Day three (le troisième jour) and we were off to the visit Jean – Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre. Our tour guide was Georges, who was brilliant in the knowledge he shared.

The architect of the centre was Renzo Piano, who also designed The Shard skyscraper in London and the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris.  I visited the Tjibaou Culterual Centre some 10 years ago, while having a ‘girls weekend’ in Nouméa, with my friend Kate and our daughters, Rhiannon and Peita. We loved it then, but didn’t take a guided tour and having now done both, a tour is definitely recommended.The centre cost 70 million dollars to build. No surprise there, as the termite proof wood (iroko) was first sent to France to be pre-fabricated and then back to Nouméa to be constructed. It’s an amazing building architecturally there is no doubt, but the thought invested into the design is not just about winning awards and looking beautiful.

It was built to celebrates the Kanak culture, the indigenous culture of New Caledonia, amidst much political controversy over the independent status sought by some Kanaks from French rule. It was opened in June 1998 and named after Jean- Marie Tjibaou, the leader of the independence movement who was assassinated in 1989.  The harmony between the contemporary architecture and the surrounding landscape is amazing. The trees are not there by chance, it’s all interwoven!

I felt quite emotional after listening to Georges and was so glad I had the opportunity to hear him explain it all.

In the evening, we had cocktails while watching the sunset at the Meridien Hotel and then spent the rest of the night on board a huge catamaran, cruising around la Baie des Citrons. Life is tough over here…