South New Caledonia

Recently my family and I were lucky enough to have a holiday in Noumea....To be honest, we were lucky that my husband made it, yacht racing over high seas, but I don't really want to talk about that, since I was a super brave Mum flying with high energy 4.5 and 3 year old girls, all-by-my-self. Let's just say the holiday was well earned, and to make the most of it, we did a one day guided tour, that took us out of the city.

Our one day tour of South New Caledonia was nothing short of 'magnifique'. Our tour guide; Manu of Noumea Tours has so much knowledge and passion about the country he chose to call home, I can't say I'm surprised as I'm already making cheaper meals and packing more lunches in an attempt to get back to New Caledonia next winter.

No, this isn't a paid advertisement for Manu of Noumea Tours, but we can't thank him enough for showing us the true beauty of this island. We visited a waterfall that we never would have driven out to, yet alone walked out to the edge of and had a drink of delicious spring water.

After the waterfall adventure. Olivia had decided that Manu was her friend, and when she was walking along holding my hand, she also grabbed his, although shocked he took it in his stride very well. But he seriously made it in to her good books when he told us that he could take us somewhere to get milkshakes-earlier I was telling Manu that I was surprised that we couldn't get fresh milk on the island...and then he showed us a special spot (proof that this person was really in the moment, and listening to the people he was with). Olivia had her first sip of real milk in days, and boy was she a happy kid. And then she cackled when she saw one of the cows standing on the edge of the cliff. She also made me very proud when she said "thank you for the milkshake cow".

On our way back to Noumea we were treated to a lookout that only the locals were at, where we savoured a 360 degree view of New Caledonia. This kind of perspective really makes you think about the world we live in, and the impact we have on each other.

This is how you decorate a communications tower.

Manu taught us about mining, picking up rocks that had red nickle in them and were very dense, and easily spotted rocks with green fragments dotted through them. He told us to look for sparkling rocks along the pathways, (which the girls thought were glitter fairy trails), talked to us about different plants, how the minerals in the soil effect the plants, showed us where Kanaks lived and the 'upper class'. He recommend restaurants for lunch and dinner, and the one we went to was perfect- even though the girls acted up after such a big day, and the Matre D joked about putting them in the freezer. That brilliant joke continuous, as Olivia has completely embraced it-sassy little three year old.

We could have hired a car, and to be honest, the only reason why we didn't was because Mark and I were both worn out, and a bit worried about turning corners from the opposite side of the road-oh how we've changed since becoming parents. BUT, we are so glad we didn't drive, as we would have missed so much. Our tour guide taught us about the Great South of New Caledonia, and now we can't wait to discover more of this diverse landscape.

When you're tour guide is so awesome, they become a friend.