Isle du Canard,

At last there was less wind today and we ventured across to Isle du Canard for some serious snorkelling.

                                                                    Our water taxi

Good times









It was still windy today but was OK on the side of Isle du Canard where the marine reserve is covering  a small reef.  The kids had a ball and saw all sorts of colourful fish.  We had a walk around the island and saw where a type of puffin bird breeds just off the sand in the bushes.

 

 

After lunch we had time shopping which they were all hanging out for! Unspent money is always a huge problem!

The bus picked us up from the hotel at 5pm and drove us to the Rex dance studio in town. This place is a hugely successful initiative of Council where they have provided this fantastic facility to keep kids occupied outside of school hours. They can learn dance from qualified teachers for free and we were really impressed with it when they gave our kids some hip hop classes there last year. Tonight though, they were hosting a big dance competition. The skill of some of the kids we saw was amazing.We had been invited to perform a couple of Jump Jam items and the boys had been asked by the City Council to open the evening with a haka.  Bill would have been as proud as punch, as we were, of our TIS kids! The boys' haka was electric and the theatre erupted in cheers, whistles and claps when they finished.  The response was the same after the Jump Jam.  The Deputy Mayor for sister cities had introduced us and talked about this great PE programme we have and she wanted the people of Noumea to see it.  There was a professional photographer there taking photos so I will add them to the collection for the kids when he sends them to me.

They were all tucked up in bed by nine thirty with bags packed. They are looking forward to seeing Mums and Dads again I know!

 

We will be at school between 7.30pm and 8pm.  I will let you know if this changes.

 

Au revoir for the last time!  See you soon.

 



 

 

Chocolate and Farewells

Ahhh! How lovely to have yesterday's blog just flick off as it should do a couple of minutes ago! a parent told me tonight that Casa del Sol where we were staying is notorious for it's bad internet connection.  Le Pacifique seems far better.
The bus collected us at 7.30 in the sunshine this morning and took us into town to visit the Morand chocolate shop. If you like chocolate, it is THE most divine establishment! The owner's children go to Mariotti and a son came to NZ with them a couple of years ago. Since then, he has invited us to his shop to explain to the kids all about his craft.  He creates the most beautiful chocolates and cakes with each one being a work of art in it's own right. He is reputedly the best in New Caledonia and is always trying for new taste sensations to include in his chocolates.

 

We then walked down to the Melanesian Museum which was really interesting. They have superb displays explaining about their huts, tools for hunting and fishing, and their clothing. We were taught a dance by a man from the Loyalty Islands and we then performed our waiata and haka for them. It was really nice to be able to share some of our culture with them. The staff all came out and watched the kids perform.  They get better and better with each performance and the boys should be going on tour with their haka when we return!

 

 

 

After a quick trip to the markets over the road, the bus collected us and we went back to Anse Vata Bay. The wind was still too high today for either of our watersports so it was another walk around to Baie des Citrons for swimming and snorkelling.  Nobody complained that we had already done that yesterday!

 

Nobody complained about filled baguettes for lunch again either!

 

We walked up to Mariotti at 5.15 for the farewell gathering. It was lovely to meet the billet families and for them also, it was nice to meet Alex and I, especially those with questions about their trip out in October.  They were all tired by the time we got back to the hotel. They've had long days and needed an early night. We had a quick meal then up to bed. I told them that there would be no snorkelling or shopping for those I heard talking after lights out at 9pm!  Not a sound escaped from any room so they should feel a little more refreshed in the morning - me too as we are not leaving our rooms until 8.30am!

 

Au revoir! 

 

 

 



Phare Amedee

First of all I am sorry yesterday's blog was cut short. I stayed up late trying to finish it but the internet was hopeless and wouldn't let me load photos or even post the blog! I sent it this morning.  The same thing is happening tonight - the internet just keeps dropping and won't save what I've done so this is my 5th attempt at doing it tonight. There won't be any pictures I'm sorry as they just won't load.

 

The day dawned bright and clear and 21 excited faces were waiting at school to depart for our day out on the island. The harbour looked beautiful as we cruised out from the mainland. The trip was good and everyone's breakfast stayed put!

 

 

Seen through the glass-bottomed boat, but later the kids swam alongside them!

The kids had a day they will remember forever as the snorkelling was great and they swam with turtles as well as seeing all the stunning tropical fish.  There were plenty of sea snakes crawling over the island but this time none in the water that we saw, so that pleased most!

 

The ride in the glass-bottomed boat was fantastic and we saw the first of many turtles while we were going over a small reef.  Next trip was out in the big boat to the outer reef to feed some big fish.  No reef sharks were about unfortunately so we didn't see any feeding frenzies!  We go through one of the three natural openings in the reef to feed them and we get a spectacular view of the reef with it's beautiful colours ranging from green to azure, to turquoise. We also got a good view of a couple of wrecks from earlier last century. The same captain misjudged the size of the opening in the reef twice in five years! I bet he had difficulty finding employment after that. They were boats bringing in supplies for the American base in Noumea.

We had a tropical feast for lunch which went down well - Alex and I couldn't talk Chanel into Tuna steaks, prawns, mussels or Tahitian salad though!  Richelle you would have been proud of your boy - as we all walked to the dining area there was a table with the drinks set out on it and everyone helped themselves as they walked past. There was orange juice on the left for the kids and a strawberry coloured drink on the right which was an alcoholic cocktail. We all then went to our table and sat down until one of the boys called out to me to look at Jordan's drink. Yes..... he had grabbed what he thought was a new kind of juice and had had a couple of enjoyable sips until he was told to go exchange it! The kids all thought it very funny. After that followed a cultural concert with Polynesian singing and dancing.

The kids went up the 247 steps to the top of the lighthouse and got a fanastic view for miles. They spent the remainder of the day snorkelling.

 

Learning a local dance

We boarded again for our return to Noumea at 3.30 as requested and sat in the boat and sat and sat and sat.......  After an hour we were told there was a technical problem!  Who wants to hear that when you are 45mins away from the mainland?  After another half an hour we were told another boat was coming out to pick us up because there was something wrong with the electronics in one of the motors and it wouldn't start!  The kids had amused themselves well though, with card games, hand wrestling and comparing photos. Suddenly they said it was all go and we were leaving after all!  As we sat waiting for so long, I had nervously watched the wind come up stronger and wasn't looking forward to the ride back. The kids loved the trip though but as we ploughed through the white-capped swells, I silently hoped that the fixit man on the boat really did know what he was doing - I didn't fancy a mid-ocean rescue one little bit!

All was well and the kids went off with their waiting billet families for the last time.

Tomorrow we will attempt our windsurfing or paddleboarding again after we've visited the chocolate factory.

Au revoir! 
PS. We are now at Le Pacifique where the internet is far better. I couldn't send this this morning either, so I've added some pictures to it and will send now before I start today's blog.

 

The Wind!

There was a strong breeze this morning and then just as we left for school it began raining! I thought our South Pacific bubble had burst but within 30minutes it had stopped and the sun was out again. Unfortunately the wind didn't subside at all at Anse Vata. The kids had classes this morning and then we walked to Anse Vata and I spoke to the very cool looking young surfie dude who was going to teach the paddleboarding or windsurfing. He agreed that it was too rough for either of them but though the kids would have some great fun in the kayaks!  I said the kids were only 11-13 years old and some had never kayaked before. He assured me that they would be fine and the wind was blowing onshore so they would get blown back to shore!  They would get some thrills he thought - I thought they were thrills we could all do without so have postponed till Thursday.  The wind is here all week though so the chances don't look good.

 After classes this morning

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We walked around to Baie des Citrons as an alternative and it was calm again there so the kids had the afternoon swimming and playing frisbee on the beach - great fun for all.
As you know, I had warned everyone (particularly the boys!) that they may well see a  topless woman sunbathing on the beach while we were here. They were to be polite and ignore!    Well........ today as I was filling 23 baguettes for lunch,   a couple came and sat not far from us and readied themselves for sunbathing. The husband/partner helped the woman in her preparations (she was unable to unhook things herself), and then she lay down removing her bikini top in the process. You may well wonder why I'm mentioning this, but it was not some svelte French beach babe next to us but a HUGE , huge woman who should never have even contemplated wearing a bikini in her wildest dreams! We had to speak to the kids about the 'ignoring' thing but understandably, it was difficult. Her body positively oozed over her towel and as Alex said, it was enough to put you off your lunch!   After some time the little husband covered her with her towel as she gathered all her bits and pieces up and popped them back into her clothing and they walked off. I'm sure the story will be told again when they return home!

Mayoral reception & L'ecole Daniel Talon

The kids were all happy this morning and it was bedlam as they all tried to tell us what they'd done over the weekend and what they had eaten etc! They are having a great time and every one of them eagerly shared their experiences with us.
We were welcomed by staff at Hotel de Ville ( City Hall) and the man in charge of education in New Caledonia. He is a very positive guy and thinks the exchanges Taupo Intermediate has with Jean Mariotti College are so worthwhile and valuable for the kids involved. There is a new NZ Consul in Noumea this year and she is a lovely lady from Wellington. She told the kids the path her life took began when she did an exchange to New Caledonia with her school when she was 15!
The kids performed brilliantly with their waiata and the boys were awesome with their haka.

The bus collected us soon after for our day at Daniel Talon. The Melanesian kids there are so excited to see us arrive each year and the littlies are just so cute!  Alex and I were draped with flower and shell leis as a special welcome.

 

 

 

They had a Melanesian concert for us to begin the day and it was fantastic! Then other classes sang songs for us. Their welcome was overwhelmingly warm and friendly. They follow our kids around the playground fascinated by them and vying to be the closest, and holding their hands! 
We all had a beautiful lunch and then the kids played sport and had art activities in various classrooms.  The staff were thrilled with all the flashcards the kids had made for them and also all the soccer balls and gifts they'd brought for the kids as well. The school all came to the gate to wave us off in the bus - the bus driver must have felt as though he had some famous music group or movie stars on board with all the yelling and au revoirs ringing through the neighbourhood!
Billets were waiting to collect the kids when the bus pulled up at Jean Mariotti and they all ran off eagerly. Tomorrow we meet for a morning at school and then head to the beach for paddleboarding or windsurfing, depending on our weather.  Alex and I had a swim as soon as we got home as the day had been very warm. Now that the weekend is over the week will fly by and we will be back in Taupo before we know it, so we want to make the most of every opportunity this beautiful weather brings us!

 

Au revoir until tomorrow!

Mont Dore

We woke to a beautiful morning with Anse Vata Bay looking very different without the wind across it. The shimmering water was like glass. The English teacher from Jean Mariotti was picking us up at 10.30am to go to her family's weekend property at the base of Mont Dore and on the seashore about 30minutes out of the city.  I was lying in the sun reading my book at 7am filling in time until we left!  How can they think this is cold??  It was fabulous.

The family weekend home was a typical bach set in about an acre of tropical trees and bushes all in flower. It was an idyllic setting and there was a group of extended family there to celebrate a friend's birthday. The family often meet there for the weekend and have the traditional family lunch on Sunday. Alex has been well and truly initiated into the French 'long lunch' and reckons he's never eaten so much during one meal in his life! We began with nibbles when we arrived just after 11am and the meal of four more courses finished at about 3pm. Everyone then retired to a bedroom for a nap!  Alex and I walked along the beach for a while and then lay in the sun on mats provided for a couple of hours reading.  It was a wonderful way to spend Sunday and to be with such friendly warm people was extra special.

The weekend retreat

Mont Dore

 

We arrived home at 6.30pm feeling relaxed and ready to face our busy week ahead. We certainly did not need dinner!

 

Once again we are looking forward to seeing the kids and hearing of their weekend exploits. It's brekky with the Mayor tomorrow and then our day with the primary school kids at Daniel Talon.

 

Until tomorrow evening, au revoir!

Le Weekend

It was a nice feeling knowing we didn't have to get up early this morning and that thought was even better all through the night being woken up by the revellers in the clubs at Baie des Citrons and in the rooms next to us! It felt as though we were part of it and with them all!  These walls are so thin! This morning it was lightly raining but by 8am that had stopped. Alex went for a run then a swim, and I finally sorted the Blog hassle.  Internet problems here are just the same as they ever were. How anyone works here in IT I don't know - it is so slow. I see why some French kids couldn't contact ours. They said our addresses must be wrong, but I can't email anyone at home as it just says those addresses are not allowed!  So frustrating!

We visited the markets this morning which is always great and by then the sun was warm and the wind had dropped. 

                                         The markets are on the waterfront at Port Moselle

Locals enjoying the sunshine and company outside the markets

We then drove out to the big Carrefour (massive supermarket) just out of the city and wandered through the shop along with hundreds and hundreds of locals doing their shopping. Nothing is open here on Sunday so today is a busy day for most retail outlets. It is always fascinating walking the aisles and seeing the vast array of different and intriguing foods available. The variety of huge wheels of cheese and large pots of mouth-watering pates ...... - very hard to walk past!
We watched the spectacular display from the kitesurfers out on the point this afternoon and also all the windsurfers who were fair flying through the water. Anse Vata Bay gets the Trade Winds so there is nearly always some wind and many competitions for these sports are held here. There were kayak races today as well so the Bay was really busy.
After lunch we walked around to Baie des Citrons for some swimming and saw Hollie and Lauren in the water as well. They were loving life swimming in the sun!
Tomorrow Alex and I are invited out to Mont Dore, about half an hour south of the city, for a family celebration so we are looking forward to that. 
We hope that good old Taupo has started warming up preparing for our return.

Au revoir!
C & A