PINES TIME
Only a twenty-minute flight south of Noumea (the capital of New Caledonia), the island seems to concentrate all the beauties of the Pacific into its small area. Beginning with a relaxed way of life, the smile on the locals’ faces and their
talent to never rush time. “A quoi bon le compter, il ne s’arrêtera jamais’’ – (“Why measure the time, it will never end”), they seem to try to help us understand. Antoine and his crew were extended a warm welcome on arrival, typical of the noted warmth of this island’s tribes. After a reception with traditional
ceremonies and welcome by the tribe chiefs, the windsurfers retired to their bungalow at the Nataiwatch guesthouse (www.nataiwatch.com), one of the trip’s
sponsors, to relax for an hour before starting to explore the island by a boat bound for Upi bay, famous for its rich coral formations.