New Caledonia

Located in the South Pacific between Australia and Fiji lies an incredibly small island that is very close to my heart- Nouvelle Calédonie. (Also referred to as New Caledonia for my all of my English friends out there) This beautiful island is known for its turquoise waters, tropical atmosphere and for housing one of the world’s largest marine abundant lagoons. Some of the more popular activities on the island include: diving, snorkeling, wind-surfing, sailing, paddle-boarding and hiking.

Like many people from the United States, I had never heard of New Caledonia, that is, until my best friend’s family moved there in 2013. Having my “second family” suddenly move to a new time zone that requires a seventeen-hour flight and an expensive plane ticket was an adjustment- to say the least. Although it was difficult for our two families (the Troboas fam and the Montgomery clan) to say goodbye to one another after living in the same small town for the last eleven years, we remained very close. Between Skype calls, Facebook messaging and yearly visits, we made it work. It was never a goodbye, but rather a “see you later.” After one “see you later” led to another and then another, in January of 2017 it was finally time that the Montgomery’s traveled to New Caledonia to reunite the two families for a two-week long vacation.

This was my first time visiting the Troboas’s in their new island home since the move. They live in the capital of New Caledonia which is Nouméa (pronounced NOO-MAY-UH, in case you were unsure) in a beautiful house perched up on top of a hillside overlooking the bay. We saw some of the most beautiful views from their home like the ones below:

View from the kitchen at the Troboas household

We ate just about every meal out on their beautiful patio

I could jump off of the dining room table and straight into their pool! (Let the record show that I actually never attempted this)

An incredible view of the sunset from the kitchen

Some of the activities we did while in Nouméa included boating, hiking, visiting museums, shopping, going out at night and, of course, lighting off fireworks (which I honestly don’t remember being legal but perhaps it was?). Anyway, one of my favorite hikes of the entire trip was to La Rivière Blue. It was a very easy hike and didn’t take more than thirty minutes to get to what I can only describe as a lake of “blue Gatorade”. I will seriously never forget this gorgeous scene.

La Rivière Bleu when the sunlight came out— gorgeous!

If you look closely on the last picture, you can see two people contemplating a jump off of the high rock. In fact, a lot people in our group jumped off from that spot not long after this picture was taken! But I must say that we definitely got upstaged when a few local teenagers showed up and performed all kind of flips and difficult jumps from that same spot. We were all very impressed!

Since moving to New Caledonia, the Troboas’ have picked up a really fun past time— sailing! So of course we had to have a sunset cruise on their boat! And it wouldn’t be complete without some delicious French bread, cheese, charcuterie and wine. If you are, by chance, in New Caledonia and are wondering what activities you could possibly do, I’d say eating cheese and bread while watching the sunset over the horizon is must— even if you’r not on a boat; I promise the view was just as beautiful from the beach!

A photo of the horizon taken on an iPhone, believe it or not

During our two-week visit, we explored the island and decided to take a “vacation” from our vacation by flying to another nearby island named île de Pins also known as the “Island of Pines.” The flight from Nouméa to Île de Pins only lasted about twenty-five minutes, but it was definitely one of the most gorgeous views that I had ever seen from the sky!

When we arrived, we loaded up onto a bus and headed to the Oure Lodge Beach Resort at Kanumera Bay where we were greeted by friendly receptionists with delicious, tropical drinks. Everyone who worked there was incredibly friendly and were patient/kind enough to let me practice my French with them! The resort itself consists of thirty bungalows on the property with some right on the water! Below are pictures of some of the bungalows:

My favorite part about the resort was that it had its own private bay where we could swim, snorkel, paddle board and, of course, lay out to tan!

Gorgeous water and soft san beach at Kanumera Bay

Crystal clear water even on a cloudy day

île de Pins living up to its name “Island of Pines” with pine trees covering the island

A flower crown left behind by the island natives

Paddle boarding in warm rainfall around Kanumera Bay

During our stay at Île de Pins, we decided to rent a boat and go on a tour of the other islands nearby. These islands included: Nokanhui Atoll, Îlot Brosse and Îlot Signal. During our ride, dolphins playfully swam next to our boat for a good twenty minutes- it was pure magic! At one point we were able actually leave the boat and swim with some large turtles!

Alexandra (we call her Zaza) is the middle of the two Troboas girls and also talented at braiding her own hair on the fly!

Our first stop on the tour was to the smallest of the three islands- Nokanhui Atoll. This particular island is so small that you can run across from one side of it to another in under five minutes! I can only describe it as a beautiful strip of soft, white sand completely surrounded by crystal, blue water. It is an unreal scene that will forever live inside my mind. Seriously, Google it and I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Still gorgeous on a gloomy day at Nokanhui Atoll

Me and the Troboas girls at Nokanhui Atoll

The youngest Troboas sister, Olivia, smiling for the camera

After leaving Nokanhui Atoll, it was time for some lunch at another nearby island- Îlot Brosse.

This was the dining set-up that we arrived to at Îlot Brosse and it was right by the water!

The locals had prepared fish du jour accompanied by rice and other delicacies

After lunch, we hiked around the island amongst tall pines trees. It was very surreal to be on a tropical island, but yet surrounded by pine trees.

And of course my brother Jeff and I had to partake in a handstand competition before heading to Îlot Signal.

Upon arriving to Îlot Signal, there was one, very long dock at which we tied up the boat and unloaded our gear.

View of the dock at Îlot Signal looking out into the ocean

The water at Îlot Signal is the clearest water I have ever seen! The sun came out upon for our arrival, which made for very turquoise water. Side note: apparently the sun is much stronger in New Caledonia than it is in Southern California because it closer to the equator. My advice is to definitely pack extra sunscreen and wear a rash-guard whenever possible. I promise having healthy skin is much better than being a lobster in a bikini!

Emma and I “cooling off” in the warm, tropical water

I definitely regret not snorkeling more in this clear water!

Just to be clear, I’m still in French territory… don’t be fooled by the “Italia” hat

After relaxing in the water, we hiked around the island. Îlot Signal is also not a very large island and we were able to hike around most of it in an hour.

A shell I found on the other side of Îlot Signal

A jellyfish found in the shallow water of Îlot Signal

My first visit to New Caledonia has filled my mind with beautiful memories that will forever hold a special place in my heart. Its tropical atmosphere, gorgeous views and crystal clear water make it alluring to any traveler, but what made it so very special to me, was the people that I had experienced it all with. I look forward to my return visit in the near future!

Zaza, Olivia, Emma and I watching the sunset on our final night at Île de Pins

Also one final tip— if you’re flying from the states, you will have to have a layover at some point to get to New Caledonia. I highly recommend laying over in Fiji. And if your layover is long enough, like ours was, you’ll have some time enjoy a cocktail on the beach before your next flight ;) We flew in to the Nadi Airport and spent a few hours at the Sheraton Fiji Resort on the beach. It was only a 20 minute drive away and was way better than sitting around in an airport!

Paste this link to the resort in your browser and check it out for yourself: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/nansi-sheraton-fiji-resort/

LiveSimplyCalifornia