Photo album: "New Caledonia: northwest"

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Still on Friday March 16th, 1973, we continue our trip around Grande Terre northwards in direction of Koné. We stop, en route, to have a look at the installations of a mine of nickel near Muéo. After having slept in the lodging of Kouniambo at Koné, we drive on, on Saturday March 17th, towards Kaala-Gomen then we visit a Païta village, near Koumac.

Landscape, after leaving Poé, driving northwards.

Muéo mines: nickel ore is open quarried in the mountain. It is, then, transported downwards to the plain inside cable cars.

The end of the cableway.

Cable cars unloading area.

Nickel ore is stored, then, it is transported to a sea harbour, about ten kilometres farther, where it is loaded into cargo ships which will carry it to Nouméa.

The transport to the sea harbour is made by a conveyor belt.

This conveyor belt is moving inside a safety tube we can see on the road side. We can see the clouds of dust rising behind the vehicles passing on this non-asphalted road. A shower will be the first thing to do when we arrive at the hotel in the evening.

The next morning, farther north, near Koumac, we visit an indigene village. A tribe as it is called there. It is a Païta tribe.

A few cabins, with dried-mud walls and thatched-roof.

Another view of the village and its dwellings. We have spoken with the inhabitants of the village but we didn't take close pictures to respect their privacy.

Decorations on the walls of this house.

An old women on her home doorstep.

A circolar shaped cabin.

Some shops or warehouses.

We leave the Païta village. We cross, then, the northern part of Grande Terre, to reach the eastern coast.

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