Easter Excursion to Noumea

[Bundy Bear]

Thanks for the trip report from Noumea,

 

[Flyfrequently]

Boat got back to the pier around 5pm, we got dropped back at the Hilton, picked up our luggage (I some how managed to leave my sunglasses there), loaded up our car and set off to check into our second hotel Chateau Royal Beach Resort and Spa.

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From the moment we arrived we knew it was a huge step up on the Hilton. The foyer was light and airy, the staff more welcoming and immediately apologetic re the govenrment decision to close the beach.

Because of the late decision to chnage from Double Tree to Hilton + Chateua Royal, we could only book a 1 room suite. So two single beds.

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The rainfall shower was great, and no water on the floor unlike the Hilton.
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We had a partial ocean view
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After freshening up we went to Stone Grill Anse Vata for dinner. It is a reasonably price steak resurant, where your steak is served raw on a hot stone and you cook it to your liking. It was novel and very tasty.

I forgot to take a pick before I had started to cut it up so apologies for the bad picks.

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Great trip report @Lynda2475 - we enjoyed a few dinners at Stone Grill.
Glad the weather picked up for you.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Imported French biscuits, madelines. mini cakes, mustard and pate. All gifted to family members this morning. I didnt bring any cheee because I didnt want to have to declare anything on return.

My friends bought a bunch or biscuits and cakes too, plus sardines, jam, sauces, pate, nougat and easter chocolates.

We didnt buy any other souvenirs - no one really needs another fridge magnet or key ring lol.

I do like to bring home the odd fridge magnet! Especially if we have been somewhere interesting, last one was of Panorama Mesdag from The Hague.

 

[Quickstatus]

Imported French biscuits, madelines. mini cakes, mustard and pate.......I didnt bring any cheee because I didnt want to have to declare anything on return.

Maybe Im not match fit but I thought the biosecurity declaration include all foods?

 

[Daver6]

Thanks for your report! I'm going myself mid-May, spending a week and dividing my time between Noumea and Ile des Pins.

Ile des Pins is fantastic. Really beautiful, chill place. MrsDaver6 and I spent 5 nights there a few years ago with 3 in Noumea. Felt it was a good mix.

 

[oz_mark]

Maybe Im not match fit but I thought the biosecurity declaration include all foods?

The card says "Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy, fruit, vegetables". So, not all foods, but I would have thought the pate.

 

[Lynda2475]

The card says "Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy, fruit, vegetables". So, not all foods, but I would have thought the pate.

It was a vegetarian pate so all good - the restriction is for raw fruit/veggies that can be propagated.

There was a period of time where the question was simply "do you have food" but they thankfully have now reverted to specifying only the prohibited items.

They care not for chocolate or cookies or cakes (unless they have fresh cream or are cheesecakes). I almost always have some kind of chocolate/candy when returning, and customs are never interested.

 

[tgh]

To add to all the feel good stuff, Ile des pins hides a fascinating, likely pre diluvian, mystery …...

 

[Lynda2475]

If there are cheap J fares again next year, I will venture to Ile des pins for sure

 

[SYD]

If there are cheap J fares again next year, I will venture to Ile des pins for sure

$900 to $1000 return ex-SYD on QF metal tends to be the best J Sale fare.

The SB codeshare on the A350 is worth the extra $100-$200 over. Obviously much better hard product and the F&B is descent. Plus it departs SYD at a more respectable time and allows a nice lunch in the QF F Lounge (if eligible). The downside is the late arrival. QF home has a better departure time.

 

[Lynda2475]

$900 to $1000 return ex-SYD on QF metal tends to be the best J Sale fare.

The SB codeshare on the A350 is worth the extra $100-$200 over. Obviously much better hard product and the F&B is descent. Plus it departs SYD at a more respectable time and allows a nice lunch in the QF F Lounge (if eligible). The downside is the late arrival. QF home has a better departure time.

Will depend on what SCs i need, but yes outbound SB and inbound QF seems the best combo.

Its a short flight so the onboard F&B not a big deal, but FLounge time is a winner since Im now WP.

 

[Flyinfish]

I had the foresight to book Qantas Rewards flights last year when they were offering 30% off points

 

[Flyinfish]

To add to all the feel good stuff, Ile des pins hides a fascinating, likely pre diluvian, mystery …...

Do tell???

 

[tgh]

The archaeology "establishment" is suffering mightily from the popular pseudo-archaeology avalanche, and the il de pi conundrum is very much in the too hard basket (along with a veritable international flood of too hard oop's ( (Out of place artefacts )))
This author ( who lives here in seq ) has put in a lot of effort to no avail, he is about to return but a lone fossicker is probably not going to clear the air.
I'm on the fence but the paper seems to highlight a boring tendency of archaeology not to accept anything that offends the mainstream story.

Popular Archeology - The Mystery of the Tumuli

Over 400 mounds on New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific may mark a human presence predating the current earliest generally accepted dates by thousands of years.

popular-archaeology.com

 

[RooFlyer]

The archaeology "establishment" is suffering mightily from the popular pseudo-archaeology avalanche, and the il de pi conundrum is very much in the too hard basket (along with a veritable international flood of too hard oop's ( (Out of place artefacts )))
This author ( who lives here in seq ) has put in a lot of effort to no avail, he is about to return but a lone fossicker is probably not going to clear the air.
I'm on the fence but the paper seems to highlight a boring tendency of archaeology not to accept anything that offends the mainstream story.

Popular Archeology - The Mystery of the Tumuli

Over 400 mounds on New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific may mark a human presence predating the current earliest generally accepted dates by thousands of years.

popular-archaeology.com

Very interesting, thanks. Wasn't aware of them before.

First thing that sprung to my mind was that they were spoil heaps from artisanal laterite nickel mining! The Goro mine (Tesla invested) is right on the adjacent southern tip of the main island.



Of course, the ancients couldn't extract the metal from laterite (very much modern technology) The 'cement' pole thing could be environmentally produced by surface processes but not placed.

Sounds like a good additional reason to visit New Caledonia.

 

[tgh]

Quite a lot of work done over the years ( lots of papers ) and it seems is that it all got a bit difficult and folks moved on to easier stuff that fitted the storyboard
The concrete is , apparently, kosher just a bit out of place in the evolutionary time line

 

[Flyinfish]

The archaeology "establishment" is suffering mightily from the popular pseudo-archaeology avalanche, and the il de pi conundrum is very much in the too hard basket (along with a veritable international flood of too hard oop's ( (Out of place artefacts )))
This author ( who lives here in seq ) has put in a lot of effort to no avail, he is about to return but a lone fossicker is probably not going to clear the air.
I'm on the fence but the paper seems to highlight a boring tendency of archaeology not to accept anything that offends the mainstream story.

Popular Archeology - The Mystery of the Tumuli

Over 400 mounds on New Caledonia in the southwest Pacific may mark a human presence predating the current earliest generally accepted dates by thousands of years.

popular-archaeology.com

Thanks! Very interesting.