Hienghene's Fantastic Rock Formations

One of the highlights of our trip up to Hienghene was the famous rock formations. "Le Poulet" is the most well known. Our guide explained that they are all "calcaire" - which I assume to mean calcium deposits.

Some are the size of people, some the size of houses, some the size of mountains. My favourite is pictured here. Can you tell what it is?

Photo by Laurent Guiader, 2006.

Care for a Swim, Dear?

Photo by Laurent Guiader, 2006.

Meet one of our newfound friends, at the Club Med in Hienghene. Imagine our surprise (and enchantment) when two deer wandered up and sat down beside us at the pool our first afternoon in Hienghene. Much better than a "spider who sat down beside her" of Little Miss Muffet fame!

In early November, readers might remember that we drove up north to Hienghene, an absolutely stunning site on the sea, best known for its enormous rock (calcium) formations (such as "Le Poulet" or "The Chicken") and its "Club Med". We stayed at the Club Med for a night or so to see what it was like.

Originally, we were to stay in a traditional Kanak "case" (or hut) at the "Club Med". But upon discovering mice droppings on two of the beds, we lucked into a bungalow that was both clean and cool (yes, it is hot here in November) - and had the added advantage of having a bathroom and shower included. Though we thoroughly enjoyed our stay, we weren't convinced that this was a real Club Med ... apart from the deer!

Roadside Stalls in Northern New Caledonia

Roadside stalls are scattered along the drive through Northern New Caledonia. You will find fresh fruit and vegetables as well as plants, flowers and shells at these little stalls, depending on what the owner has available. The idea is self-serve. The prices are posted and a little box is available for leaving your money. As dwellings (not to mention stores!) are few and far between on the mountain roads,we found this a fabulous idea. I did read that the stalls are probably watched from the bushes ...

Long Drive Up to Hienghene

Photo by Laurent Guiader, 2006.

Hienghene is located up on the northeast side of New Caledonia. We were told it would take approximately 5.5 hours to drive the 400 kms or so, so off we went at 7.30 early one Saturday morning. As we had yet to visit the north, we were all rather excited. I had been hesitant until now as I had had "not good roads through mountains" experiences here in New Caledonia and did not fancy a long car ride in such conditions, pregnant or with a baby. However, we were pleasantly surprised! The roads were fine all the way up to Koné and then only an hour through mountains (and then another hour along the coast to Hienghene). My goodness, though! What a view through the mountains. Green, green everywhere. Plunging cliffs and river streams. It reminded me of photos I had seen of the Amazon. Why had we waited so long to see such beauty? Well ... the drive ended up taking 7 hours! And when we returned the following Monday, the drive took 8 hours (with a few breaks). Egads. We've decided we'll fly the next time!