The ports are now finished on this 28-night transpacific crossing after we spent the day in Noumea, capital of New Caledonia. We’ll disembark in Sydney on Tuesday, after two days at sea.
I love Noumea. We’ve been there several times in the past, but not for nearly seven years. I’ve discovered that fact made us rather dangerous when it came to finding our way around. Though we were often correct, at times we were absolutely wrong. At the end of the day, I’m still convinced that at least three major buildings were dismantled, moved and re-constructed in a new location a block or two away. Really!! 😆
Part of the reason we enjoy Noumea so much is that there are numerous ways to spend a day there, but faced with lots of options, we were of one mind about what to do today, and I purchased tickets on Viator yesterday for the HOHO bus and tickets to the Aquarium. It is a surprisingly good one, and we had enjoyed it immensely in the past. Of course, my preference is always to go to an aquarium, but certainly appreciated the fact that it was G’s top choice also.
We went to breakfast at 7am and walked off the ship with nothing other than IDs and a little cash about 8:30am. Because all large ships dock at a freight port, and despite being right in the city center, shuttle buses take guests to a visitor center just outside of the port (one of those buildings that had moved in the past 7 years, just across the street from where it used to be 😉). Funnily enough, the super marché across the street must have been moved, too, so after trading in our digital coupon for the HOHO bus for two wristbands, we walked across the street and G bought two sodas and I bought bought a baguette for 103 CFP to carry with us for the day. Because that’s what everyone in Noumea is carrying on a Saturday morning.
The baguette became an ongoing joke between us as I pointed out (in response to G’s questioning look) that it was a very useful item to have on hand. Not only could we eat it, we could fish with it, and eat the fish. And fight off wild animals and bad guys. And when he later proposed we sell everything and live on a yacht moored in Lemon Bay in Noumea, I helpfully suggested we could use our baguette to row our dinghy out to our yacht. Or to fly our flag. Or…you get the idea. We got our money’s worth out of that baguette today in humor alone.
We spent quite a bit of time at the Aquarium, and sat and gazed a full 30 minutes at the outdoor turtle and shark tank. These sea turtles were massive; one was more than four feet long.
We still had a little time to spare (it was a short day, with an on board time of 3.30pm) and crossed the street and sat in the beach for awhile, chomping on the baguette. It was getting quite windy and I was glad we hadn’t gone with our second choice for the day, to take the ferry over to Duck Island, as the water looked rough. Amadee Island is even further, 45 minutes away, and we had friends going there for the day. I suspect that was a rough ferry ride.
We got back to the ship about 2:30pm and went to the Horizon Court for a quick bite to eat. Then we rested for a short time before dinner. I am still mesmerized by this La Villa Vie Odyssey and every day brings a few new videos about it on YouTube. I have a feeling I’ll be binge watching when I should be packing on our way to Sydney.
Tonight’s Princess Theater entertainment was the Australian Beatles. They were great, and will be back again the final night of the cruise with a whole new set. G claims we’ve seen them before, but I don’t recall them. I remember seeing the British Beatles, the American Beatles and the Italian Beatles but not the Aussie Beatles. But they’ve all been fantastic.
We’re skipping the Halloween party in favor of bed. It’s really rocking back here in our cabin tonight. I’ve already put duct tape on the drawers to keep them closed overnight. My water workout tomorrow may have to be in a midship pool. Things are pretty sloshy in the Terrace Pool.
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| Halloween decorations around the ship |
