Wadrilla
Wadrilla ( Hwadrilla ) is the main town and administrative seat of the island of Ouvéa , which is one of the Loyalty Islands and together with them and neighboring New Caledonia forms a French overseas territory in the Pacific .
Location and connections
Wadrilla is located in the middle of the elongated island of Ouvéa on the lagoon of the atoll of the same name , which is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage Site. The island's airport, from which there are two daily connections to Nouméa , is located about 10 km southeast of the town. The main ferry pier, Ouvéas, where the ferry to and from Nouméa docks, is 5 km to the north. Wadrilla is crossed by the well-developed paved main road of the island of Ouvéa.
Facilities and infrastructure
Wadrilla belongs to the collective municipality ( Commune ) Fayaoué, whose eponymous district Fayaoué is about 5 km south and is slightly larger than Wadrilla. It used to be the administration of the island until it was moved to Wadrilla. The town hall ( Mairie ), from which the entire island is administered, is in the eastern part of the village. Wadrilla has the only bank on the island, a few smaller retail stores, a library, a kindergarten, a sports field and a vocational school.
Attractions
Wadrilla is located on a 25 km long fine-grained sandy beach, which extends to Mouli in the south and Anawa in the north, and for which the island of Ouvéa is known. Because of this beach, Ouvéa is a popular destination for tourists.
In the middle of the village rises the Protestant church made of coral rock, which was built in 1887. A memorial in front of the church commemorates the arrival of the first missionaries in 1856.
For the people of Ouvéa, belonging to a particular tribe ( tribu ) is of fundamental importance. In the center of Wadrilla, a little off the main road, there is the chief's residence ( Chefferie ), which should not be entered by outsiders. Photographing the building, a traditional-style rotunda surrounded by carved totem poles, is also not welcome. In sight of it, a large flower-adorned monument stands out on the main street ( Monument des dix-neuf ), which commemorates 19 locals who were killed in 1988 in a conflict with a special unit of the French military. The events are still very much present in the consciousness of the people on Ouvéa.
Of great importance for the entire island is the desalination plant, which was built in 1994 in the north of Wadrilla and delivers 400,000 liters of drinking water daily. Before that, fresh water was always scarce on Ouvéa, where there are no rivers or lakes. A few kilometers north of it, at the Ouvéas wharf, you can visit a factory that is important for the Ouvéas economy and where coconut oil is distilled from copra and soap is made.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Pierre Grundmann: Nouvelle Calédonie , p. 200. Paris 2012
- ^ Jocelyn Harewood: Vanuatu and New Caledonia , p. 177. Lonely Planet Pty Ltd. 2009
Coordinates: 20 ° 36 ' S , 166 ° 34' E