Never in my life did I expect to be invited to a royal coronation, much less one taking place within a territory of the French Republic. France's dalliance with a monarchy had come to a sharp end about 230 years ago – just ask Louis XVI. But it wasn't European royalty I was looking forward to meeting as I boarded a boat headed to what is known as ‘the island closest to paradise’.
The road to paradise actually consisted of a ferry ride across the world's largest lagoon to New Caledonia's Isle of Pines, deep in the south-western Pacific Ocean. Even from the deck, the colours of the surrounding reef shone brightly. But as the island's silhouette became clearer, my attention was drawn away from the UNESCO-listed waters to the shimmering landscape that lay ahead.
I'd been enchanted by South Pacific islands before, so I knew what to expect: every shade of blue imaginable, white-sand beaches, swaying coconut trees. But while the rocky interior of the Isle of Pines ranks high on the Jurassic Park scale of prehistoric wonder, the clue to what makes it different lies in its name.
The Cook pine tree (Araucaria columnaris) is endemic to New Caledonia and grows up to 60m tall. This lanky pine makes for a distinctive sight, with a slender, spire-like crown and a trunk that often tilts at strange angles. Scientists discovered a few years ago that wherever these trees are transplanted in the world, they will lean towards the equator.
“Above the palm trees rose what looked like an evergreen forest of natural skyscrapers”
The ferry dock at Kuto Bay lies off one of the island's more magnificent beaches. Above
