hibis "three sites"



hibis, nothing
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hibis   Islands and Lagoons, Pacific life ///
  • theme summary
    • Oceania - continent, possessions (lands and seas), peoples origin.
    • Islands and lagoons  New Caledonia - countries finding out, landscapes, urbanization..       Polynesia (part)
    • local life - peoples, culture, feast days - various facts, reported facts - tribes..
      - file "évents" (New Caledonia, the context)
    • practical life - information, risks and dangers
      - it happened, economy, government, politics - local wordss (vocabulary, complements..)
    • Lagoon - geological formation, marine area, passes, dangers..
      - lagoon life (corals, fish and else..)
    • Surprising oceanic life - Fantastic if not strange capabilities.
    •  global summary
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    Ouvéa               
French



Ouvéa can be distinguished from the other Loyauté islands by its semicircular form, due to the rocking of the atoll it was formerly. Its immense white beaches in arc, blazing in the sun, is the typical beach which one presents at the tourists. Scattered with pieces of coral which hurt the feet, it is better to look at where one walks while hopping on the point of the feet by hot summer days, with the manner of these crabs of the small islands which run drawn up on their legs back as if they made points.



The shallow lagoon itself is absolutely marvellous if one can cross it in boat; The very agreable and silent evenings passed once the heat, alleviated, remain unforgettable and it will be the moment to see whether the noctilucques (*) get the water fluorescent when one stirs up the edge of the sea with the foot.

(*) microscopic flagellad algae


Back part atoll: the higher part dug out shows well the old sea level before the rocking of the whole atoll.
(file picture (1968). There is a big hotel somewhere now. 		Coconut tree is there is a King and the narrow path, that is narrow a road in this area, in the mid of the land offered a quite pleasant protection against a sun, sometimes a little too burning.
The earth oven. On the left hand, preparation of a true "bougna" The oven : dig the hole, cut wood, make the stones burning, prepare food, make the packages with the leaves of banana tree, open the oven and place the packages there - without burning itself - cover... The bougna "pot" or " microwaves " is now more known, because one does not need such an amount of place, nor two working days. Kanak group bathing, dressed as usual (T-shirt or shirtless, kilt, mission dress). One can see small coral pieces, better to be avoided, what is done by tiptoeing during the hot hours. in this shallow water, sea cucumbers are to be avoided too..
Ouvéa formerly had many contacts with the Polynesians and two languages divide the ground, of which one very influenced by the Polynesian.

Two chefferies reign on this ground. One does not go over there like to the Balearic Islands ! see"tribes"

The blue hole; I did not see any, but at Ouvéa, they look like a small mexican cenote, excavated in the coral mass, full of glaucous water and linked to the nearby sea by small cracks or channels. Small fish ans even tortoises can reach it from the sea. See also here after, blue hole. Ouvéa is the place known as of "the massacre of the cave" where the freedom fighters had taken refuge. see "tribes" One finds however there luxurious hôtel(s?), lodgings and inhabitant housing, bank, town hall, phone boxes, petrol stations, small trade.
The true Blue Hole is in the water. The deepest is about 200 metres. It's the small opening of a submarine cave, at the bottom of shallow coral reef water. There are some others in the Pacific, of which one nearby the French island Clipperton described by the French doctor Etienne in his book:one of these blue holes have been explored with great difficulty because of the presence, within a few meters deep, a heterogeneous layer thick enough, chemically aggressive, dangerous and opaque, blocking any possibility of going deeper. For a long time, thinking at a deposit, it was thought the bottom was reached. But once crossed the inexplicable layer, with adequate equipment, the existence of a network of underwater caves connected horizontally was found, may be joining the island. Could be the pipe of the former volcano.

Pine trees Island (Ile des Pins) - Ouvea

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