This was the big surprise of our tour… Thailand? We’ve been there before, and we loved it. Australia? We imagined something like the US West Coast with kangaroos, and we got everything we expected. Tahiti? This was our dream destination, and it was wonderful, but different to what we had expected in some respects.

But New Caledonia… I am not sure we even remembered exactly why we had decided to go there, and we certainly had only a vague idea what to expect – certainly something with a lagoon and traditional culture? No, seriously. I guess we had chosen New Caledonia just because it was so far off the beaten track (but still Malaria free – which was a decisive factor as we thought that we would be supremely un-relaxed with our two-year old girl in Malaria-infested countries). And, yes, of course we read guidebooks and blogs before. Still, before we arrived, we did not really know how it would look, or feel, and what our rhythm of travelling would be. On Fakarava, we met a French family living in Nouméa, who gave us some more recommendations … but still …

First looks of the landscape after we landed were deceiving. It was green. But not that lush green we have had in Polynesia. A paler shade of green we felt. On the other hand, Nouméa felt surprisingly modern and made Tahiti’s capital Pape’ete almost look like a city in a developing country. We took Nouméa as a base and travelled Grand Terre, Ile des Pins and two Loyalty Islands (Lifou and Maré). While the weather was a bit unstable (mostly warm, sometimes hot, but also quite a few showers), New Caledonia turned out to be the most interesting part of the trip, in a “I discover an unknown country” or a “culture clash” kind of way. While Grand Terre is interesting, the natural gems are the Islands. Culturally and economically, we felt it interesting to compare New Caledonia with French Polynesia on one hand, and Australia on the other hand. It seems that New Caledonia was given a much more “colonial” treatment than Tahiti, but the past (despite some tragedes) was less cruel than Australia’s. As New Caledonia’s native population is about as strong in numbers as the French (and much poorer in average), it often felt as if New Caledonia is three countries in one: Nouméa, the capital – a city (almost) as modern as Australia’s bit cities, but with a French touch rather than an Anglo-Saxon Spirit. Grand Terre, with White stockmen (Cowboys) and native population. And the islands, where time almost has stood still.

While New Caledonia was exciting for us parents, it was probably the least interesting part for Basti. Gone was the campercar (we hired a car from time to time and took regional flights to the Islands). Gone, as well, were the “Gites” were he could meet with French Kids (in fact, we have been staying in several Gites, but there were no other kids, as it was off-season). Gone, especially, was Lali. But, mostly, when the weather was fine, he could discover new species of fish while snorkelling, or go fishing when the weather was less good. And look out for shells whether the weather was good or not. He very much enjoyed sleeping in a traditional hut (tribal home) on Maré, even though it had only cold water (in a separate sanitary block) and a mattress on the floor. He equally enjoyed Nouméas more modern pleasures.

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Sarah, as always, was smiling, running after her big brother, and generally enjoying herself.

We have only seen a fraction of the country, and it was raining when we were on Ile de Pins. So it feels unfinished. It feels as if we have to come back.