Kanumera rock
Sacred; not to be climbed.
Jesiane — CC0 · Bahnfrend — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bahnfrend — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bahnfrend — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bahnfrend — CC BY-SA 3.0
Kuto and Kanumera are twin bays of fine white sand on the south-west coast of the Isle of Pines in New Caledonia, about 6 km in a straight line west of the village of Vao and about 110 km south-east of the capital, Nouméa. The Isle of Pines is a small island no more than 15 km long, nicknamed «the closest island to paradise». The explorer James Cook named it in 1774 after the tall, slender native pines that rise like columns, and these trees still line its shores today. A narrow neck of land separates the two bays, so you can walk from one to the other. Kuto has calm, shallow water shaded by coconut palms, with boats and cruise ships anchored offshore, while Kanumera is quieter, with turquoise water and its well-known coral rock standing in the bay; the rock is sacred to islanders, so do not climb it. Both beaches are public and free. The island is about half an hour by plane from Nouméa or can be reached by ferry, and the water inside both bays is good for swimming and snorkelling.
Sacred; not to be climbed.
Like pillars.
Shallow water.
Kuto, Isle of Pines, New Caledonia
By plane from Nouméa in about half an hour, or by ferry.
No, it is sacred to the islanders.