Sunday, May 8, 2011

Île des Pins, New Caledonia

Well, what a way to greet you on this lovely sunny Sunday..ok, it is a bit windy, but at least the sun is out there and things feel so quiet....and a postcard is coming from a new country! From the land of New Caledonia directly! Wohoooo!!!!


and thats all thanks to the generous Jean-Pierre, who has been such a great contributor to this blog with his postcards from all around the world! And all of them AMAZING!
The one here just cant not make you long for a small piece of beach paradise...just look at these blue waters and white sands and happy children....to be more precise, this is the Île des Pins or The Isle of Pines, which bears the nickname 'l'île la plus proche du paradis' or in English, 'the closest island to Paradise'...and you just have to agree with it!

The island was discovered by Westerners by Captain James Cook in 1774 on his second voyage to New Zealand. Cook gave the island its name after seeing the tall native pines. He never disembarked onto the island, but as he saw signs of inhabitance (smoke), he assumed it was inhabited. In the 1840s Protestant and Catholic missionaries arrived, along with merchants seeking sandalwood.

The island is rich with animal life and is home to unusual creatures such as the Crested Gecko Rhacodactylus ciliatus and the world's largest gecko Rhacodactylus leachianus.
Ok, geckos dont seem to be the most attractive creatures on Earth...:)


and colourful stamps with perfect cancellation....well, philatelic bureaus do know the importance of cancellations. the stamp was issued in 2010, representing Pacific Games.

thank you so much again Jean-Pierre!!! 

1 comment:

Vagirl said...

Wow, gorgeous place and good for you another new country!
Hugs!

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