Over a quarter of a million Pacific Islanders call NZ home. I'm a bit embarrassed to say it, but I don't really know that much about the countries and the cultures they come from. So I'm off on a voyage of discovery across the Pacific. Captions by Imogen Staines Edited by Pippa Jefferies. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2014 New Caledonia. It's a place we hardly ever hear about in NZ, so I'm pretty surprised to discover that it's only a two-and-a-half-hour flight away. It's the largest of France's tightly held colonial possessions in the Pacific. Although, it is due to have a series of referenda on independence before 2018. As a confirmed bon vivant, it seems only right to rush out and sample a little French fare, while giving the locals a chance to sample my rather lacklustre French. Bonjour. Comment-allez vous? Bonjour. Comment-allez vous? Allez vous. Bonjour. Comment-allez vous? Allez vous. Vous. Ah. Hmm. I'm gonna have a le gateau... Yes. Uh, perhaps with vanilla? Vanilla? < Vanilla? < Vanilla? Yeah. > < This one. This one? This one? < Tres bon. This one? < Tres bon. Tres bon. JAUNTY FRENCH MUSIC In many ways, I think this cake is a triumph of taste and aesthetics over practicality. Very French. Oh. And I'll tell you what. If there's one thing that makes a NZer nervous, it's a French man in a Zodiac in a harbour in Noumea. Remember the Rainbow Warrior. I'm on the water today too, heading out of Noumea to l'Isle des Pins, the Isle of Pines. RELAXED GUITAR MUSIC If that's New Caledonia, then I guess the obvious question is where is Old Caledonia? Well, the answer is fairly simple. Caledonia is the Roman name for Scotland. When James Cook arrived here, he thought, 'You know, that reminds me a lot of Scotland. Only, it's warmer and there are palm trees.' Hence, New Caledonia. DRUM MUSIC SEAGULLS SQUAWK The local Melanesian people, the Kanaks, had lived here for around 3000 years before Napoleon III annexed the place in 1853. And as the English used Australia, so the French used this Pacific paradise as a prison. Bonjour, Stephanie. Bonjour, Stephanie. Bonjour. Bonjour, Stephanie. Bonjour. (LAUGHS) Here we are. Very macabre place to meet. Or romantic. It depends how you see a cemetery. Probably not so romantic for people who came out here, I wouldn't think. Probably not so romantic for people who came out here, I wouldn't think. (LAUGHS) No, of course. Where are we? What have we got here? What is this place? This place is a very, uh, special place because it's a cemetery only for the people who worked for the convicts. So it's soldier, gendarmerie or penitentiary, administration. I guess when most people think of convicts, they would think of criminals, but there was a lot of political convicts. The Communards were sent here. Yes. So the most convicts who arrived to Pine Island was political convicts. And, uh, they arrived here because they lost. And it's a repression. And so they sent them to the furthest end of the French colonies. And so they sent them to the furthest end of the French colonies. (LAUGHS) In Australia, they're oddly proud of their convict history, but here it doesn't seem the same. No. It's a difficult and tragical history. Political convicts, they don't stay. So Caledonian people don't come from this political way. So they don't descend from the noble French dissident? So they don't descend from the noble French dissident? So it's back, you have a crime. So it's difficult. I don't know why, because you are not responsible of your ancestor. Yeah, nit's not their fault that your grandad stole stuff or lit a fire. It's difficult. It's difficult. So you have an history confused. As well as criminals, over 3000 political prisoners and revolutionaries were exiled here. Transportation served as both punishment and a way for France to populate its far-flung colonies. Tell you what, it is a hell of a place to be deported to. Life here must have been abject misery (!) JAUNTY FRENCH MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES This is the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in Noumea, which showcases both Kanak and Pacific heritage. And it is, without doubt, a truly stunning architectural spectacle. The centre is named after a celebrated Kanak leader. So, this is the famous Jean-Marie Tjibaou. Yeah. He used to be a politician. But he signed a peace agreement in 1988, and he was killed in one of the Loyalty Islands. Killed by another Kanak. Yes. He was a very revered political leader, social leader. Yes. He was a very revered political leader, social leader. < Yeah, yeah. And` And a man of, um, non-violence. Yeah. Yeah. He used to be a priest too. So he studied anthropology. Yeah. Yeah. He used to be a priest too. So he studied anthropology. What would his legacy be? With the building we have here, we can preserve our culture, because we remind` just remember all the things he told before he died, that we have to build something to represent us. So that is why the cultural centre is named Jean-Marie Tjibaou. So that is why the cultural centre is named Jean-Marie Tjibaou. What's with all the coins? It's a kind of gift, you know? When the people come and climb up and then say hello to Jean-Marie, they put the coins to say hello to him. That's kind of respect. Is it a traditional Kanak thing? Yeah. Yeah. And he comes from the north? Yeah. And he comes from the north? Yeah, he used to be from Hienghene. Is it nice there? Is it nice there? Of course. Is it nice there? Of course. Maybe I should go and visit there. < Caledonia is very beautiful. < Caledonia is very beautiful. It is very beautiful. Yes. So perhaps I should go and see where it was that he came from. Bonjour, Camille. Bonjour, Camille. < Bonjour. 'As I can barely distinguish my bonjours from my bonsoirs, I'm going to need a translator.' European cars. Of course. We're in Europe. What brings a woman from San Francisco to New Caledonia? Uh, well, I suppose you could say it was a love story. I met an adorable French man about four years ago in a restaurant in Los Angeles one night. And about a year after` of him courting me, finally I decided to move here. It's fair to say that what I didn't expect to find in New Caledonia were cowboys. Or, as they're called here, broussards. I'm about to meet the island's star rodeo rider. Ca va, Tino? Bonjour. Ca va, Tino? Bonjour. Ca va. Bonjour. Here we are in the middle of a field. Are we going to be attacked by cattle? Yes. (LAUGHS) Yes. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) When I came to New Caledonia, I didn't imagine that I would meet a cowboy. When did Tino start? (SPEAKS FRENCH) 33 years, he's been doing rodeo, yeah. Did he start with a little mini bull? (SPEAKS FRENCH) (SPEAKS BAD FRENCH) No, no. Big. No, no. Big. No. No, no. Big. No. (LAUGHS) I don't have to translate that. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Big momma. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Big momma? A cow? La femme? (LAUGHS) Big momma? A cow? La femme? (LAUGHS) Any, uh, injuries? Broken arm? (SPEAKS FRENCH) (SPEAKS FRENCH) He broke a... Broke his head? No. He got kicked by a horse in the head. And he broke his, uh, leg. (SPEAKS FRENCH) (SPEAKS FRENCH) And he was wearing, um, a cap, which protected him. A helmet. A crash helmet? Yeah? A crash helmet? Yeah? (SPEAKS FRENCH) Oh, he was passed out for 10 minutes. Unconscious. Oh, he was passed out for 10 minutes. Unconscious. Oh, right. How's he feeling now? (SPEAKS FRENCH) (SPEAKS FRENCH, LAUGHS) He's a little crazy, but... (LAUGHS) He's a little crazy, but... (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) > So, here we go. This is, uh, El Toro mecanique? Yes. Yes. Mechanical bull. This is one of the best mechanical bulls I've ever seen. (SPEAKS FRENCH) (SPEAKS FRENCH) (LAUGHS) > (SPEAKS FRENCH) Very good for training, he says. > Very good for training, he says. > < Ah! Very good for training, he says. > < Ah! < (SPEAKS FRENCH) Affecting my technique of riding El Toro, the bull? The hat is your protection. The hat is your protection. Ah, the hat is my protection. That is the least reassuring thing I have ever heard. (LAUGHS) That is the least reassuring thing I have ever heard. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) I think he understood. (LAUGHS) I think he understood. (LAUGHS) Now he's praying for me. This is not reassuring. I'm going to climb up and see how far down it is. Just lost my safety protection. Here we go. Here we go. OK. < Un, deux, trois. (SHOUTS IN FRENCH) And... stop. (LAUGHS) Will I become a`? Will I be the new champion of New Caledonia? Will I become a`? Will I be the new champion of New Caledonia? < Yeah! Rodeo champion? Thank you. That was about the scariest thing I've done in quite a long period of time. Good work. And all I could really think about was that, underneath that saddle, a large piece of tin in the groinal region. Tres bien. UPBEAT GUITAR MUSIC From that observation tower up there, it is possible to witness one of the great natural phenomena of the world. At least, I hope it's that tower. I'm not entirely sure. It's quite a climb, and it is, at the moment, about as uncomfortable as a sauna right here. Obviously not as uncomfortable as a sauna, because there's no elderly nude dude standing next to me. Success. Now, somewhere before me is supposed to be the legendary Heart of Voh, a naturally occurring heart shape amidst the mangrove swamp. And I'm, uh` I'm not seeing it myself. What I really should have done is sat down there in the car park and marvelled at its beauty in the brochure. Still, a pleasant stroll. I guess that the referendum is coming up and people must be, I guess, a little bit apprehensive? It's creating a stir. It's creating a little bit of fear amongst the French population because being part of a French country, it affords us some incredible benefits, social benefits, financial support. Health care and all that kind of thing? > Health care and all that kind of thing? > < Healthcare is great. School system is paid 100%. And if we become an independent country, which is what some people are pushing for, we would lose all of those benefits. And I think, thus, a lot of our French population would leave. So there could be, you know, a big exodus? There could be. I hope not, but it's possible. In the 1980s, tension between the Kanak independence movement and French loyalists erupted into violence in several places, including here in the north-east. Never ceases to amaze me that it's in these quiet little areas like this that defining moments in countries' histories happen. In this case, a quiet night, a couple of cars driving along, a tree falls in front of them and then a hail of gunfire as French settlers essentially execute 10 men from the tribe up the road. The colonials responsible for it were eventually acquitted in a court in Noumea, which, as you can imagine, caused a great deal of consternation amongst the pro-independence movement. Always makes me glad that in recent history we never got to this stage in NZ, and let's hope we never do. Just a few kilometres from that grim memorial is the village of slain Kanak leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou. His son Pascal was 6 when Tjibaou was assassinated in 1989 by another Kanak separatist, who felt that Tjibaou had derailed the independence movement by signing a peace accord with France. < Do you think we've seen an end to the violence? < Do you think we've seen an end to the violence? (SPEAKS FRENCH) We hope it's the end, simply because we lost so many people in our tribe` We hope it's the end, simply because we lost so many people in our tribe` Yeah. ...because of the violence. ...because of the violence. What do you think the future holds? Optimistic? (SPEAKS FRENCH) It's we who will create the future if we work hard and we work well. (SPEAKS FRENCH) The future will be a future that we inherited and we deserved. We have to work very hard to have it. One of the most vibrant expressions of the Kanak cultural revival is their music. BOTH SING IN FRENCH APPLAUSE < Bravo. What would be an example of, um, say, from where you're from, a traditional rhythm? The rhythm is the heart. Yeah? Dah, dah, dah. And also we have the wind, because I am sail in the... near the beach... (WHISTLES) (SINGS TO BEAT) (CONTINUES SINGING) It is our life. Running in the... in the natural music and... You play the reggae and I want to play the reggae also. And I want to play reggae with my... environment. Your own rhythm? Your own rhythm? My own rhythm, my... Your own` your own sense of environment and place? Your own` your own sense of environment and place? Yes. Yeah. (SINGS IN LOCAL LANGUAGE, PLAYS JAUNTY TUNE) Perhaps the most unusual thing about Kanak culture is that they have 28 distinct languages, all of which are mutually incomprehensible. The irony, then, for the independence-seeking Kanaks, is that their common tongue is French. (SINGS IN LOCAL LANGUAGE) Edou's music provides a suitable soundtrack for a trek into the bush with Fabrice in search of some of the island's most elusive wildlife. Is it time to, uh, assemble our device? DEVICE BEEPS This, uh, radar is originally invented to search people in the avalanche. I bet when the people designed that to find someone in an avalanche, they would have no idea it would eventually be used in the forests of New Caledonia to track down a snail. (LAUGHS) This way. We take them. We put in a transmitter. Um` Does it slow them down? Yeah, it... (LAUGHS) Yeah, it... (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) It's more easy to find them. It's more easy to find them. Yes. What makes these snails so special? Because, um, they're not like the European snail or garden snail. They are very slow growth. They become adult at 5 years old. They become adult at 5 years old. Right. And they have a lifespan estimated to be 20 to 30 years. So it's, um, very strange for a snail. Why do you like snails? Because, uh, we are French. (LAUGHS) Because, uh, we are French. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Because, uh, we are French. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) And we eat snails. They were collected in the past to be, uh, consumed by people. But the population are now very, uh, low. So they are not collected any more in the mainland. I think it's, uh, important to do something to save the snails. I think it's more sexy than, uh, trying to conserve elephant or tiger. But you're only saying that because you're French. (LAUGHS) But you're only saying that because you're French. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) You studied these for your master's thesis? < PhD. < PhD. PhD? So you're a doctor of snails? Doctor of snails. (LAUGHS) Doctor of snails. (LAUGHS) Not a doctor for snails, but a doctor of snails, right? In Palmerston North? In Palmerston North? Yes. I did my PhD in Palmerston North on this genus of snails. Because in NZ, you have the same genus on the extra north of NZ. Because in NZ, you have the same genus on the extra north of NZ. Right. And in your country, there are many threatened by, uh, rodent predation and feral pigs. Yes, cos no one's eating them. Yes, cos no one's eating them. No. Yes, cos no one's eating them. No. No. Could we eat them? In NZ? Oh yes, of course. Oh yes, of course. Right. Oh yes, of course. Right. All the snails are, um... Edible? Edible? Edible, yeah. So, shall we put this one back here and let him go about his business? Put the leaves back over him. And he, um... and he may, um, live there for another 20 years? Just here, right here? Yeah, probably. (LAUGHS) Yeah, probably. (LAUGHS) Amazing. It's a fairly staggering economic fact that over 90% of New Caledonia's export earnings are related directly to nickel. It's a fairly big egg to have in a single basket, but it goes some way to explaining why exactly it is that they have this belching edifice of a nickel smelter so close to the centre of beautiful Noumea. Industrial chic. RELAXED GUITAR MUSIC With a population of a quarter of a million, New Caledonia is an island that reflects an eclectic mix of Gallic and Kanak cultures. What's really confusing is trying to figure out whose boule is whose. When the French are involved, it's unsurprising that this cultural collision is expressed via food, like that of restaurateur and chef Gabriel Levionnois. Look at that. What is that? Look at that. What is that? Fish. Yeah, I know it's fish. Yeah, I know it's fish. (LAUGHS) But, it's like a side of beef. But, it's like a side of beef. Yeah. It's probably like a 40-kilo yellowfin tuna. Far out. Lovely prawns. You've got a lot of prawns here. A lot of prawns from New Caledonia. We have them all the time. It's one of the great things you hear about New Caledonia. It has some of the best of the French love of food. Yeah. We have a mix of French culture. Uh, maybe without the attitude. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) And we have, uh, the ocean type of life. You know, uh, coconut trees, white sandy beaches and... Even on relationship, it's more relaxed. But, uh, it doesn't mean we don't achieve anything. No. And so do the dishes change, obviously seasonally, but sort of by the day as well? You might see something and think, 'Oh, we'll put that on tonight.' You might see something and think, 'Oh, we'll put that on tonight.' Yeah. We want to go, uh, fresh. It has to be on the day. Yeah. > Yeah. > We try not to go by the books, you know? Recipes are just, for me, to transform a vegetable. But, uh... Wow. What a wonderful statement. 'Recipes are simply a means to transform a vegetable.' Very French. Very French. You think? Very French. You think? Yeah. Too philosophical. I love the fact the French spend so much time thinking about the philosophy of food, and it translates into statements like that. Oddly, Gabriel's restaurant is only open from Monday to Thursday. Is that quite a different attitude to other people living here, other restaurateurs? Are you an anomaly? I am. When I said I was going to close three days a week for the staff to go back to their family, to their tribes, people thought I was crazy. And now it's working. You can tell, uh, it's possible. Amongst the New Caledonians, is there a different attitude, a different way of doing things to, say, the French? I can just give you one example. It's very hard to` for a Kanak to say, 'This is my land.' A Kanak person will always say, 'I belong to this land.' So this is the difference, I would say, in between. Uh, it's the way you see things. Uh, 'I belong to nature,' is more of a community style, and that's what we had to put in our management at the restaurant. Voila. > Voila. > Merci beaucoup. You seem very optimistic. And yet, at the same time, there's a kind of, amongst other people, sort of an undercurrent of tension, of worry, with what might happen in the future. Yeah. I... You've got me on that one. I think I'd rather be optimistic. There's two cultures, and sometimes they're not joined together. Our chefs, we want to do a recipe that will work here in New Caledonia. We like to think, in a way, that we are capable of mixing ingredients together for people's benefit. Everything is a triumph. A triumph. RELAXED GUITAR MUSIC New Caledonia is unlike anywhere I've been in the Pacific. There are moments when you feel you could be in the middle of France, then minutes later, that thought seems almost incomprehensible. It seems strange that our closest Pacific neighbour has so little interaction with us but instead looks north to Paris. RELAXED GUITAR MUSIC CONTINUES As for the future of New Caledonia, well, I have to confess, I think I'm leaving even more confused about that than I was when I arrived. Au revoir, New Caledonia. Hold on with the left and the right up like this. Hold on with the left and the right up like this. (SPEAKS FRENCH) Uh, it's to balance you. Uh, it's to balance you. To balance. Ah, right. Ah. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) < (LAUGHS) < Exactly. < Exactly. You can see why I'm so popular with the ladies. Perfecto. Perfect. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2014