By On the morning of the 21st December we woke at 7am and had a quick breakfast at The Pantry. I was naturally excited, as we all were, to be getting off the ship for a while. Two days onboard we were ready for a break.
We had previously ordered snorkelling gear through our Room Stewards onboard. In future I will be buying my own and taking it with me as I was not completely satisfied with our rental equipment.
We waited at the Marquee for our tender numbers to be called. After boarding the tender boat we had a choppy trip over to Isle of Pines where we were greeted with dancers and flax and flower crowns, and P&O Pirates.
If you want to get stamps on your passport remember to take them with you as for $2 you can have your passport stamped. I didn’t take ours as we weren’t told this and I was annoyed. Who doesn’t want to add a stamp to their passport?
We trekked off to Kanumera Bay, which google had told me was the spot for some good snorkelling. It was about a 5 min walk from the drop off point of the tender boats. We stopped where there were trees etc but if you wanted to walk further you could have walked down to where it was more of a sandy beach.
The water was amazing. The view was amazing. It was just like a postcard. The snorkelling was pretty good if you haven’t been snorkelling anywhere before. You need to be on the lookout for sea snakes though but they do tend to leave you alone if you leave them alone. The snorkelling point is around a big ‘rock’ that is sacred to the locals so no climbing is allowed.
After a good hour or two in the water we had a quick walk around the stalls where you could get everything from Nutella donuts to coconuts to drink from. We made a quick pit stop to buy a souvenior and then headed back to the boat.
Next time I might organise a tour so that I can see more of the island, or perhaps even head there on its own as it seems like a wonderful place to relax. I’ve heard it’s become a hotspot for honeymooners so perhaps a second honeymoon is on the cards?
Stay tuned for Noumea
Xo S
Shannii Maree - Strong Without Realising 