Isle of Pines
Island South Of Grande Terre Fringed By Columnar Pines And White Sand Bays, With The Natural Swimming Pool Of Oro; The Land Is Kanak Customary Land · Vao, New Caledonia
The Isle of Pines, Kunyié to its Kanak inhabitants, lies south-east of Grande Terre in New Caledonia, a low island ringed by tall columnar pines that stand like spires along bays of fine white sand. Kuto and Kanumera, side by side in the south-west, are the best-known bays, calm and shallow with a rock islet between them. On the east coast, the natural pool of Oro is a sheltered basin of clear water behind a rock barrier, reached by wading through a channel whose depth depends on the tide. Traditional outrigger pirogues with triangular sails carry visitors across the turquoise Upi bay. The island also has a dark past: ruins of the nineteenth-century convict prison, the bagne, where deportees of the Paris Commune were held. The Queen Hortense cave is a large cavern linked to Kanak history. All the island is Kanak customary land under its chiefs, and some places need permission or a fee. It is reached by short flights or a ferry from Nouméa, and on cruise-ship days Kuto becomes crowded.
Île des Pins, South Province, New Caledonia, Vao, New Caledonia, France
The beaches of Kuto and Kanumera are open to visitors every day without tickets, but much of the island is customary land managed by the Kanak chiefdoms, and access to some sites depends on them. The Oro natural pool is reached through a path and a channel on land managed by a local tribe and hotel; there is usually a small entry fee, and it is best visited around low or falling tide, when the water in the channel is easier to wade (confirm locally). The pirogue trips across Upi bay leave in the morning from the Saint-Joseph bay side, depending on wind and bookings, and must be reserved in advance through your lodging. The Queen Hortense cave is managed by a local family, with a small fee and irregular opening. The convict prison ruins near Ouro can be visited freely. Shops and snacks keep short hours and some close on Sunday. When a cruise ship anchors off Kuto, the bays and main sites are much busier during the day, and quieter again by late afternoon.