WW: Tjibaou Cultural Centre, Nouméa, New Caledonia

Tjibaou Cultural Centre, Nouméa, New Caledonia

As I have shared before, Tjibaou Cultural Center is another incredible place you should not miss when you are visiting Nouméa, New Caledonia. Although it is a bit away from the city center, but the trip here is worth a visit.

Jean-Marie Tjibaou, the inspiration for this cultural center, was indeed one outstanding figure in New Caledonia, particularly from Kanak people independent movement. After he was assassinated in 1989 and New Caledonia went through some violent era, things are getting better and more peaceful after Matignon Accord and Nouméa Accord. And New Caledonia continues to develop and flourish afterwards.

Enjoy some photos I took from this beautiful cultural center.

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Almost Cherry Blossom at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Tokyo

It was almost cherry blossom season at Shinjuku Gyoen Park, Tokyo, when I had another transit stop at Tokyo for the second time.

The weather was beautiful and balmy, making me decide to visit one of the famous gardens in Tokyo when you can enjoy cherry blossoms.
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

Surely it wasn't really packed with people but I saw some tourists like me trying to get the best snap of the flowers.
I saw some sakura and many other trees and flowers that I don't know the name of.

Besides the blooming flowers and wonderful fragrance, I really enjoy the clear blue sky!
Such a great sight to see those colorful flowers against the blue sky backdrop.  

Regardless the fact that I don't know the name of most of those beautiful flowers (it was written in Japanese :)), I really enjoy my morning walk in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.
And the garden is indeed huge, encompassing  French Formal Garden, English Landscape garden and Japanese traditional garden all in one big area.
Because of the time constraint, I only roamed around the Japanese garden, as I still had Shibuya, Ginza, and Odaiba areas to explore at that time.
I guess I need to go back when the trees are all fully blooming.
Maybe next time :).
Here are some more photos I took there, all using my iPhone X #shotoniphone.

So if you happen to be around, don't miss this beautiful garden.
It's reachable using JR Chou Line and Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line from Tokyo Station to Shinjuku station, with some 10 minutes walking.
The ticket is 200 Yen per adult which is so cheap.

Enjoy the garden and have a lovely spring.

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5 Instagramable Spots in Noumea, New Caledonia

Have you heard of the city of Nouméa?
Or the territory of New Caledonia?

I won't be surprised if not many of us have heard or visited this beautiful territory before!
Thanks to my work, I'm quite familiar with the history and the  development of this territory but I just got a chance to actually come and visit this beautiful place. It took me 2 days, literally, to reach this place, because of the access and connection from New York City to Pacific.

New Caledonia is one of the Non-Self-Governing Territories under the Administering Power of France. Situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, New Caledonia is indeed beautiful.
Clear blue sky, turquoise water, and warm weather are some of the beauties of this territory.

I joined a visiting mission with the UN to New Caledonia this March and got a chance to stay here for 6 days. Well, 6 days filled with works and endless meetings, not for vacation obviously,  but I managed to enjoy some beautiful spots in Nouméa.

And during those limited time, here are 5 Instagramable Spots in Nouméa, New Caledonia, that I truly enjoy

1. Promenade de L'Orphelinat

Overlooking the Orphelinat Bay, this promenade is indeed a perfect place for morning jog or just simply enjoying sunset and calm, peaceful day.

The bay has this magnificent view with doting yachts and boats in the surroundings, as Marina Port du Sud or the South Marina Port is located on the other side.

And what I like best is the statue of the seafarer. 

Marine Nouvelle-Caledonie.

With the binoculars on his face, overlooking the beautiful bay, this young marine looks so fit in his uniform, happily observing the vast ocean in front.

2. Anse Vata Beach

This beautiful beach is probably one of the most popular around Nouméa.
We saw people strolling around the beach, having picnic, and simply swimming and enjoying this beautiful, clean beach.
Along the beach, you will find big, five-star hotels, shopping outlets and restaurants.
Besides, the beach is nice, with white powdery sand along the lines.
Too bad I didn't really stay here too long at that time as the sea was not really on a conducive environment  after hurricane Hola. But I still love strolling around its promenade and get lost looking up the blue sky and clear, turquoise water. Not to forget the sunset!

Sunset at Anse Vata Beach

3. Ouen Toro Natural Park

Ouen Toro Natural Park is a lovely place to see Nouméa and the surrounding island from above. The stunning view of this beautiful city is eating for you all here. 
Faraway, you can even see the famous lagoon in New Caledonia.
The biggest lagoon in the world which is listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Here you can also find some trekking paths.
Depending on your fitness level, there are a few tracks you can choose here.
Again for sure, with breathtaking view, I might be able to walk along the hill up and down.

More view from Ouen Toro Natural Park

4. Ile le Canards

This small island is so closely located from Nouméa and very accessible.
We took the boat taxi from the nearest beach and it was only 5-7 minutes trip to the island.
Very convenient, right!

Here in Ile le Canards you can do snorkeling and swimming to your heart content.
It's clear turquoise water is just perfect for a whole day swimming and just playing in the water with your loved ones. 
And the place is indeed super instagramable! 
With perfect blue sky and wonderful shore lines, I did snap a lot of pictures here!

Unfortunately I visited this place just one day after hurricane Hola  so when I snorkeled the visibility was not that good. But judging from the posters and info I read, this island is originally a beautiful snorkeling spot. So I guess it's sort of a hint that I need to be back here to do proper snorkeling and diving :).  

Tempat ini adalah salah satu tempat favoritku di Caledonia Baru.
Favorite karena cantik, gampang perginya tanpa rempong, serta murah harga taksi kapalnya (yang dibuat mirip warnanya dengan taksi di New York City :)).
Di sini juga ada bar dan cafe cantik yang seru dan menyajikan aneka makanan  fast food yang pas banget buat kita-kita yang super kelaparan setelah seharian berenang dan snorkeling in this beautiful island.

santai di sini asyik bangeeet kan

Kebayang aku serunya leyeh-leyeh di kursi pantai yang banyak tersedia di pantai dan cafe, sambil menikmati live music yang oke banget. Atau bahkan, nonton konser musik di pinggir pantai sambil menyeruput virgin bloody mary dan ngegadoin fresh fish or crab cake. 
Aaah bahagianya! Dan nikmat! 

5.  Tjibaou Cultural Center

Tjibaou Cultural Center is another incredible place you should not miss when you are visiting Nouméa. Jean-Marie Tjibao was one outstanding figure in New Caledonia, particularly from Kanak people independent movement. After he was assassinated in 1989 and New Caledonia went through some violent era, things are getting better and more peaceful after Matignon Accord and Nouméa Accord.

This cultural center highlights the incredible cultures and heritage of the Kanaki people and beautifully displayed their unique way of life. I went here and spent around 1.5 hours enjoying the center as well as closely observing the rich indigenous tradition of the Kanaki people. It's beautiful.

And the Center is uniquely designed by Renzo Piano, an Italian world-class architect, who successfully captured beautiful tradition of Kanak. And the photo exhibition is also stunning. I really love this place!

These are just some of the many interesting spots you can explore in Nouméa, New Caledonia. For sure we have so many beautiful spot here in New Caledonia and I can't wait to go back and explore more. Not to mention more incredible places in different islands. And don't forget, I haven't got a chance to go diving and snorkeling here! Plus checking out the biggest lagoon in the world, listed in UNESCO world heritage! See, I still have so many places to explore here. 



 I also managed to see the other parts of the Territory, namely Lifou in Loyalty Island, and Koné in North Island. 

We took a short flight, around 55 minutes, to those places with Air Caledonié. 

Air Caledonie..

And the view of this Territory from above is drop dead beautiful!  

Breathtaking view!

I was wondering whether they have train services as well here. 
Waktu kami ke sini, rombongan sempat menanyakan apakah ada jalur kereta api yang membawa pengunjung dan turis di Kaledonia Baru ke tempat-tempat wisata di luar Nouméa. Dengan harga tiket kereta api yang terjangkau dan jalur kereta yang cantik di sepanjang garis pantai tempat ini, pasti banyak turis yang suka dan pengunjung pun akan banyak yang berlibur ke sini. Kalau begini jadi super kangen sama Indonesia yang punya banyak jalur kereta api cantik! Dan tiket kereta api Indonesia pun masuk akal harganya serta gampang untuk membelinya karena bisa online juga. 
Perhaps this is one good practice that New Caledonia can learn from Indonesia.

So, how do you like these 5 Instragamble Spots in  Nouméa, New Caledonia?

Hope I can go back here soon to see more beauty of this lovely territory.

Ueno Park and the Surroundings - Photo Album

Before coming back with more stories, allow me to share some more colorful photos taken at the Ueno Park and its surroundings.

I really enjoyed walking around the areas and observing the peaceful morning.

I stopped at Bentendo Temple and paused for a while.

The colors and the intricate details of the temple is amazing. 

But of course, the main attraction of Ueno Park is the cherry blossoms.

Although it was not yet fully blooming, some of the trees shown the pinky petals already and  that's enough for me to have a taste of the Japanese spring.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do and happy spring!