![\"Sunrise\"](\"http:\/\/vettycreations.com.au\/white-threads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/sunrise03231.jpg\")
<\/a>Sunrise. Isn’t the light on those clouds simply amazing?!<\/p><\/div>
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<\/a>Sunrise<\/p><\/div>
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<\/a>Approaching New Caledonia<\/p><\/div>
\nThe sky was again gorgeous, with a lot of lovely clouds making it so interesting. As we approached the islands, they were shrouded in grey, but as the sun came up, the light caught on parts of the highlands, and then on the lower parts too.
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<\/a>A small islet.<\/p><\/div>
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<\/a>Waves breaking as we passed through a small gap in the reef.<\/p><\/div>
\nWe passed between a gap in a reef of some sort to enter the harbour. To me it looked like a large sand bar.
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<\/a>Coming in to dock.<\/p><\/div>
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<\/a>Polynesian welcoming party.<\/p><\/div>
\nI went downstairs for breakfast and my shower and when I came back out on deck again, I could hear far off singing. We were quite close to the dock, and when I looked, I could see a little group of specks on the dock. As we came closer, those specks turned out to be a singing, dancing, drumming, Polynesian cultural group. They were singing, dancing and drumming to welcome us! It was wonderful!<\/p>\n
I had booked to go kayaking for my onshore excursion, but that tour didn’t leave until about 11am. However, I wanted to catch the shuttle bus into the city centre so go souvenir shopping for my family.
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<\/a>Dominique selling her beautiful jewellery.<\/p><\/div>
\nJust before 9am, I caught the shuttle bus which deposited me and many others at the tourist information centre in town. Upstairs was a souvenir market. A lot of the goods were not the sort of quality I was interested in, but there was one stall that really caught my eye. A lovely girl called Dominique Subileau was selling jewellery from clay that she makes herself, and I thought it was beautiful. I stocked up on some necklaces, a brooch and some earrings for various family members. She tested out her English on all of us, her customers. She had a lovely French accent!<\/p>\n
Back to the ship for some morning tea – I knew I would be having lunch very late, because my tour was over lunch time – of delicious fresh pineapple. Yum! (How they kept serving us fresh pineapple throughout the cruise when they took on no fresh food in port, I don’t know!)<\/p>\n
And then down to the dock for boarding my bus. There were about 20 of us going kayaking in that timeslot. Another group had gone earlier. We were driven to Dumbea River, outside of the city of Noumea. The river was slow flowing and gentle. It was practically clear, so you could see quite well to the stones on the river floor.
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