Isle of Pines

A beautiful spot in the Pacific with something of a tragic past. This island is part of the Loyalty Islands which are part of the French territory of New Caledonia. We were there om 15th July  2016 as you can see by the photo it was a glorious day.

Today the Isle of Pines is about pristine waters snorkeling and tourism. We arrived on a cruise ship which anchored of the coast and we’re ferried in on the ship’s lifeboats.

The locals were friendly and didn’t really tout for business making for a relaxed day on the beach.

History

The history of the Isle of Pines is darker. It was a French penal colony from 1872 until 1913. Besides criminals there were also political prisoners  banished to the Isle of Pines. These political prisoners were from the Paris Commune. I have linked to the Wikipedia article on this period of French History.

According to plaques near the ruins of the old penal colony the indigenous people the Kanaks, the link is to a  Wikipedia article on theses people. In short the French annexure of these Islands did meet with resistance from the indigenous people.

 

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