Isle of Pines

The Isle of Pines is the island south of Grande Terre that the Kanak call Kunié, ringed by white sand and named for the columnar pines that stand along its shores. The natural pool of Oro Bay is its signature, a shallow basin of clear water joined to the sea by a channel and reached on foot through the forest. Kanumera and Kuto bays sit back to back across a narrow neck, and outrigger sailing canoes cross Upi Bay to the pool. Ruins of a colonial prison and a hilltop chapel recall the years the island was a penal colony. Cruise ships call often.