girls finished exploring about 10:15 am and decided to return to the ship. I really could not understand why as this was the first nice day in many days, and the quintessential South Pacific Island. Mike and I let them go, and stayed on the beach until 1 pm. We returned to the ship, changed into regular clothes, and had a quick lunch. After trying unsuccessfully to get the girls to join us, we then returned to the island to do some exploring of our own. We walked the length of a adjacent mile long beach, taking our time, before returning to catch the last tender to the ship. This was our favorite island thus far, as it was perfect weather for perfect beaches. 11 October 2012 Thursday. We arrived in Noumea on the main island of New Caledonia at 7 am to another gorgeous day. We hurried with breakfast and disembarked to catch the first shuttle bus into the city center. We were not allowed to walk because this was an active port with a lot of activity, and they didn't want a passenger to be run over by a forklift truck. As Mike and Betty had signed up for a shore excursion which required them to be back by 11 am, we decided to walk around the main part of town starting with the Place des Cocotiers (Coconut Square). Noumea is a very French city, reminiscent of a French Riviera seaside town, with a promenade along the sea