The fact that nature has been left alone is breath-taking ... beaches and coast-lines devoid of high-rise buildings, posters and neon signs ; the crystal waters ; and people who often ‘go to bed with the birds’ and don’t hesitate to walk stretches of kilometres - people for whom time is an abundant commodity.

   
NEWS
• WHAT'S NEW ?
The "Web'zine" of Isle of Pines
• ISLE OF PINES - End of Lockdown Covid 19
After six weeks confinement, Isle of Pines is awakening from its imposed ‘slumber’.
Plane and ferry services from Noumea have begun again and little by little the island’s hotels are re-opening.

Check out both Air Caledonie (domestic) and the Betico ferry websites as well as those of the different hotels to see what specials they are offering.
To learn more ...  

• Information Office

Point I : Just 50m. in front of the church, in the village square, Vao, is Point I. It is staffed by a well-travelled Kunie, Marie-Jeanne,...

• Free WI-FI access is available
at the Convenience Store,
Curios Maliska - north of Kuto
  FREE WI-FI...

 

ITS APPEAL
• TOURIST ACTIVITIES ?
If you like discovering nature
• Sea trips... Scuba diving, sailing, outrigger...
• Walks and drives Hiking, walking, swimming, tour of the island...
• What the papers say ...
Extracts from articles...
(French only)

 

THE CLIMATE
• THE BEST SEASON ?
« It’s perhaps the healthiest and most pleasant climate in the world », wrote...
• Weather (french)
five days ahead

 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION :
• Services
"To help make your stay on Isle of Pines more enjoyable, here are several useful addresses...
• Currency
New Caledonia's currency is the French Pacific franc (CFP - communaute francaise du Pacifique).
It is tied to the Euro at a fixed rate of 1,000 CFP to 8,38 Euros.
• Exchange F CFP --> Into and from most currencies... at the current rate of exchange
• Credit cards are accepted for the accommodation, but are otherwise not widely taken. You can find two ATMs in Vao village, one at the Post Office, accessible only during working hours; the other at the BCI bank, 50m in front of the church, operates 24/24.
• There’s no tipping in New Caledonia.
• The international phone code for New Caledonia is 687. There’s no regional code.
• The electricity supply in New Caledonia is 220 volts or AC 50 hertz (a two round-pin plug).

 
• The Infography about Travel -- New Caledonia
Sources recommended by an expert whose research specialty is travel opportunities in New Caledonia.

 

• In search of publishers ...
The author of several books, Hilary Roots, has lived on the island since 1975. A New Zealander by birth and journalist by trade, she continues her research and writing about her adopted island.
For more information contact ...
 
       
               
WHERE IS ISLE OF PINES ?
Known as Kunie to its Melanesian inhabitants, the island is part of the French-Pacific territory, New Caledonia. Situated at the southern tip of this archipelago, it sits almost astride the Tropic of Capricorn at 167¼ longitude and 22¼ latitude south.
Island panorama...		  
 
 
DISCOVER THE ISLE OF PINES

No stress, no night life, a relaxed pace and with time of little significance ... that’s island life, island time !

Forget your usual ways and the demands of a busy existence, let yourself be part of an unhurried world, surrounded by natural beauty - your stay will be refreshing and memorable.

To be kind to yourself and make the most of Isle of Pines, you should consider staying at least 3 days.

If you like discovering nature, taking long walks, swimming, snorkelling, diving, meeting local people or simply lying on magnificent, deserted, white sand beaches, then you could easily spend 5 to 10 days here and still find plenty to do.
Tourist activities ...
     
 
INHABITANTS - THE KUNIE PEOPLE
(kanak web site)

Olobatch, a traditional dance group formed from the combined Kéré-Comagna tribes, is the island’s ‘star’ group at present. Its dancers, some 30 children and adults, have become roving ambassadors for the island. Since the 8th Pacific Arts Festival held in Noumea in 2000, they’ve danced at the 9th same festival in Palau, Micronesia in 2004 ; they went to Paris in 2005 and on a two month tour of Europe in June-July 2006.

The island is less populated than previously and remains extremely protected by the tribal system. After such a turbulent history, it’s understandable the Kunies guard their land closely. Isle of Pines has become an indigenous reserve and the land is neither for sale nor for rent.
                     
               
“ The most beautiful island on the planet” !
“ Such a lovely spot of God’s creation ” ! ...
   
               
 

Extravagant claims one might say, surely advertising pushed to the limits. But no.

The first enthusiastic words came from Guiseppe Ambrosino, the Italian captain of a large cruise ship, The Fairstar, that spent more than two decades sailing the South Pacific from the 1970s to the 90s.

The second line, uttered under completely different circumstances, was the journal entry of Andrew Cheyne, the first British sandalwood trader to reach Isle of Pines’ shores in 1841.

No matter what period of history, such praise is still valid even today.

Japanese people know the small 14 X 18 km island as ‘the island the closest to Paradise’, thanks to a film based on a book written by Katsura Morimura in 1964.

For a better view of this picture
--> zoom		  
Kuto Bay © Photo Pierre-Alain Pantz
   

Closer to the present, world champion wind-surfers of both sexes from such diverse origins as the United States, East and West Europe, Australia and New Zealand, were competing on Isle of Pines and suddenly dropped their sails, literally stopping their race, to wonder in awe at the beauty of the water and the surrounding islets.

Two thousand years after the birth of Christ, in the age of rapid air travel, commercialism and the internet, is it really possible that a beautiful and yet accessible land can still exist unspoilt ?

This web site leads you to discover a truly privileged spot in New Caledonia, where nature is the master of dreams.

For a better view of this picture --> zoom		  
Kanumera Bay & Kuto peninsula © Photo Pierre-Alain Pantz

Oro Bay © Photo Pierre-Alain Pantz - Editions Solaris (see : www.solaris.nc)
 
   
                   
                       
© idp
04/20
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