New Caledonia—Field Studies Blog
A high-octane contest of creativity and teamwork, The Sørlandet Scavenger Hunt got a reprieve in Noumea. The morning of their signature field studies, students were broken into groups of four and tasked with retrieving, achieving and answering all items on the day’s roster before their competitors.
Who was the first European to see New Caledonia and why did he name it as he did? What do the eight carvings of the Mwa Ka statue represent?
To le Parc Zoologique et Forestier where they saw the kagou bird (endemic to New Caledonia), to the bandstand of la Place des Cocotier where they braved stage fright and performed choreographed dance in public, to the Aquarium des Lagons, to la Cathedrale St. Joseph, la Musee de Nouvelle Caledonie and to l’Îsle aux Canards where they snorkeled and enjoyed a French picnic after a water taxi ride, the Sørlandet Scavenger Hunt gave students the chance to discover Noumea themselves in one chockfull day of adventure.
In New Caledonia they also had their first opportunity to showcase their home. Sørlandet opened for a deck tour to the public, and the crowd did not disappoint. Roughly three hundred people young and old visited the vessel. Students answered questions related to their academics, sailing, travels and home, with pride.
Field studies continued at the Headquarters of the South Pacific Community, where Sørlandet's students got a behind the scenes glimpse of an NGO. In times of regional crises, representatives of various South Pacific states, islands and nations meet at the Headquarters of the South Pacific Community and there discuss humanitarian solutions. But the community is not only concerned with emergencies, but long-term threats to the region. Healthy agricultural practice and sustainable fisheries are also of top priority, and students learned what the South Pacific Community is doing to better them.
Before leaving port, Sørlandet faculty and students visited the Tjiabou Cultural Centre. On an immersive walking-tour-cum-historical-reenactment, they were led through surrounding gardens in which the various milestones in the lives of the Kanak people were dramatized. Replete with dance, song and the art and carvings of New Caledonia’s indigenous people, the tour proved a most educational sendoff.
But it wasn’t until the people of Noumea gathered on the quay to wish Sørlandet farewell that the crew climbed aloft, ran up the upper yards and set sail, bound for north Australia.
