Ile des Pins--New Caledonia
02 October 2011
9/20/2011 Again, with the wind on our nose, we motored six hours to Kuto Bay on the Ile Des Pins. On the way I caught a four foot Wahoo which is an absolutely delicious fish--we gave fish to our friends and still have some in the freezer!--Note the fleece jacket, it s cool here. Ile Des Pins has tall pine trees and beautiful pale blue/green bays. The island was used as a penal colony by France in the 1800's and there are numerous ruins being reclaimed by the jungle. Kuto is a protected bay with a gorgeous white/pink sand beach. The sand was as fine as talcum powder. We hiked up the local hill called Pic N' Ga (262 meters) and to the main town of Vao. We also sailed and dinghied out to Ile Kotumere which is listed as one of the world's top ten beaches. Kuto is visited by large cruise ships (P&O--they anchor out), and we enjoyed the food/art/dancing put on for the paying passengers (we got in for free).