Arriving Noumea, New Caledonia

Day 53 & 54 - Monday and Tuesday, October 16 & 17

The morning of Monday October 16th we left our anchorage and started early to sail into Noumea Harbor Marina, dock and work through the customs processing.  The 5 hour sail was very enjoyable as we passed island terrain we had not seen during the entire trip.  There were actually palm trees and tall pine trees growing side by side at the foot of impressively steep mountain slopes.  Later the winds set up just perfectly so that we were able to fly the Spinnaker for over two hours, hitting a top speed of nearly 12 knots!

As we came into the bay the marina actually had a slip ready and we proceeded to dock without delay at around 11:00am.  

Once at the marina clearing customs was immediate (it helped that Zavier was a French citizen).  After that we were scheduled for the Health clearance at 2:30pm. 

One big problem was that New Caledonia Health and BioSecurity does not allow ANY fresh foods to be brought into the country.  This includes fruits, vegetables, raw meats and eggs.  When they come they will confiscate and throw everything away, and we had quite a bit.  Solution - Cook and eat it.

Immediately Mickey pan grilled the last sausages and began to cook a 3 lb lamb meatloaf while Carol hard boiled the remaining dozen eggs then prepared all the remaining potatoes into mash.  As the cooking maelstrom continued, Xavier made a salad out of as many vegetables as possible and we gorged ourselves on fruits and salad.  Mission accomplished in reducing the amount of fresh foods going to waste.

After the Health and BioSecurity clearance we were free to leave the ship and we did, hitting the bar to relax and celebrate the end of our cruise. Afterward Xavier had a dinner date with a local friend so Carol and I did a little exploratory walk around the neighborhood then back to the boat for.. you guessed it, meatloaf and mashed potatoes!

The next morning Tuesday, October 17th (Happy heavenly birthday Mom from Carol), after our last night sleeping aboard Kanoa, Carol and I began to organize packing everything we had strewn about the yacht in order to move into the Airbnb we had reserved.  This took all morning, interrupted by a very circuitous trip to the Immigration office to get our passports stamped proving entry into the country.

On our walk back from the immigration office, we passed by the WWII Memorial Museum. Two of Carol’s uncles were stationed in New Caledonia during WWII in the U.S. Navy. Although we didn’t have time to enter and explore, Carol took a picture of the entrance. It’s quite a formidable looking building, much like a bunker.

We caught our cab at 4:00pm and were checked into the Airbnb by 4:30pm.  Aaaaahhh, time to decompress and get ready for the next New Zealand Terrestrial Adventure.  But not before having dinner at the most amazing sushi restaurant we’ve experienced.  They served sushi on a conveyor belt and charged by the color of the plate.  You just grab and eat, BRILLIANT!!