Picture a long white sandy beach, in a neat curve, forming a bay that protects us from wind in any direction (apart from westerly and that almost never happens). Behind the beach you find long tall skinny pine trees, where the island gets its name - the Isle of Pines. But this island is much more than beach and trees. The bay is home to several turtles, that pop their heads up to say hello off and on all day. We also have a resident dugong that comes up looking like a floating log and then gives us a graceful wave of the whale-like tail. Now and then a small ray will flip out of the water to make a splash. There are great snorkelling spots near by, teeming with fish. On shore the scenery is fabulous, with various walks offering different views of this spectacular place. On top of that, just 1km down the road is a little grocery store and a bit further on a bakery that bakes fresh baguettes every day. The bakery opens at 5.30am and has fresh bread baking until about 8am. The morning walk to the bakery has become a pleasant part of our daily routine. There are some resorts on shore, so if we feel like treating ourselves to an ice cream, a coffee or a meal, we can. We have not actually had a meal out yet, but just having the possibility is enticing! Last time we were here, two years ago, we hired a car and explored the island, visiting caves and natural pools and villages.
And because of all of these attractions, it is a popular place for yachties! So it is a very social bay. We meet new people, catch up with yachties we met earlier in our travels. We meet on each others boats for coffee in the morning or drinks in the evening, or dinner together. It is an easy place to form friendships and share experiences such as climbing the mountain, Pic Nga together. About twice a week a cruise ship comes in, delivering Kiwis and Aussies who are trying to get some sun after a long winter. We call them marshmallows. They are white when they arrive and pink when they leave after a day on the beach! When the cruise ship is in, the locals set up craft markets and little food stalls along the shore. The other visitors to the bay are people who have flown in and chartered a catamaran for a week or two. Some of these visitors provide us with entertainment. A boat load of Aussies came in to the bay on a charter cat the other day. We watched them trying to anchor. At first is was funny watching them, but after 9 failed attempts at setting the anchor it was not funny any more and none of us wanted them dragging near our boats. So Karl hopped in the dinghy and went over to them - he suggested they let a bit more anchor chain out, which they did - and the anchor set - finally! Phew. Each morning we wave good bye to some boats who are leaving the bay to go back to Noumea or head off to another country. Every afternoon a few more boats arrive - some old friends and some friends we are yet to meet.
There are other anchorages here - we have visited Vao and Gadji which is very pretty, but somehow, Kuto Bay keeps calling us back. It is just so hard to leave!