法屬新喀里多尼亞群島／李明熙
問十個朋友，九個都未聽過新喀里多尼亞（New Caledonia）這地方，反而在她旁邊的瓦努亞圖（Vanuatu）就聽得多，但在哪？大家又搖頭。
新喀里多尼亞位於西南太平洋，是法屬群島。從香港出發，可先飛日本或澳洲，再轉 Aircalin 前往。雖為法屬，但不在歐盟之內，行使太平洋法郎，官方語為法語，認可方言則有近 40 種。因為土著 Kanak 人從不遠行，族與族之間河水不犯井水，所以一個面積僅半個台灣那麼大的小島，每族方言得以流傳。
法國在 19 世紀中把罪犯流放到此，其後殖民，殖民的後裔稱為 New Caledonian，白種人居多。殖民過程血腥，絕不光輝。直至 1988 年，Kanak 人民與法國政府簽下十年平息協議，雙方同意把獨立議題放下，主力協助 Kanak 社群入主政府。
1998 年法國再同意用 20 年時間逐漸把權力轉移當地政府，讓新喀里多尼亞在經濟和政制上有獨立的能力，然後由人民公投自決前途。我問當地導遊，2018 年的公投，人民意向如何？她說獨立和依附法國現時各佔一半，結果難料。
首府努美阿（Nouméa）的著名景點 Tjibaou Cultural Centre，是在 88 年平息協議中的一項興建，目的是讓 New Caledonian 多加了解 Kanak 文化。設計出自意大利建築師 Renzo Piano 手筆，遠觀酷似 Kanak 的傳統尖頂小屋，隱藏在樹林之中。
New Caledonian 和 Kanak 人或許一天可以和平共處，但這裡獨有的卡古鳥（Kagu），本在無天敵之下安然生活，卻因殖民帶來的狗隻而受威脅，現時只剩下 1,000 多隻。這鳥不會飛，平均壽命可超過 20 年，一夫一妻與伴侶廝守終生。諷刺的是，鳥叫聲像狗吠。
Isle of Pines/Kimberlogic
New Caledonia is a very small island in the Southwest Pacific. Although it is close to other islands such as Vanuatu and Fiji, it is much less known. After spending a week in this paradise, its lack of popularity may be what makes it so much more incredible. Just like its neighbors, New Caledonia has a native population with their own dialects, but the difference is that its official language is French, not English.
We arrived in the capital city of Nouméa, which felt like any other city in the tropics. After an afternoon of exploring the city, we hopped on a small 30 minute flight to the Isle of Pines, a smaller island to the south of New Caledonia’s main island. Arriving and departing this island can be troublesome at times due to the smallness of the planes, runway and airport. On our arrival, it took two attempts to land the plane due to the wind.
It was here on this island that I finally felt secluded in the South Pacific. The Isle of Pines is surrounded by coral reefs and crystal clear water. The population consists mainly of Natives and totals around 2,000. Besides a resort and a few small motels, there is nothing but the beauty of nature to see and explore. We were fortunate to stay at Le Meridien, a beautiful resort that offered everything one could imagine.
We began our first day with an outrigger canoe trip in Upi Bay. To get out to the boat we had to wade in the water and walk across dead coral, which was quite difficult on the feet. Once aboard this “homemade” canoe, we sailed across waters of every shade of blue; while watching the fish, turtles and coral beneath us. Next, we went for a short hike to a private natural pool for snorkeling. Since it was winter, the water was frigid, but it was worth the cold to see the sights.
We concluded our spectacular day with an incredible dinner of French cuisine fused with local ingredients at Le Meridien. Knowing very little of French cuisine I decided to keep an open mind and try everything. The fish and lamb were excellent, and to my surprise, I enjoyed the escargot the most.
The next day we had a private tour of the island where we saw a gorgeous cave, different kinds of beaches and lookout points to see the sunset. We visited a small Catholic Church and shrine by the ocean. It was quite interesting to see how the Natives intertwined their customs and beliefs with Catholicism. This shrine consisted of the Jesus surrounded by tribal sculptures, although two very different things, they blended beautifully against the backdrop of the sea.
That night we were scheduled to depart but our flight was cancelled due to the wind. We were happy to have one more day in paradise. When we finally departed the next day, it took our pilot six attempts to land the plane back in Nouméa and every second was worth the experience of the Isle of Pines.
