We left Brisbane on Monday evening and immediately set sail for New Caledonia. The weather started to improve, and life on the ship quickly settled into a routine - breakfast, lazing by the pool or attending some activities (belly dancing and line dancing were the ones I participated the most in), followed by lunch in the bistro, more lazing by the pool and maybe a spot of gym in the afternoon, or a massage at the Lotus spa, before dinner in the Burgundy / Bordeaux, a show, and then checking out Dakota, the resident band, in the Terrace lounge just before bed. One of the evenings was the cocktail evening, where we got to dress up in our finery. We took a formal family portrait that evening, and later Beck and I enjoyed the New Year's Eve party in September on the lido deck - it was such fun! Ah the life of the cruise...
We had 2 really pleasant days at sea and then on Thursday morning we awoke to the most gorgeous view - we were tucked away (well, as much as one can be on a huge cruise ship), surrounded by islands in Emerald Bay. Shortly after breakfast the tenders set sail, ferrying us to the shore, for a day on the beach at Poum. The locals came down to greet us, with their crafts and wares, (and hair braiding), and we enjoyed the day swimming, snorkelling (the reef was really beautiful), and exploring the immediate area. Beck and Cell got their hair braided!
Whilst the weather was a little overcast, it was still quite warm and we had a magnificent day. That evening, Mel, Kev and I (boy did I feel the gooseberry, as Anne would say!) enjoyed a wonderful meal in the steakhouse - the steak just literally melted in your mouth, and the desert, well, was to die for!
The next morning we awoke to the noise of the ship being moored in port at Noumea. Again a wonderful day was had by all. We disembarked as early as we could and made our way to the Petit Train, where we had a fabulous tour of the city. It was a beautifully warm day and we all thoroughly enjoyed our ride around the town - including the descending clutch start the "train" had to make at the top of the hill! How quirky!
After our ride we walked back into the city, where the locals were celebrating a national holiday, to commemorate Noumea being recognised as French. We explored the local markets and then the others headed back to the ship whilst I wandered about the town for a bit. I headed up to the cathedral which has magnificent views of the harbour. Beck and Dem came back out a little later and we did a spot of shopping.
On Saturday we had our last day in New Caledonia - this time at the Isle of Pines. I have to say this was probably the most special of our locations - and we nearly didn't get to go there! The reason was that in order to go ashore, we had to be ferried across on the tenders - but there was a big swell in the ocean and it wasn't safe for the tenders to pull up alongside the ship. Eventually, about mid morning, the captain was able to let some boats take passengers ashore, so we made it over around lunchtime. When we arrived there, the locals were out in full swing, with dancing, traditional singing, craft markets and so on. Beck and I bought some lovely floral dresses for the themed 'island' night planned later in the evening. We enjoyed swimming in the clear waters and playing in the sand, before making our way back to the ship. On the way back, Miss B entertained everyone with her rendition of Barney's "I love you, you love me, we're a happy family!" - everyone was laughing and smiling and appreciating the innocence of it all. It was just beautiful.
That evening was Island night, so Beck and I dressed up in our new dresses. There was an ice carving demonstration on the lido deck, and a party - we had Lachie up there with us, dancing to "YMCA" and "Nutbush" - it was such fun!
Alas, we were leaving New Caledonia, and had only 2 more days at sea. Included in that was another cocktail evening, where we dressed up again in our formal gear, and a country n western evening. Such fun! Lachlan, Mel and I got into the line dancing!
Mel and I also started to take advantage of the spa treatments available - and we booked in to a session of Ionithermie, which was brilliant. Even Kev had a session! Fabulous for treating cellulite.
But all too soon the holiday was over, and we were back in Newcastle. We'd had such a brilliant time, I really do hope that we can do it again soon. But for now, Phase 2 of the Moore family adventure was just beginning...
