Today was the BEST day! Magical! Perfection in a port. Everything we had heard about Isle of Pines was absolutely true. It was definitely one of the top five ports we’ve ever visited. And our day was even better because of the incredible weather we’re continuing to have on this 8-night cruise. Sunny, breezy, warm (but not too hot). We got lucky on this one!
Our excitement about our day, already running high, was ratcheted up a few notches at breakfast. We happened to sit next to a blog reader, Pam from Sydney and her friend. What were the odds of that? I’ve only had four people ‘recognize’ me all season long; to sit next to Pam on the day we were visiting Isle of Pines for the first time was especially fortuitous. And blog rider, Chez and her husband Andy, who live in Sydney, too, had filled us in before we even left home in September. That all these Aussies who had visited Isle of Pines numerous times in the past spoke so highly of it left us really looking forward to our day.
Where in the world are we?
The ship’s location at anchor
Looking northwest from the ship
We tendered into Kuto Bay, which put us in the middle of two beaches today:
Kuto Beach and Kanumera Beach
Looking toward Kuto Bay and Kuto Beach from the ship
We returned to our cabin after breakfast, packed heavily for a beach day, and were on an early tender to the island. We had a long day in port today; last tender from shore was scheduled for 5pm, so we didn’t have to rush this morning, but we didn’t want to dawdle either. There was much to explore! Entertainment Director Rich had made an announcement that the tender ride was expected to be rough, and people prone to motion sickness might want to be prepared. I added a small plastic shopping bag I’d gotten in Noumea to the top of my bag, but thankfully didn’t need it.
Our first ‘up close’ view of Kuto Beach
Pinch me!
Just like yesterday, we decided to explore before settling down on the beach for the day, and I’m so glad we did. Because there were not one, but two beautiful beaches from which to choose, each so long and crescent-shaped that sitting on various parts of each beach provided a completely different experience in terms of shade, waves and people.
G enjoyed seeing this;
he once devised something very similar to roll our canoe up onto the roof of our vehicle,
but the canoe was aluminum so instead of attaching the lawn mower wheels to the canoe,
he built a wood base with wheels that slid onto it. Men are the same everywhere. ;-)
In the 19th century, New Caledonia was the site of various penal colonies. Much like the British and Australia, the French sent their “undesirables” and criminals to New Caledonia, including Isle of Pines. No surprise that, once the prisoners had served their terms and were free to return to France, many of them didn’t. Like the Brits sent to Australia, they probably figured they had gotten the better end of that deal. Near the tender pier were the remains of an old prison. When we entered the walls, I definitely had some spooky vibes, something I’ve not had when visiting Port Arthur on Tasmania (rumored to be haunted).
Remains of the former French prison
These steps could definitely tell some tales!
On the other side of the prison remains was Kanumera Bay and Kanumera Beach. Only a few hundred feet away from Kuto Bay and Beach, this one was equally beautiful. The reef in the distance kept the waves to a minimum and there was a huge rock “island” in the middle that we had heard was home to some fantastic snorkeling.
One end of Kanumera Beach
Kanumera Beach with the rock island on the right
One sign. Two beaches just a couple of minutes walk apart.
That doesn’t happens very often!
There were massive pine trees along Kanumera Beach, hundreds of years old
that definitely helped keep the beach in place. This one had blown over but
was left in place. It still did the job.
This rock island was surrounded by some incredible snorkeling
and was beautiful, too!
That water color! It was French Polynesia all over again.
Panorama photo of Kanumera Beach,
and I still couldn’t fit it all in one shot
Blue sky through the pine tree for which the island was named.
We sat on two different places on Kanumera Beach for a few hours, first far from the rock island, which was a busy area because of the snorkeling option, and then by the rock island. The sand on Kanumera Beach was light brown, fairly fine, and (even for me!) easy to walk on. I had not intended to snorkel today but took my gear just in case. I’m convinced that I had become sick from snorkeling two cruises ago: it had all started in my ears. G has not missed an opportunity (not a single one!) to point out that I didn’t help myself by using the drying ear drops as mask defogger (which didn’t work at all) and the defogger gel as ear drops. I hate it when he’s right (and afterward wrote the purpose of each in large letters on the sides of the bottles. Large letters readable even without reading glasses). ;-)
When I saw that beautiful, crystal clear water and all the people enjoying the snorkeling, I couldn’t resist, and was very happy I had taken my mask and snorkel. The water was so warm and calm, and the viz so endless that I lost track of time (I always do), and was grateful I had applied a thick layer of mineral sunscreen on the backs of my legs before starting out this morning. Remember all that sunscreen I packed? I am going to have to scrimp a bit on our New Zealand cruises to have enough for one more run up to the islands. One of the cooks who sets up the Elite Lounge each night asked if I was going to the beach on this cruise. “You’re so white!” Yes, I am. It’s definitely not sexy but it is healthy.
There was a small stand selling potato chips, sodas and water, and we bought a single can of Pringles for AU $8 (just under US $6). Most expensive chips ever, but when you’re hungry on a beach and the ship is a long tender ride away, you do what you must. After a few hours, we walked back to a Kuto Beach, following some Aussies who clearly had been here before, cutting through the trees on a well delineated path. That’s how close these two beaches are to each other. (And the French thought this was a good site for a penal colony? It’s my idea of heaven.)
Path to Kuto Beach
The Princess flag was flying from every tree
Kuto Beach, unlike nearby Kanumera Beach, had white, powdered sugar sand, perfect for taking a long walk along its endless length. It reminded me a lot of Holland America’s Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas...but much better. This was the kind of beach that appears on the cover of travel magazines.
Kuto Beach
We dropped our things in the shade and set out to walk to the far end of the beach and back. Pure joy. The day was perfect, not too hot, and the water temp was warmer than the air. What I didn’t know until I got back to the ship and looked at Google Maps is that there was still another long, crescent beach just behind Kuto Beach called Kutéma Beach. This place is paradise!
About 3pm we tendered back to the Ruby Princess. We could have stayed another two hours, but wanted to beat the crowds in the tender line, but also wanted to be cleaned up and in Skywalkers for the Elite Lounge at 4:30pm. We knew we’d have some spectacular views from up there. We did. :-) A single can of Pringles potato chips, regardless of how expensive it was, doesn’t have much staying power, and we were starved when we went to dinner. Thankfully, it was Italian night. I had a dinner-sized salad topped with roasted red peppers and shrimp as my entree. Delicious!
Day 6 dinner menu page 1
Day 6 dinner menu, page 2
Day 6 dessert menu
Tonight’s Princess Theater performance was production show Magic To Do, and we went to the Princess Theater 45 minutes early to get good seats. Every time I see this show I promise myself it’s the last time this season, but we were tired, and it was the easiest way to spend our evening, just sitting for an hour and a half for the wait and the performance. That may not be a strong endorsement for the show...but it’s honest.
I was so tired that I fell asleep writing this post, with Monday Night Football on TV and my iPad on my chest. The post didn’t get finished; instead I fell asleep with the game tied and only woke up when my iPad fell to the floor in the middle of the night. Let’s hear it for protective cases! We have two days at sea back to Sydney, and I’m ready for the rest. Spending three days on six different beaches is hard work...but soooooooooooo fun.
Life is good. ;-)
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Isle of Pines Port Guide, page 1
Isle of Pines Port Guide, page 2
Day 6 Princess Patter, page 1
Day 6 Princess Patter, page 2
Day 6 Princess Patter, page 3
Day 6 Princess Patter, page 4