A special place on Isle of Pines is St Maurice Bay. This is the place where the first missionaries landed in 1848. The Kunie people have placed a statue on the spot where the first Mass was celebrated; some people say it is of St Maurice, but our tour driver says it is of Jesus. They have surrounded this statue with a fence made with dozens of tribal totem carvings. More of these make a fence along the head of the beach. I think the totem poles are fascinating. They also make good climbs for small bears who want a close-up look at the strange faces and patterns. One sad thing is the plaque at the base of the main statue, with the names of 16 Kunies who died in France in the First World War. Comparing the beautiful, peaceful place they left and the horrible, ugly way they died in the trenches is another thing that makes this small bear detest stupid, senseless war.
Labels: climbing, cruising, Noumea
# posted by Bart Bear @ 2:56 pm
