Morning came all too soon. And as much as we always try to immediately force ourselves into the rhythm of any new time zone we find ourselves in, a 15-hour time change is simply not something one can slip into overnight. I forced myself to stay awake until 11pm Auckland time, but then only got away with three hours of zzzzz's. So when the alarm finally went at 6am, it was agonizing.
The Crowne Plaza had thrown in a buffet breakfast with our room rate, and it was exceptional. So that was the one good thing about crawling out of bed this morning.
When we left the hotel 7:15am to go a couple of blocks to the SkyBus station (to get back to Auckland Airport), the rain was coming down in torrents. So we jumped in a taxi for the short ride. It should have taken all of two minutes, but the cab driver kept insisting that the bus station we needed was the intercity station. WRONG. I mean, I'm a Canadian tourist - what could I possibly know?! The two-minute round-the-block ride ended up being a 15-minute $20 ripoff. Anyway, we made it to the Auckland airport as the sun broke through, and check-in / security / customs all went off easily. We had time for a pleasant latte in the Emperor Business Lounge before heading for our gate.
Our Air New Zealand Airbus A-320 flight left on time at 10am, and arrived in New Caledonia abit early, just before noon. Yet again, we were impressed by the Air NZ crew and service. The Mexican beef lunch was quite tastey, and the mango ice cream was a rare treat for a short-haul plane flight these days.
The Air New Zealand lunch featured mango ice cream!
Arriving in New Caledonia, we were instantly struck with the fact that this is a very French country in the heart of the South Pacific.
We picked up our tiny red rental car from Europcar, which had more dents, scratches and dirt than any car we've ever rented, and headed 50km south to our Meridien hotel in the capital, Nouméa. Just after 2pm, we checked into our room on the top floor, with a view of the water, and were amazed at the number of kite surfers out on the bay.
The Aquarium des Lagons de Nouméa is a must-see tourist spot here. We've done so many aquariums that we usually don't bother any more. However, this one caught our attention for a reason I will explain shortly, so we headed out to tour it. It was fairly small, but extremely well done. The freshwater and saltwater species of fish and coral - all found in the waters of New Caledonia - is very impressive.
On our first trip to the South Pacific in 2000, I had heard about the existence of highly poisonous sea snakes in Fiji, where we visited. I have what can only be described as a holy terror of any type of snake. So the thought of coming face to face with a sea snake in Fiji kept me out of the waters there back in 2000. A few years ago, "Survivor Vanuatu" showed how ridden the island was with the banded sea-krait, which goes back and forth from land to ocean with ease. That snake's venom is more deadly than a cobra', and there is no antidote. Anyway, in the planning for this trip, I searched high and low on the internet to find out whether the banded sea-krait makes New Caledonia its home. But I came up empty. Until today, that is. I read that the Aquarium here has a tank of - you guessed it - sea snakes. Facing my fears head on, I went straight to that tank upon arriving at the Aquarium. What I learned is that, yes, New Caledonia is indeed full of sea snakes -- 14 varieties. And my ole' friend the banded sea-krait is in fine form here. So guess what? I won't be putting a single toe into the South Pacific here!
One of the weird and wonderful species on display at the Aquarium des Lagons de Nouméa
When we left the aquarium, I decided we needed a coffee to calm down from all the sea-snake news. Fortunately, we found a McDonald's close-by. (For those who know me, I must be brand-loyal, you know.) As the sun sets here at 5:30pm this time of year, we decided to see the main churches in Noumea and then call it a day.
St. Joseph's Catholic Cathedral.
Tomorrow, I will show you more of the topography of this large island. But for now, I'll close out the day with a couple of dusk shots that show some of the New Caledonian beauty. And that's the kind of day it has been for our first day in this impressive island country.
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