Maa Bay and a kayak trip to Ilot aux Canards

30 november 2014

Based on a good tip we found a tranquil beach to ourselves - click pic for album
geotrack of the trip to Maa Bay is here

My birthday this time and I had some good intel on a great beach not far from Noumea.  Turns out that on the OTHER side of the peninsula from The Boat on the Beach, there is a long set of beaches that require a short hike to reach.  That little 15 minute hike means WAY fewer people than the hordes we encountered on the Gadji Bay side of the peninsula.  The west side is known as Maa Bay and the pics will show what a fabulous stretch of almost deserted beaches are to be found.  And we didn't even make it half way down the peninsula (that's for next time).  This weekend was also the first time that Miss K and I rented some kayaks out front our our home and paddled over to Ilot aux Canards.  Given the strong winds, it was more of a workout than expected.  One of my favorite birthdays ever.

Return to Prony

Distance: 5.0 km.  Elevation low/high/total: 0/41/100 m.
Difficulty: 1.4/10.  Scenic: 6/10

We returned to the former prisoner labor camp to fulfill a couple of missions, click pic for album
the geotrack for the short hike is  here

We return to the odd old prisoner/labor camp of Prony for a couple of reasons.  First, Miss K and I wanted to scope out - and walk - the very beginning of GR1 as it's likely our real trek will start just a bit further along than the true starting point.  Secondly, we wanted to place a geocache at stage 1 as we plan to place a cache at every stage.  And finally, our first visit was rather sudden and unplanned and we wanted to check it out a bit more thoroughly.  The full (sad) story of the Village Historique de Prony can be read in English at the helpful NC tourist web site.

Phare Amedee

Distance: NA  Elevation low/high/total: NA

Difficulty: 1.0/10.  Scenic: 8/10

The only Top 25 Tripadvisor destination outside Oz/NZ in the S. Pacific - click pic for album
No geotrack, but here's the Wikipedia page describing the lighthouse (Phare)

One of the most popular day trips outside of Noumea is a visit to the Amedee lighthouse some 24 km south of Noumea.  The entire outing is generally managed through a tour company and, I must admit, it's pretty well done.  A 45 minute boat ride, a gorgeous island with snorkeling, several optional activities, an all you can eat buffet.  Low key, but well run, and all things considered not TOO expensive, at least by NC standards.  Well, if you don't count the expense we incurred from my going snorkeling with my fancy (but not waterproof) cell phone in my swimming shorts.

13th wedding anniversary - la foa, bourail and plage de poe

Distance: NA  Elevation low/high/total: NA

Difficulty: 1.0/10.  Scenic: 9.5/10

Now this is how you spend a wedding anniversary! - Click pic for album
Geotrack of the places visited linked here

Ildiko and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary on November 7th and so it was time to take our first visit out of town.  We made a reservation at the Banu Hotel in La Foa (interesting .... place), then spent a fantastic beach day at Plage de Poe, maybe me new favorite beach in the world.  Ildiko went snorkeling for really the first time in her life.  We will be back here.

Pont de Japonais - 2nd visit

Distance: 2.7 km.  Elevation low/high/total: 99/133/63 m.
Difficulty: 2.2/10.  Scenic: 6.5/10

Our first return visit, but Ildiko and Iris missed out the first time - click pic to view album
The geotrack for the short hike (and swimming spot) is here

Our intended destination this day was the Parc Provincial de la Riviere Bleu (Blue River Provincial Park) but oddly enough the research I did not prepare us for the mass of people assembled there to be bussed somewhere inside the park.  We decided to seek outdoor activity elsewhere and it occurred to me we were near the Pont de Japonais, a destination missed last time by Iris and Ildiko due to a fall by Iris.  So, post haste, we headed for the parking spot and the day turned into one of our favorites.  We found a river stretch we had all to ourselves and, this time, everybody went into the water!