I’ve been talking about Baie des Tortues (Turtle Bay) on my last couple of posts and once or twice before that, but they’ve been detail photos, except for one that was taken from this exact spot but at night, so I thought I’d share a day image of the beach of Baie des Tortues (Turtle Bay).

2 images | 48 mm, 10 seconds @ ƒ/11, ISO 100Little Stopper + Polariser

The luck I had was that it was almost low tide when I took this shot, revealing the tunnel of the cliff, the Pierced Rock (la Roche Percée). Situated smack bang in the middle of the image with it’s own tiny beach in front of the entrance. At low tide you have access to the tunnel from the beach. The hole goes straight through the cliff to the other side where you join the other beach and peninsula, la Roche Percée, which you can see behind the cliff and to the right of the image. The tunnel is quite narrow and is part of the Sentier des Trois Baies (the Three Bay Trail) which includes Baie de la Roche Percée (Pierced Rock Bay), Baie des Tortues (Turtle Bay) and Baie des Amoureux (Lovers Bay). A beautiful walk if ever you have the time.

The beach behind the cliff is where I took the photo from my last post, Le Bourailais. This rock formation at the end of the cliff, known as le Bonhomme (the Man), is a landmark in New Caledonia with spiritual importance in Kanake culture. Hop over to my last post for more information on the Bonhomme de Bourail.

On the left side of the Roche Percée (Pierced Rock) cliff is an amazing 280° lookout point with a shrine dedicated to Notre Dame des Flots (Our Lady of the Waves), who watches over the ships. Magnificent views up there.

And of course, just below that is the beach of Baie des Tortues (Turtle Bay). Well known for it’s turtle nesting season in late January, early February. A beautiful little beach, very popular with the locals and tourists for picnicking. Not a bad spot for a romantic sunset either.

This shot was taken from the Route de la Baies des Amoureux (Lovers Bay Road). This small section of the road is part of the Sentier des Trois Baies (the Three Bay Trail), mentioned above. Two photos were taken to make this image. A long exposure of 10 seconds to smooth out the clouds and water, and a shorter 1/8th second exposure to capture the cliff side when the sun shone on it. It was cloudy and rain was on it’s way, as you can see from the top left of the image, but the sky opened long enough on the horizon to provided me with this beautiful light. I blended the 1/8th exposure on to the 10 second exposure in Photoshop and finished editing in Lightroom. Mainly just accentuating the cliff side, beach and water.

So there you go, the gorgeous Turtle Bay in Bourail, New Caledonia. This whole area is worth a visit if ever you’re round the corner.

TO ATCHU BEACH

Kuto, Isle of Pines

On my last post, I mentioned Atchu Camping but didn’t elaborate on it. This is where we pitched our tents for four nights in Isle of Pines. Sleeping in tents was the only camping activity we did though, for our stay here was a lot more comfortable.

Sony a7 III + Tamron E 28-75 mm ƒ/2.8 Di III RXD | 35 mm, 1/80th @ ƒ/11, ISO 200

Atchu Camping is situated on the other side of the eastern point of Kanumera Bay. And at the end of the dirt road that’s to the left of the Ouré Lodge reception. The easiest way to get there is by shuttle bus which you can book online at the same time as your camping. Note though, that the shuttle drops you off at Ouré Lodge reception and you’ll have to walk the rest of the way to the campsite. It’s a five to ten minute walk so don’t bring too many or heavy things. You’ll have to walk back to the reception when leaving too. Road’s a little bumpy for a small car but you can drive right to the campsite if you hire one. Now don’t be fooled by the name, Atchu Camping is much more yet stays modest. There’s a family hut and a few bungalows if you prefer a little more comfort than a tent. There’s a small snack/restaurant, Chez Didas, that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is simple with bread, butter, jam, fruit, juice and tea/coffee. Lunch is more on the snacks side of things with burger, panini, sandwich and dinner is a small menu of five or six dishes. We tried all three and can highly recommend eating Chez Didas. Reserve in advance though. They do have an outdoor kitchen with, just about, everything you need to cook. It’s a another way to save money and meet people. And talking about meeting people, if you’re someone who’s constantly connected to social networks, don’t worry, free WiFi is available throughout the campsite, except when eating. That’s right, they turn off the WiFi at breakfast, lunch and dinner times and I’m guessing it’s to promote their own social network between their customers. I think it’s a great idea. We ended up meeting and conversing with people at breakfast and dinner, and had a great time. They also have a couple of outdoor sheltered seating areas with electrical power strips to recharge your batteries or whatever. What more can you ask for? Toilets? Showers? Yes, they have those too but bring your own toilet paper and soap. Atchu Camping is constantly windy, which is great for those hot and humid summer days and nights. The campsite is clean and quiet, perfect for those looking to get away and relax. And it’s only a fifteen to twenty minute walk to Kanumera Beach.

We had our tents pitched about ten meters to the left of this photo. I was waiting for my friend and her two kids, to head to breakfast, when I took this shot. It just seemed like a nice scene. Sun, sand, palm trees, turquoise water… it was a beautiful morning. The shot was taken with a polariser filter to remove glare from the water and accentuate the colours. I over-exposed slightly to what the metering gave me and glad I did because I got more details out of the shadows. Editing was very basic apart from an orange/red cast on the wood fence and ground which reduced with the red saturation slider under Calibration (Lightroom). I played around with the other two sliders, the green and blue saturations, to make the colours pop a little. I tell you, the Calibration sliders can do wonders to an image.

Well that’s it for now, the next image is a night shot, I think, from this little beach. Cheers.