After our 5 days at an apartment in Noumea near Baie des Citrons we were scheduled to go out to Ilot Maitre for a couple of nights at the Hilton Doubletree. The small island is located approximately 5km from the Anse Vata beach in Noumea and is surrounded by a 2km long reef. The island only has the Hilton resort on it, and is in an excellent lagoon for snorkeling with plenty of fish, coral and turtles. We had decided a couple of nights of luxury and snorkeling directly from the beach would be great, and worth the extra cost. Well at least when we booked it many months earlier!

However, a couple of days earlier a shark attack had meant a large number of beaches were closed surrounding Noumea including Ilot Maitre. With nothing much else to do on the island, other than water based activities and us wanting to go there just for the snorkeling, we tried to cancel and stay in Noumea where we could snorkel at the shark netted beach. Our Airbnb apartment hosts were happy to have us stay on and we’d thoroughly enjoyed our time there. The lure of Ilot Maitre was strong but we weren’t sure it was going to be much fun if we were stuck only looking at the water.

After going back and forwards with the Hilton for 36 hours and them changing their minds constantly, it looked like we wouldn’t get a refund so we decided to go anyway.

The ferry to Ilot Maitre….

After packing up the apartment, we left around 10am and were down to Port Moselle, where we parked our hire car in the Port car park and unloaded our bags. We were there in plenty of time for our 11am ferry over to Ilot Maitre.

Unlike our boat ride out to Amédée Island, this was both very comfortable sitting inside and not remotely wet or bumpy!

Welcome to the Hilton

We arrived at the Hilton by 11.20am and our room wasn’t ready (as predicted) so we took up residence by the pool and ate our baguettes that Anto had whipped up that morning. We weren’t staying in one of those very pretty overwater bungalows, as sadly the biggest ones only slept 4. We did have a beachfront bungalow which turned out to be in a fabulous spot so we weren’t too hard done by.

Relaxing by the pool….

When we first arrived the pool area was packed and they had a local band and singer, who added to the atmosphere. Within an hour or so the entire place had cleared out. They must have all been on a return boat or heading back to their rooms for naps.

We enjoyed some pool side snacks from our collection of carbs we’d carted over with us and enjoyed some time swimming and reading by the pool. A big storm was coming over and we ironically got a little cold.

Exploring the island….

As it had started to rain and our room wasn’t yet ready we thought we’d go for a wander around the island and check out the beaches and views.

As the beaches were technically ‘closed’ there were very few people actually even on the beach, although not zero!

The entire island is only 700m and 150m wide, and the resort takes up most of the land area. Around the back of the island there were some very long stretches of scenic beach. The island is surrounded by lagoon and we could clearly see through the turquoise water.

The storm was still swirling around, which made for some dramatic skies and some excellent spots to take photos on the deserted beach.

We explored the sections of beach behind all the bungalows, there were a few people out walking on the beach but we had the place pretty much to ourselves!

Our bungalow….

Our room turned out to be right down the end on the beach in a fairly quiet spot, opposite the underwater bungalows. It was very spacious so we weren’t going to be suffering too much during our couple of days here.

Our deck led straight out onto sand and down to the water, so it was a perfect spot for the kids. We quickly set up all the snorkeling gear. Zinnia was very keen to get her buckets and spades out for some fun in the sand.

When we were debating whether or not we’d come over to Ilot Maitre, the hotel staff had indicated that they ‘couldn’t stop us’ going in the water. While there were beach closed signs up throughout the resort there appeared to be no one enforcing it. The shark attack in question was at a location a long way from here and at dusk with someone in a paddlecraft so we weren’t particularly concerned. The water was very flat and clear and we would have been able to see a shark from a very long way out.

The ‘swalkel’….

Our bags had finally arrived at our room (after one being temporarily delayed) and with all our gear, we thought we’d go out for an exploring snorkel.

We head out to the rocky area off the edge of the accommodation area. It was pretty quiet down here and we thought we’d check out what fish and coral were around, and hopefully see some turtles. The tide was very far out so the water depth was so low that we walked about half a kilometre out and hadn’t made it up to our knees yet!

We were getting pretty good views of the lagoon and picking our way through coral outcrops by foot gave us a good idea of where some good spots were going to be. It wasn’t much of a snorkel though and we quickly renamed it a ‘swalkel’ more walking than snorkeling 🙂

With the stormy skies and impending sunset the views were pretty magic, so no complaints. We watched some fish around our feet but it despite ending up close to a kilometre offshore we were not deep enough to actually get too wet.

Zinnia was more than happy to play on the rocks and sand, on the lookout for turtles.

It definitely wasn’t the worst place to spend an afternoon, even if we hadn’t managed a lot of snorkeling yet!

Like our apartment in Noumea, there were some excellent sunset views.

The buffet vs the kids….

We’d been self-catering in our apartment near Baie des Citron. Out on Ilot Maitre there was only the resort and the one restaurant. With either the buffet or a small set menu. We knew before booking that the food was very pricey and the reviews were pretty so-so on the quality. We’d decided it might be worth it for the access to great snorkeling. Breakfast was included and we’d just suck it up and pay for buffet dinner.

Luckily the kids are big seafood fans and even bigger buffet fans, so made their way through the many options. The vegetarian offerings were actually pretty decent and all we all had plenty of dessert too. There is a bit of a seagull issue at the restaurant and if you sit outside (which we chose to do as it was a nice evening) you need to cover your plates with the seagull protection or spray them. It was an amusing game to play!

Soren ate his body weight in seafood and Zinnia in dessert so they were happy kids.

Sunshine and more buffet…

We awoke to a beautiful sunny morning. The beds were supremely comfortable so we had a lovely sleep and Astrid was not keen to awaken too early, despite being on the fold out bed in the lounge area.

It was back to the restaurant for more buffet. The breakfast offerings were also pretty good, and the freshly baked baguette was pretty much Paris standard (and we are harsh critics). The kids wasted stomach space on pancakes for some reason! Although also were pretty keen on the fresh tropical fruit.

Coconuts and camera issues….

The island is very pretty and the water colour was amazing so we were keen to see if the tide was in enough to try some snorkeling today. The beaches were still closed but no one was actually stopping us going in the water. I was going to do some arguing in my poor French if they did.

The kids enjoyed playing on the beach husking coconuts (which they were naming) while we were getting the camera housing set up.

The deck was an excellent spot for playing and reading and sitting out with our cold drinks. As you can see it was just a terrible view!

We decided to head back in for a snorkel past the end of the overwater bungalows, where there are meant to be plenty of green sea turtles. Our reccie ‘swalkel’ the day before let us know where the reef started so we had a plan.

We found turtle not far from our room so all swam with it. Like Amédée Island, they are very chilled out and not fussed by snorkeler. The visibility was excellent and we found plenty of amazing coral and lots of pretty chromis of all different varieties, blue tipped corals, butterfly and angel fish, parrot fish and other fish with big bitey teeth. Soren found a giant lobster hiding under rocks. As we’d head out for our snorkel the camera housing seal must not have been in correctly and it was rapidly filling up with water. Anto had run it back to the room, opened it up and the sun and hoped we’d managed to save the camera from a watery death.

We then spent the amazing snorkel wishing we had the camera to capture all the amazing coral, fish and awesome turtles. We’d ventured a couple of hundred metres beyond the overwater bungalows and swam and found 8 or 9 turtles in one spot so we all swam with them for awhile. They were within metres of our room, just hanging out eating seagrass and letting us play with them.

Afternoon watery adventures…

We’d declared there was going to be no expensive lunch buffets. We’d taken plenty of snacks over with us so we were more than happy hanging outside on our deck with our drinks and chips while Zinnia played in the sand and the rest of us read and enjoyed the views.

By 1.30pm we were keen on another snorkel. The tide was heading out again so we had a bit of a walk out to deep enough water but knew where we were headed now so quickly found amazing fish and coral. There were a few other people out swimming or snorkeling and no one paid any attention to us ignoring the beach closure.

Sadly the camera had not started working again so we didn’t get any photos but had to enjoy our snorkel. There were again a heap of turtles between the overwater bungalows and our beach bungalow. The water was pretty shallow so while Soren and Zinnia played on the beach the rest of us swam with a bunch of huge green turtles!

The water was so clear that I could get shots and videos of them from the beach and walkways with my other camera. If you stood still for a few minutes, sure enough you’d see a turtle nearby.

The tide was now too far out for snorkeling easily so we moved to the pool for awhile, so the kids could build up an appetite for dinner!

Another day, another awesome sunset….

We were treated to more beautiful afternoon light. Zinnia was living her best life playing on the beach and while the others read I took a walk on the beach to get some more amazing views with my non water-logged camera.

I wasn’t sure I was yet hungry but apparently as it was almost dark it was time to head back to another buffet. Luckily we were only here for a couple of days so I didn’t need to get too fat.

Yes, more dessert…

Tonight we sat inside away from the seagulls. Mostly so the kids could spend less time running back and forward for food refills. Again the food was fairly decent. Despite the varying reviews we thought it was better than expected. Luckily the buffet was also cheaper not on Fridays and Saturdays so it ended up costing less than we budgeted but I wouldn’t want to be doing it for a week!

The kids utilised their dessert stomachs well 🙂

Monday mornings spent well….

It was Monday and the last day of school holidays. We spent it well with a good sleep, and some yummy buffet breakfast with tropical views.

We did have to attempt to fit in as much of that delicious baguette as possible, as it’s awhile til our next France trip.

Another turtle adventure….

It was a little overcast and cooler but that wasn’t going to stop us from enjoying a last snorkel with those amazing turtles. We had a late afternoon flight out of Noumea we’d decided to go on the 11.45am boat back to Noumea as the 2.15pm was tight if anything went wrong. This meant we had to fit in a last snorkel/swim/kayak in the morning after breakfast.

The water was again clear and we could see fish and coral as we wandered to and from breakfast.

We’d mostly packed up our bags and were out to snorkel before 9am. We found heaps of turtles within seconds. There were about 9 in one spot, again metres from our room, so we swam around with them for a bit before heading out behind bungalows.

The tide was right in so the water depth wasn’t an issue and knew where we were going so head out towards reef. Visibility was terrible to start with compared to the previous day so we were glad we knew were we were going. Once at the reef we found plenty of good coral and fish and had a fantastic snorkel. With the overcast conditions the kids were getting cold fast but we found more turtles out in reef in deeper water so we played with them for a bit. Then decided to head in to find our last turtles near bungalows. We swam around the bungalows with all the turtles, again more than 10 at a time. Other guests were watching from the over-water walkways, the vis had improved so they could see the turtles from their rooms. We ended up snorkeling for almost an hour. We didn’t want to give up the magical turtle experience but we were all getting a bit cold so we had to drag ourselves out.

Anto was doing the last bit of dreaded packing up while the kids had a final pool swim. They’d wanted to go kayak (we had free kayaking included with our stay). Sadly when we got there they weren’t allowing kayaking due to the beach closure so we had to make do with the pool instead. The kids weren’t super happy about the lack of kayaking.

By the time we were all showered and packed up the sun was starting to come out and it was warming up. We could have happily gone in for another snorkel now but instead we were going to have to bid farewell to the island.

We weren’t the only ones in the water during our stay, it seemed quite a few other people were at the beach at various times and a few snorkeled near us. We were glad we did go across, despite the carry-on from the resort and the stress of the last minute beach closure. We were no more concerned about sharks here than any other time we are in the water and it’s so flat and clear you could see one for about 2 kilometres. So while we couldn’t do any of the watersports (much to the kids disgust) we did get a lot of snorkeling in. There was excellent fish and coral and so many turtles! I thought there were a lot at Amedee Island but this was also truly awesome!

We definitely all enjoyed the beach and snorkel time and the amazing turtles so it was a good end to a holiday.

Back to Noumea

While it would have been lovely to hang out with those pretty fish and amazing turtles for another few days, it was the start of the trip back to reality and school. The boat back to Port Moselle was uneventful and the kids read and played on their phones.

When we arrived at the Port, our hire car was still in the same spot we left it and thankfully hadn’t been touched so we loaded the bags and went for a wander. We’d taken the earlier boat across in case of delays but now had a couple of hours to kill, so decided to go for a walk around and see if there was open compared to our exploring on Saturday.

We came to the conclusion that there wasn’t a huge amount to see even on a weekday. We did have another few laps on the crazy steep streets. Driving around Noumea is definitely an adventure.

In search of a souvenir shop we were back down at the port area where the cruise ships come in. We had a picnic lunch by the water with some of our left over food along with some last pastries from a patisserie we’d had delicious treats from earlier in the holiday.

They did do pastries that were of a pretty decent standard here in New Caledonia. They take their French treats quite seriously 🙂

Out to the airport…..

It was time to head off on the 45 minute trip to the airport. In Noumea the airport is actually in in Païta, approximately 50 kilometers northwest of central Nouméa. We noticed on the drive into Noumea and back out that the reason it’s so far out is there is no flat land anywhere near Noumea city for a runway. It’s all hills! It is a very scenic drive and mostly divided highway so not too arduous. Anto was now pretty used to driving on the wrong side of the road again 🙂

We did find better options for souvenirs at the airport, and aside from Zinnia trying to lose one of our carry-on bags (which we thankfully got back pretty quickly) there was just the usual waiting around to board, ready to get this show on the road.

Farewell Noumea

We departed pretty much on time at 5pm and had some amazing coastal views leaving New Caledonia. Followed by a glorious sunset.

The 2.5 hour flight back to Brisbane was thankfully very uneventful. We were originally meant to be connecting through to Canberra that night, but due to many flight changes by Qantas our transit time had been chopped to 35 minutes, even if we were on time. Given we had to clear immigration and customs we figured we had zero chance of making that connection so had to book a last minute hotel in Brisbane for the night.

The airport adjacent hotel was still an Uber ride away and way bigger than we needed for a few short hours sleep, but with 5 of us, options are limited. With the time change and a long day of travel, even though the flights were short, the kids were keen on showers and bed.

Stupidly early starts…

The unfortunate change to the flight schedule meant that not only did we have to overnight in Brisbane but Astrid and Soren had a representative school swimming meet at the AIS that day. Anto and I were also officiating at the meet. When the flights changed and we realised we would probably have to overnight in Brisbane I did prepack their swimming race bags and leave them in our car and have Granny ready to collect us from the airport with bags and food so we could head straight to the AIS for an 8.30am meet start. Unfortunately this meant being on the earliest flight out of Brisbane.

This meant a 4.15am alarm but Anto and I were awake before 4am anyway. The motivated kids were out quickly and ready and waiting for the 4.30am Uber back to the airport. We had a points upgrade to business class on the way back so it was quick to check the bags and through to the lounge for the kids next round of buffet. This is the face of a tired Soren before he had enough carbs and hot chocolate!

They were all much happier after food (and caffeine for the adults). We were onboard before 6am and got another pretty decent meal on the flight back to Canberra. Lucky the kids were carb loading for swimming.

Due to some excellent planning and a bit of luck we landed in Canberra by 8.10am and were out into the cold to the waiting car. Zinnia was off with Granny to school and the rest of us to the AIS where we made it in time for the start of warm-up. Despite no training for the time we were in New Caledonia, and no sleep, both kids swam really well. It must have been all those long snorkels and cruising with turtles!

This was the first trip for all of us to New Caledonia. We all enjoyed the snorkeling and diving and the water was glorious. Baie des Citron was fairly decent snorkeling. The clown fish were particularly impressive and numerous very close the shore. The trip to Amedee Island was a highlight and the snorkeling and stay at Ilot Maitre was very good, aside from the beach closure issue. The tendency for the New Caledonian Goverment to close beaches is a little frustrating. We’d planned to visit Noumea a few years earlier for a snorkeling trip, but the beaches were all closed for many months so we went to the Cook Islands instead. I’d definitely go back to New Caledonia to enjoy the snorkeling and diving but would be wary of the continued beach closures. They seem to close them at the drop of a hat, although they are adding more shark netted beaches which may improve the situation.

All in all we enjoyed our time in Noumea and had an amazing time in water and some fantastic memories. It was also the last hurrah of warm weather before heading back to a crisp Canberra Autumn!