Lifou, New Caledonia

Lifou was our first shore tour and I was amazed at the colour of the water and how friendly everyone was.

The amazing Mary-Ellen of Lifou, New Caledonia. I shared her blanket and we sat and enjoyed the Coconut Crab I purchased for $34 from the market. I asked her if she would like some and she said ‘merci beaucoup”, French for ‘thank you very much’.

Mary-Ellen was the fourth generation to live in Lifou. Her family were originally from Port Villa, Vanuatu. She had a gentle grace and wisdom that greatly affected me and this is still my favourite photo of the trip.

 

Coconut Crab meal

 

 

We visited St. Pierre Baptist Church

Nearby was the Big Chief’s house

After spending time in the big chief’s hut, we were invited to a Bougna or feast

The food was delicious and had a sweet and coconutty flavour from the hand made coconut milk

It was an amazing start to our shore tours and I would love to go back one day