Whatever is this?
Friday, July 12th – After last stops to the market for fresh vegetables and fish and to the boulangerie for the morning’s fresh bread, we leave Nouméa harbour and slowly sail north along the coast. There are several spots along this coast where we enjoy anchoring.
By 1420, we are anchored in one of our favorites, Baie Maa. This is a large bay with plenty of room to anchor and, best of all, it is well sheltered from the prevailing wind. It is a popular weekend get away for Nouméans, and there are usually a number of boats anchored here. However, right now we are the only boat.
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On the east side of this bay is a nice beach with a grassy area behind it. We have never gone ashore there, for there are usually a number of people on the beach. Today the only activity is someone loading his small motorboat onto a trailer. Heading ashore, we discover a number of small vacation cottages running up the hillside that were not visible from Avante. Definitely, this is a popular summer place, but as it is winter here now, the homes are mainly closed and deserted.
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We follow the cottage-lined road over the hill to the other side where it ends at a partially sunken dock. A path continues along the water’s edge and wondering if it would lead us around and back to our bay, we follow it. Suddenly, ahead of us, the rusting hulk of a very large ship can be seen stuck on the sand. What a strange, eery sight! Whenever and however did it get there? Nouméa can be seen across the bay, and we surmise that the ship must have broken loose in a storm to end up resting and rusting where it now is. With the path ending at the ship, we are forced to retrace our steps rather than scratch our way through the brush.
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That old concrete and steel dock eroding at the water’s edge captures The Captain’s attention. It is much more substantial than a normal island or coastal dock with concrete tracks leading out and upland from it. We know that New Caledonia was strategically important during WWII, and The Captain suggests that this dock might have built to bring guns here to be hauled and placed in the hills above to guard entry to Nouméa’s harbour.
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Returning to the dinghy, we motor further down the beach and pull ashore to walk inland to explore. More concrete and steel remains are found along this shoreline. We have no idea what these were for, though they must have served some military use during the war.
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Heading inland, we find a rough road and follow it up hill. The Captain is on the lookout for ruins of military fortifications, but The First Mate is fascinated by some strange flowers. What are they? These large, but delicate, tissue-like balls sway in the breeze on long green stalks. She has never seen anything like this. The Captain stops to let her take her pictures, but then walks on ahead in his pursuit. Flowers are one thing, but military exploits are certainly more interesting!
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Looking back as we hike up, a wide of expanse of Baie Maa can be seen with Avante anchored all by herself. We are surprised that on such a fine Friday there are not a few more boats in the bay by now, having taken off to spend the weekend here. Perhaps more will show up later.
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Nearing the top, Nouméa and its great harbour area can be seen in the distance. There’s no doubt this hilltop area was a strategic military point during WWII. What a commanding view of the whole approach to the city these heights give! The dock we saw earlier and the wide roads cutting across these hills all attest to some type of military presence during that time.
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There are several roads we could take from where we are now, but time is running out on us, as it is now late afternoon. We decide that further exploration awaits another day. The trek back down hill to our bay through the high golden grass, however, is a delight.
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By the end of last evening 5 other boats were anchored in the bay. Wanting to get further afield in anticipation of weekend crowds, we pull anchor and sail north to Ile Ndukué. The wind is light, but there’s enough of it to allow us to slowly sail. The coastline near Noumea is interesting mainly in its contrast to what we have seen elsewhere on Grand Terre in our circumnavigation of the island. We can see why this section of coast is much more populated than sections further north. The shoreline here is not mangrove lined and inaccessible, nor do the mountains plunge precipitously down to the water’s edge. Being much less rugged and formidable, the more level terrain and an easier coastline provide better space for settling and living. We see widely spaced residential communities running along the shoreline within an easy drive to the capital of Nouméa.
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Monday, July 15th – Weekend over, we decide to return to Baie Maa. There is more hiking we want to do, but today’s rain doesn’t portend well for that. Still, we sail slowly back to anchor near where we were just a few days ago.
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There are still a few boats around, but all are anchored widely spaced across this very large bay. No nearby neighbors, but we do, however, have curious visitors swimming below us.
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We discovered them one morning when upon throwing a few scraps of bacon fat overboard to sink below for the scavenger crabs, a swirling swarm of fish quickly materialized from below the boat. At first glance, we thought they were a breed of shark, but looking closer, we see that they were remoras. The crabs in the sand below do not stand a chance, for barely does a bacon bit hit the water surface then it’s down a fish’s gullet. Fast gluttons they are!
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They become our entertainment after every meal. What scrap can we throw out there to bring them up? These fish can often be seen suctioned onto larger fish like whales or sharks. They use the flat oval suction part on top of their heads to attach themselves for a free ride munching on external parasite as they go, but apparently they are quite capable of fending for themselves when a suction pal is not available. They certainly are pleased with us, especially when The First Mate unearths a stale bag of cheese crackers! What a frenzy of whirling bodies those crackers brought forth!
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Tuesday, July 16th – Rain is past. Sky is blue. Let’s go for that walk! We hike back up to the top of the hill from where we could look across to Nouméa. Choosing one of the trails, we head off to explore wherever it will lead us. No remnants of fortifications are found, but The First Mate does find more of those interesting flowers.
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The trail starts to wind its way downhill, and we decide to follow it. At the water’s edge, we find an old shack that looks abandoned, but one never knows. We approach cautiously. This shack turns out to be abandoned, but behind it we see another in much better shape and with the front door wide open. We are on private property and do not want to intrude, so we head back up hill and choose another path.
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This path also leads down toward the water, but as it’s on the other side of the island from where we are anchored, we decide to follow it. Unlike the sandy beach on our side, this one is rugged and rock-strewn. We scamper over the rock slaps very much aware of slippery sections.
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Large sections are encrusted with mussel shells and other similar barnacles, but one strange one captures The First Mate’s attention. There are lots of them scattered across the rocks. It’s another “what is it” experience for her. Oval in shape, deeply ridged, whatever it is, it is stuck fast to the rock. Totally unmovable. Is it alive? She knows not. Oh, for a knowledgeable guide right here and now!
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It is the next thing we see that has us truly marveling, and it is something about which The Captain had read. Hurrying ahead to the water’s edge, he points out a strange-looking round rock. Totally submerged at high tide, it would be, but now at low tide, it is revealed. The Captain tells her that it is called a Stromatolite and that he has been on the lookout for one. Even though we know its name, it is still another “what is it?’ for us, for we stand along with scientists who are also not quite sure how to define it. How are they formed and from what they formed?
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It may look like nothing more than a mound of mud, but many of these fossils date back 3.5 billion years! They actually occur in cyanobacterial reefs and are one of the oldest forms of visible life on our planet. Shark Bay in Australia has such a reef, and here in New Caledonia, there are isolated spots where they can be spotted. Most of the Stromatolites appear to be dead and encrusted with barnacles and oysters, but some which show a white film edging them are suspected of being alive. Could they be? Scientists are not sure, and these mounds sure are not moving, breathing or talking. We marvel at these structures (creatures?). The First Mate wonders whether they are animal, vegetable or mineral. Maybe given their age, they are a little bit of both. Could it be that we are really standing next to something over a billion years old and possibly still living? What a wonder!
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The next few days, we spend cruising around nearby islands with their sugar sand rings. How we enjoy these islands! So close to Nouméa they are, but alone out here, we could be a million miles away. In a world so full of people, it is beyond special to be in places like this.
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Friday, July 19th – We are back now in Nouméa and in our berth at the Port Moselle Marina. We have three days to clean and organize the boat before leaving Avante in the marina during our 2-month visit home to the States. A lot of activity is planned during our time home, probably more than we should have scheduled, but it will be good to be home, back to the mountains of Telluride and our ranch.