Noumea Trip 2005

When I received the notice to say that I was one of the few french language students lucky enough to be chosen to go to Noumea I was extremely excited. It never really sunk in until a few months later when I was standing, bleary-eyed and half asleep, in Invercargill airport at 6.00am waving goodbye to my parents. I was going to miss them, but one thing I wasn't going to miss was the weather!

When I got off the plane in Noumea I was hit by the humidity. It was a big change for me considering I was accustomed to bitterly cold and icy mornings and long windy afternoons.

On the bus ride to our hotel I was mesmerised by the sights flying past my window - palm trees, beaches, and the beautiful dark water stretching into the night. Needless to say the time passed all too quickly as we were kept busy with our French lessons and all the sightseeing we did. The highlight for me definitely came on the last Friday we were there. We visited Amedee Island, a beautiful, tropical paradise about thirty minutes by boat from Noumea. There we were, free to do as we chose for the day. I tried snorkelling for only the second time in my life and I saw a huge array of brightly coloured tropical fish along with a stingray and a shark. We were treated to an island buffet for lunch which was served in the shade of little huts. After lunch we watched some Pacific dancers put on a show before we returned to our carefree activities on the beach.

I climbed Amedee lighthouse, the main attraction on the island, and got a great view of the sea all around. I had a great afternoon and then we had to leave to return to Noumea.

I was very sad to say goodbye to Noumea as I had had an amazing time and learnt heaps about the country, culture and language, and if I had the chance, I would definitely go back again!

by Aimee Paterson