Kuto (Île des Pins)
Kuto is the main port and second largest town on the island of Île des Pins , which, together with neighboring New Caledonia and several other islands, forms a French overseas territory in the Pacific .
Location and connections
Kuto is located in the southwest of the Île des Pins in two bays, the Anse de Kanumera in the east and the Baie de Kuto in the west. Between the two bays there is an almost triangular peninsula, which is called Vouto by the locals and is only connected to the rest of the island by a narrow isthmus. As early as the 19th century it was known that it was easy to defend. Therefore, the governor's house and a fortress with the administration of the island's prison camps were built on it.
The place is 6 km west of Vao , the main town of the island, with which it is connected by a good road that is passable in all weather conditions. From Kuto, Nouméa , the capital of New Caledonia, can be reached by ferry three times a week. The ferry terminal is in the west of the village. It is not uncommon for cruise ships from Australia to anchor at Kuto. The Île des Pins airport is about 12 km northeast of Kuto and there are three flights a day from Nouméa.
Facilities and infrastructure
Kuto has the island's only petrol station and shops. There are several hotels, restaurants and guest houses in the upper price range in the village.
Attractions
In 2005, two Japanese magazines named Baie de Kuto the most beautiful bay on earth. It is lined with coconut palms and red blooming tulip trees and extends to the west of the village and is dominated by the 262 m high Pic N'Ga , the highest mountain on the island. The Anse de Kanumera was named the eighth most beautiful bay on earth in 2005. You can do all kinds of water sports at both bays. The beaches on both bays have been referred to variously as the most beautiful beaches in New Caledonia.
Also worth seeing is the former fortress, which was built from 1871 as the seat of the island's penal camps and as a military base on the Vouto peninsula. Its massive walls with loopholes are well preserved. The buildings inside are now used by the island's police station ( gendarmerie ). The former medical center of the penal colony is particularly striking. The former house of the governor of the island with its distinctive, widely visible red roof rises almost directly on the sea. A hiking trail leads around the fortress, from which there is an impressive view of the small islands of Brosse and Bayonnaise.
A hiking trail leads from Kuto to the 262 m high Pic N'Ga, the highest mountain on the Île des Pins. On its summit, from which there is an impressive view of almost the entire island, a cross that can be seen from afar has been erected and a small grove of the araucarias typical of New Caledonia and the Île des Pins has been created.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Pierre Grundmann: Nouvelle Calédonie. Paris 2012, p. 178.
- ↑ Pierre-Alain Pantz: Ile des Pins - merveille de la nature. Nouméa 2008, p. 9.
- ↑ Michael Brillat: South Seas. Munich 2012, p. 82.
- ↑ Pierre-Alain Pantz: Ile des Pins - merveille de la nature. Nouméa 2008, p. 16.
Coordinates: 22 ° 39 ′ S , 167 ° 27 ′ E