At Sea, Pines, New Caledonia

Pens Island (Île-des-Pins) is an island in the Pacific Ocean near the island of Grand Terre. It is part of the overseas territory of France, New Caledonia. The island covers an area of 152.3 sq. km. Length - 15 km, width - 13 km. Pens Island is located to the south-east of the island of New Caledonia and approximately 100 km to the south-east of the city of Nouméa.

The island was discovered in 1774 by the English traveler James Cook during his second circumnavigation voyage. The seafarer named it the Pine Island in honor of the local tree - columnar araucaria.

Pens Island - “the most beautiful island in the world” - is famous for its underwater grottos, snow-white sandy beaches, and extraordinary stands of araucarias that give the island an unmistakable character. Giant trunks - columns rising above the canopy of palm forests - are a distinctive and captivating detail of the local landscape. This is one of the most well-known resorts in the world, very popular with newlyweds. Its secluded beaches, covered with the finest white sand, mysterious caves and hills covered with orchids present themselves to the traveler in their pristine beauty. In addition to a wide choice of water sports, the island also has truly unique places such as the Queen Hortense caves, the traditional Melanesian village of Vao and many others. A fantastic turquoise lagoon, channels with seawater, magnificent beaches, pine groves - charming places that can be seen only on Pens Island.

New Caledonia is an archipelago, an overseas special administrative-territorial entity of France, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is represented by a large island of the same name and a group of small islands in the south-western part of the Pacific Ocean, in Melanesia. It borders to the south-west with Australia’s economic zone, to the north with Vanuatu, and to the south-east with Fiji. The largest island of the archipelago is Grand Terre, where its capital is located.

Tropical trade-wind climate, hot and humid. The temperature changes little throughout the year - the average in winter (from April to August) is about +19-23 C, and in summer (November-March) +24-26 C. The annual rainfall ranges from 3000 mm in the eastern part of the archipelago to 700 mm in the west. Mostly, rains fall during the period from December-January to March, during the passage of cyclones. This period is characterized by cloudy weather and powerful tropical hurricanes. From September to November-December the trade-wind season lasts, when the weather is very windy but the sky is clear.