Zealand and I rented a scooter and explored the coastline. It was great! We headed down past Lemon Bay (Baie Des Citrons), and then to Anse Vata, a beautiful beach with a French promenade. The beaches were practically empty. We packed a picnic which we had bought at the Supermarket which consisted of a traditional baguette and French Brie cheese! It was very yummy! After we ate, we headed up some windy roads to the bay of Anse Kuendu. It was the prettiest beach by far! There were horses off to the side, and a really rustic looking resort with cabins out above the sea! Something that until now I had only seen in pictures or advertisements for far off resorts! It was really nice! On the ride back we stopped to talk to some young boys who were jumping off a high bridge into crystal looking water below! The boys were so friendly, I spoke to them in my broken French and we took some photos! After telling them I was not going to jump, they kept saying “Another photo Madam!!” It was a lot of fun! Next time hopefully the sun will shine a little brighter!!! Xox