Bart Bear's Blog

Most of the South Pacific cruises out of Australia include a stop at Noumea, capital of New Caledonia. Some people rave about this "France in the Pacific", but this small bear has been there 3 times now and won't bother getting off the ship next time. New Caledonia is the source of around 25% of the world's nickel and Noumea is its main port. There are all sorts of industrial plants visible as you sail in, and the ship is normally docked in the industrial port. That means you need a shuttle bus into town. Search "Noumea" on the blog and you will find photos of the city from my previous visits in 2014 and 2015. There is always a tugboat ready to help the ship to dock safely. Mostly, they are not needed as modern cruise ships are extremely maneuverable and can dock themselves, but the tugs are there if something goes wrong. There are dozens of barges and tugs moored around the harbour. One of the beaches on the outskirts of the port is a graveyard for old craft, mostly barges, tugs and small coastal trading vessels. The industrial harbour area looks dirty and messy, in fact Noumea outside the tourist areas looks dirty and messy. Around the city, particularly in the tourist areas, parks and markets, there are many colourful trees and shrubs to provide contrast. 

Labels: cruising, new Caledonia, Noumea

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

St Joseph's Bay on the Isle of Pines is a place where traditional Melanesian outrigger canoes are still being built. The things that distinguishes these canoes from those from other island groups is the single outrigger spaced out from the starboard side of the main hull, about the same distance out as the length of the main hull, and the overhanging deck on the port side. There were none sailing when we stopped there as all the sailing ones were out fishing or taking tourists to outer islands. The local Kunie people who live here have been fishermen for centuries. They leave their gear in little bush shelters in the edge of the trees. You can see that despite their traditional canoe designs, they all have added outboard motors for those times when the wind doesn't blow.

Labels: boats, Noumea

What a lousy week we have had. Mum was carted off to hospital last Sunday night in extreme pain. She has only just been released as an outpatient and will have to be back for lots of more tests this week. I am a bit annoyed because she went to hospital in an ambulance and the paramedics didn't invite me to ride with them. Anyhow, with Mum in one hospital and Dad having cancer treatment in another one I have been really busy looking after the house. Now a really cold snap has hit Canberra and the rest of south-east Australia and it's wet and miserable outside. I hope that it brings snow so I can make my first snowbear. Cold, wet weather makes me wish I was back on one of the nice beaches that my travels have taken me to. These two are on the Isle of Pines. They are close to the pier where the ship's boats let passengers ashore. The top one is Kanumera Bay and it has a good patch of fringing reef for snorkelling. The little island at the far end of the beach is a sacred place and visitors aren't allowed to set foot on it. The bottom beach is at Kuto Bay. This is a good beach for kids as it has a nice sandy bottom, not rocky like at Kanumera. You can see "Radiance of the Seas" moored in the background, and the pier is just off the left side of the image. The tree was good climbing for a small bear.

Labels: beach, boats, cruising, Noumea

Gosh, it has been a fortnight since my last post. Problem is that Dad is at the hospital every day for his radiation cancer treatment and I need him to check my spelling and grammar. So back to pictures from our last cruise. We usually use local tours rather than those organized by the ship. The standard of transport is not as good, but the local guides are usually very happy to show you their home turf and to tell you stories about it. At the Isle of Pines we took a round-the-island tour on this small bus. That's Mum in the seat by the door; the best views while traveling are from that seat if you can win the rush for it. Dad says that the most interesting thing about the bus, mechanically, was the way it managed with absolutely minimal suspension. Our guide/driver was Christopher, who has lived all his life on the island. He let me help start the bus and close the door before we started. He also has a small family of Aussie bears on the windscreen of the bus (OK, they are koalas, not real bears, but they do look similar to me and I am supposed to be a bear. The Oldies reckon there must be a fair bit of koala in my ancestry). We saw most of the special places on the island and I have some great photos to show you soon.

Labels: cars and trucks, cruising, Noumea, South Pacific

I always get my photo taken with something that names the ship I am on. Usually that comes down to a photo of me in the life-ring-thingy. These have the name of the ship and its port of registration on them. I am slowly getting a collection of photos of me in these rings, 6 at present. In the case of "Radiance of the Seas" there was an even better thing, the ship's badge. This is a big plaque with the Royal Caribbean crown and anchor flanked by what I think are sa eagles, flags and scrolls. And yes, if you look closely you can me in there as well. A good background is useful. Sometimes Mum won't let the photo be taken if there is even the slightest chance of me falling overboard, so that rules out the possible heroic ones where the waves are spectacular. However, in this case the calm water of the lagoon at Isle of Pines, near Noumea, makes a very acceptable backdrop.

Labels: boats, cruising, Noumea, South Pacific

I just love arriving at a place that I have never been before. Our cruise on "Radiance of the Seas" took us to the Isle of Pines and I was looking forward to seeing it because it is Unka Ray and Aunty Libby's favourite Pacific island. The pines which the island is named after are tall, thin and dark. I will put up some photos of them soon (actually, you can see two of them in the background of the beach picture). We were up on the top deck early in the morning to see the ship arrive and to watch the passengers unload. We usually wait for the "mad rush" of people who feel that they have to be on the first few tenders to get off before we disembark. The water is too shallow for the ship to dock at the pier, so we all had to go ashore on the ship's tenders. These small lifeboats carry 100 passengers, and it is pretty cramped when they have a full load. You get onto them from a gangway on deck 2, just above the waterline. The door is a bit low for tall people, but my cute height-challenged Mum can forget about the sign. One of the first things that I do on a new island is to check out the beaches, usually from a spot that is out of the reach of crabs. The beach in this picture is the closest one to the pier. You can see the pier and one of the tenders in the background. Later in the day when the clouds cleared this beach was packed with swimmers, but I was off exploring the rest of the island.

Labels: beach, boats, crabs, cruising, Noumea

Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia, is a city of contrasts. The language and signs are French, but most of the people you see around the streets are Kanak. The "old town" near the port is definitely in need of some urban renewal. The newer suburbs around the resorts are fine. This small bear suggests that you do not try to get a taxi in the old town. It took the Oldies over an hour to literally fight their way into one; the crowds are pushy and the taxi drivers are rude. Forget it unless you have local currency, they will not take Aussie or American dollars. However, there are shops and markets. Mum has been there before and knows the game. With 1 Aussie dollar being 85 South Pacific Francs she always feels like a millionaire when she does the money exchange. One of the fun ways to get around Noumea is on the Chou-chou road trains. They go around all the main tourist stops. We spent the morning (what was left of it after the taxi fiasco) at Anse Vata bay. This is a good swimming spot and has the necessary shops for souvenir browsing and trying real French crepes and coffee. You probably think that the last photo is of a lighthouse, but in fact it is the OPT telecom tower. It had me confused for a while as it would be a great location for a lighthouse. Actually it is on a great lookout spot for views over the port and Noumea.

Labels: boats, cruising, Noumea

The most spectacular part of "Radiance of the Seas" is the Centrum. As its name suggests, this is a large open area at the centre of the ship. It reaches all the way up from deck 4 to deck 12. The glass elevator lobbies are on each deck of Centrum. Shops, bars, lounges and passenger service areas all are located around the Centrum, or in corridors nearby. It is most impressive at night, when it is lit up by changing coloured lighting. The top photos show one of the glass stairs where people pose for portraits, and a view of the many balconies that overlook Centrum. The balconies mean that even if you can't get up close through the crowds on deck 4 to see and hear the activities that take place on the floor of Centrum, you can usually see and hear from a balcony on a higher deck. The bottom photos are: looking down from deck 12, past the hanging artwork, and looking up from deck 4 to the Crown and Anchor lounge, which is like a flying saucer suspended in the top of Centrum. All of the ships I have been on have a special "centrepiece", but I think that Radiance's Centrum is the best so far.

Labels: boats, cruising, Noumea

We just finished a cruise on the best ship we have been on so far. This small bear thinks "Radiance of the Seas" is just about perfect. The happy and efficient crew made for a happy trip. Not a long cruise this time, just 7 days to Noumea and Isle of Pines and return. In case you have been watching the news about cruise ships not being able to get into Sydney for the past 2 days, due to horrendous weather, we actually docked a day before the harbour had to be closed. We had good weather for the whole cruise. Radiance is not as big as Voyager or QM2, but I liked not having to walk so far to get from our cabin to where things were happening, and there was always something interesting happening. Sailing out of Sydney is always special, it is a truly beautiful harbour. At the very start of the voyage Mum took a great picture of the Opera House. We have many pictures of it, but the angle from the top deck gives a more 3D effect than you get from the ground, and the lighting makes it really pretty. Lots more pix of ship and shore posting soon.

Labels: boats, cruising, Noumea, Sydney

Yay!!!!! The time has come for us to pack our bags and head off on another cruise. This weekend we join "Radiance of the Seas" in Sydney for a cruise to New Caledonia and back. Dad is the enrichment lecturer on the cruise. He will be giving talks on astronomy every day at sea. If you ever happen to be on a cruise where Dad is lecturing, go and hear him; he is actually pretty good (but never tell him that I told you so). I love the days at sea, particularly when the sea is calm and the Sun is shining. Mum and I always try to get a "Kate and Leo" picture on every ship we sail on. Even when the weather is a bit rough I like it, you can get really moody photos then. I can't decide if I like the tropical parts of the South Pacific better than the colder bit around New Zealand. The ports of call are always pretty and interesting. The photo here is of islands in the huge lagoon at Noumea. We will be back there on Wednesday and this time I will make sure that the Oldies take sand-fly and mozzie repellant with them.

Labels: astronomy, boats, cruising, New Zealand, Noumea, South Pacific

OK, before the purists among you jump and clammer loudly that these are SHIPS, not boats, I admit that is the proper term, but "ships" doesn't alliterate with "Bart's". I absolutely love cruising and these are the ships that I have cruised on so far. "Dro Ki Cakau" was a happy ship. I did three cruises around various parts of Fiji on her. The photo shows her moored among the northern Yasawa islands. She was damaged beyond repair during a cyclone in 2010, and replaced by "Reef Endeavour". I cruised some of the Great Barrier Reef on "Reef Endeavour" in 2005, while she was based in Cairns. The picture shows her at Cooktown. What can I say about "Queen Mary 2"? She is the ultimate cruise liner, a superb mix of classic Cunard luxury and modern technology. I only had 5 days on her in 2011 and hope that we can afford a longer trip sometime in the future. The photo shows her arriving in Fremantle harbour. "Voyager of the Seas" is my favourite ship, so far. Dad was lecturer on her on a New Zealand trip in 2012. Although not as "posh" as the QM2, "Voyager" is a well-run and happy ship with lots of activities, live music of various types, and interesting places to eat. The good news is that we are taking Mum on another "Voyager" cruise for her birthday and Christmas this year. "Celebrity Millenium" was a bit of a let-down because the ship was kept too cold and lots of the passengers got really sick. The ship was OK, but didn't have the excitement of the others. However, the cruise from Hawaii to Sydney via French Polynesia took us to many places the Oldies wanted to see. There is a blank space in the mosaic for my next ship. This will be "Radiance of the Seas", which Dad will be lecturing on in April during a cruise to New Caledonia. I am looking forward to returning to Noumea and investigating a new ship. Love cruising.
You can see many images from these cruises on my blog, just search the ship name in the search window at top left of the page.

Labels: boats, Cairns, Captain Cook, cruising, Fiji, New Zealand, Noumea, Tahiti

One of the ports that we visited on our cruise in "Celebrity Millenium" last November is Noumea, the capital city of New Caledonia. It is a city that is growing rapidly and is really like a little Paris in the Pacific. The city is built around a large harbour, much of which is a commercial port exporting Nickel ore. In fact, the hills of New Caledonia contain about 25% of the Earth's nickel. Many of the plants and animals of New Caledonia are found nowhere else on Earth. The one that I would like to know more about is the local species of crow; it makes the most complex tools of any animal (other than people and small bears). Noumea has a history something like Australia. It was a penal colony in the late 1800s, a major base for Allied forces during WW2, and is still in the process of integrating the French and the original Kanak inhabitants. When you sail into the harbour, one of the first things you notice is the huge stockpile of ore being loaded onto bulk carriers. Then you see the pretty town hugging the rest of the bay. Noumea is very different from Papeete; it is clean, cared for and friendly. There are some very pretty beaches around town and a famous lighthouse out in the huge lagoon. That's enough reasons for the Oldies and I to go back for a longer stay sometime soon.

Labels: boats, cruising, Noumea