Noumea Grand Terra, New Caledonia 2/8/2025

Our stop yesterday was on one of the islands of New Caledonia. New Caledonia was first settled by the Austronesian-speaking Lapita people around 1,500 BCE. Their descendants, the Kanak people, developed a distinct Melanesian culture based on clan-based societies, agriculture, and extensive trade networks.  In 1853 France annexed New Caledonia under Emperor Napoleon III, making…

French Polynesia 1/28, 29, 30 /2025

Before I get Popeete, I want to tell you about a fun outing we had several days ago.  On January 25th there was an unusual planet alignment of 6 planets.  The ship had anyone interested go up to the “Retreat” area of the ship, 11th floor forward.  They turned off most of the lights on…