I am in Noumea, New Caledonia for a luxury cruise to the Isle of Pines and back, via some of the other islands in the Unesco World Heritage Listed region.

I am here for just 6 nights and will enjoy this South Pacific nation’s wild beauty both on land and in the sea.

I have been preparing for this trip by reading about Noumea and New Caledonia and even so, the beauty of Ouen Isle really bathed me in a brand new light today: I didn’t realise that pristine coral reef could extend all the way along the shore of an island as rugged and mountainous as this:

I have today enjoyed snorkelling with my companions and a dive guide by the name of Bastien who owns a Noumea-based company, ”Odyssey”. Bastien gave us a long and detailed presentation about the underwater highlights of our visit to Noumea and then took us out in a tender to experience it all first hand. Such a charming man, and so knowledgeable! We had an hour out on the reef, enjoying the beauty and vibrancy of the coral — and, of course, the myriad varieties of darting, shapely fish which inhabit this area. The reef shark swimming by was just the icing on the cake for a fabulous adventure with snorkel and flippers.

The yachts that we are travelling with, MASTEKA 2 and IROUE are so well maintained and I am deeply appreciative of the kind-hearted crew onboard both of these yachts. We have been looked after with great skill today. Patient, caring, funny and very, very attentive: our crew served us rose wine… and peppermint tea… they served soft towels…. and champagne…. they served one opportunity for fun after another… and in amongst it, a beautiful buffet lunch. Tonight, they had ensured that all of our group were completely satisfied by the time dessert rolled out. It was a fitting end to the day: a well-balanced evening meal, a little on the wild side, with plenty of “yum-and-hum” flavours and a little touch of decadence.

The adventure into Noumea was bound to be good, and we’re off to a flying start! More soon!