Wednesday,
13 July to Sunday, 17 July 2016
Warren
had planned our trip to New Caledonia to ensure we were in Noumea to see how
the French celebrate their national day. Locals we mentioned this to were
somewhat puzzled and I began to think Warren may be disappointed. Luckily, we
arrived back the day before Bastille Day because the lantern parade and
fireworks are held the night before Bastille Day. I think the lantern parade is
more for the kids but we got there just as it was starting and were given some
lanterns.
They had 5000 to give out and I suspect there were at least double that many
people in the parade. We walked down the streets to the tune of French songs
and soaked up the atmosphere.
We all ended up in Coconut Square, where there
were lots of amusements for the kids (big and small) and a spectacular fireworks display. A great night all round.
The next morning was the official parade of the armed
forces, police etc. This was preceded by a medal ceremony, all in French so we
are not sure why they were given.
The parade itself went for an hour and the
streets were lined with thousands of locals and some visitors.
Highlight was
the Kanak units who did a haka and sang some very moving songs towards the end
of the parade. I had wondered how the Kanaks viewed this French celebration but
the ones I saw were very enthusiastic in their support of the events.
Unfortunately,
the holiday was extended to Friday for the Customs and Immigration offices so
our plans to clear out of New Caledonia for Vanuatu had to be delayed until
Monday.
We spent the weekend at Ilot Maitre, a tiny island 3nm from Noumea. It
has some villas built over the water and is popular with kite surfers as the
wind is steady and the water is shallow. We counted over 50 out sailing when we
went for a walk ashore.
No comments:
Post a Comment