Allegro entered the marina in Hienghene - very smartly designed, like much of the architecture we enjoyed here.

Tourist Map on the front of the information center at Hienghene

On Monday we will start checking off this list of things to see and do.

This local bird looks like a possible swallow or other flycather.

Carved wooden posts in the community area.

Carved wooden posts in the community area.

Carving of a gecko on a post in the children's playground.

Steve and some very fine wood carving

This region has the richest marine biodiversity in New Caledonia, partly due to the presence of a double barrier reef.

This area is one of six regions in New Caledonia which have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Hienghene is located where land and sea areas are World Heritage sites.

A helicopter was busy filling his water bucket in the bay and dropping the water onto a forest fire on the nearby ridge.

This looks like a very dangerous way to make a living. The pilot was flying fast and low over the ridge between the fire and the water - making as many round trips as his fuel would allow.

Flying a helicopter is difficult enough without having to carry a swinging bucket of water.

The pilot sometimes circled 2 or 3 times to choose where he would drop his cargo of sea water.

We found Hienghene to be a most pleasant and dramatic anchorage. We dropped the hook in 4 meters near Les Tours Notre-Dame (la Poule).

Brooding chicken has lost one of her eggs, at the entrance to the bay at Hienghene.

Dorothy is ready to drop the anchor exactly where SPLINTERS APPRENTICE dropped theirs.

Sunset in the bay south of Hienghene

Entrance to the Cultural Center in Hienghene.

Stunning wood carving on the ceremonial posts

Wood carving mixes realism and stylized decoration.