New Caledonia is an overseas territory of France, comprised of volcanic islands, across 7000 sq miles. Lifou is one of those islands, Lifou Island, with 461 sq miles and over 10,000 inhabitants. We tendered from the ship in driving rain and walked into the little village to see what we could see.

Tourism is the primary industry for Lifou, and for New Caledonia in general, though we were surprised by the minimal food and shopping offerings in the village. There were a couple of stalls, selling a few handcrafted items, however there was not a large selection or inventory. There was a small counter that was offering sandwiches, and an outside barbeque, offering grilled crab and lobster. There were two sets of public toilets that were pretty decent.

We found a small “pub” where we were able to purchase a local New Caledonian beer. We sat and listened to the DJ playing island tunes, enjoying the foliage that surrounded us. The rain tapered off and we decided to venture out and look around some more. There was a group performing traditional music and people were strolling around the small farmer’s market. As we were walking back to the pier, we saw the Coral Princess Head Chef coming to the market, with his staff carrying empty crates. We’ve been without bananas for several days and everyone was excited that he was procuring some for us from the local farmer.

Tomorrow: Sea Day