We rounded our stuff up, swept up the airbnb, and drove off. We rented a car for the day so we could explore outside of Noumea.
We drove northwest along the coast for a few hours until we got to Poe Beach. The drive was really pretty; everything is very green and mountainy. We spent several hours there just lounging in the shade on the beach. It was a very long beach and had a very very gradual incline into the water; you could walk out a long ways into the water and still not be very deep. I walked probably 30 meters out and still didn't get much above my ankles. As I was walking a saw a decent sized sand-colored crab. I also saw a really cool shell that I picked up and then realized it was still inhabited; I could see little crab-like legs sticking out so I put it back in the water. Also, in true-New Caledonian style there were absolutely no waves. We could see the waves breaking off in the horizon which must've been where the reef was.
Almost the entire time there we were the only people in sight, but shortly before we were left we were joined by a few people, and one lonely stray dog who decided to take a nap right next to us for awhile. A couple of guys took off windsurfing right in front of us and that was entertaining watching them set that up and head off into the water. It looks like fun but also an extreme workout trying to hold on to that parachute and guide it where you want to go.
After Poe Beach we drove just a few kilometers south to go to La Roche Percee (I don't know how to type an accent with this keyboard). It was a rock formation which by itself wasn't super impressive, but we were there just before sunset which made it really pretty. What I liked most about the area was the beach though. This beach actually had waves! It must be one of the rare breaks in the reef where it lets the waves in, and the beach was really nice as well. Very soft sand without a lot of rocks (unlike Poe Beach). I wish we would've hung out there more today instead of Poe, but you live and you learn.
We grabbed a quick dinner in La Foa on our way back down the coast to the airport. We ended up at a Vietnamese restaurant. We couldn't understand a word the waitress said or read anything the menu said, so I ended up getting a chocolate crepe since that seemed the safest. Although after I ordered I saw a nice plate of steaming shrimp and noodles being delivered to the man at the table next to us which looked really good so I clearly should've been more adventurous.
We got to the airport over 4 hours before our flight, simply because it was dark and we didn't know what else to do. So now we're sitting at the airport waiting for our 1am flight. :/ And then we get to sit on a plane for 9 hours! Yay- it's going to be a super long day for us! But then we'll be in Japan and that will be awesome, so it's all worth it.
Au revoir, New Caledonia!
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