Distance: 14.2 km. Elevation low/high/total: 89/298/507 m.
Difficulty:8.1/10. Scenic: 8.5/10
It seems to be getting tougher and tougher to find the time to get out on a hike but Paul and I finally made it out of town today. The drive is a good 1.5 hours from Noumea and includes about 25 km on red dirt roads winding among windmills. The hike goes through brush (wear something to protect your lower legs), along some narrows ridges (watch your balance!) and up and down red clay hills. Saw a few birds and several patches of pitcher plants. The highlight though are the views you get from almost everywhere. We were treated to alternating blue skies and brief rain squalls. Paul did most of the hike on a bad ankle but braved it out. There is no water anywhere along the hike so carry plenty. At the end point, one can see a deep blue pool between the peninsula and Montravel. It was very tempting to hike down and try a swim there but ... the hike already took longer than planned.
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With the hot weather residing, we embarked on a hike up along a mountain a ridge with nary a water hole. Somewhat challenging and varied terrain Pics for the hike are here and the hike gpx track is here, the drive to get to the start of the hike is shown here. |
