ISLAND OF PINES, #NO FILTER
We were down to our last 24 hours in New Caledonia and decided to take a trip to Isle of Pines. As you’d expect, we’d heard only good things about this little island. It’s particularly popular with couples on romantic getaways and hosts a wide array of luxury hotels, which really distinguishes it from life on Lifou. While the natural beauty of both islands was incredible, we found that the vibe in ‘Pines was quite different maybe not as authentic and unspoiled as Lifou. It was windy but we were not allowed to windsurf as the local chiefs are very particular about protecting their islands and felt that windsurfing could be harmful to nature. We of course disagree, and were a little sad we didn’t have our equipment when we saw the beautiful flat windy lagoons seemingly made to be a freestyle paradise.
We did however get permission to SUP on a couple of the island’s beaches, and when I say we got permission, I really mean it, as we had to make a ‘cotume’ to be allowed to do this! Cotume is a traditional way of asking permission from the chiefs while bringing them small presents. Cynically one might see this as a kind of bribery, but actually we found it a rather beautiful tradition based on respect not only towards the locals, but also an even
deeper rooted respect and awe for nature itself. We were warmed to know that thanks to the islands inhabitants and their traditions, New Caledonia’s many natural beauties will surely be preserved for many years to come.
We explored all around the island, and found so many unbelievable places to paddle but as we had arrived a tiny plane and were not sure about the permissions we were going to get, we did not bring our own SUPs. We were lucky enough to borrow two old boards and discover surely one of the most amazing places on Earth, Oro Bay and the natural pool which connects to the Meridien Hotel via a channel. It’s a salty lagoon teaming with colourful sea life. The turquoise water was unreal, tall pines around us, white sand, the colours popping out like they were photoshopped. Of the photos we took here, I can only say #nofilter. The tide was getting too low to paddle much further so we just laid out on our boards, floating and sailing with the current back to the beach. We were lying there, smiling and looking all around, feeling that this moment was going to stay in our memories forever. SUP
