Turtles, lighthouses and a lot of sand, say bonjour to the beautiful Amédée Island! Today the students spent an excursion day at Amédée island, where the students explored the great lighthouse, slithery snakes and delicious food of Tahitian culture.
It began when we climbed all 247 stairs up the Phare Amédée lighthouse to see the view from the top, yet the pain was worth seeing the amazing sight of the crystal-clear water and reef surrounding the small island. We were all in awe of the beauty of the place we were so fortunate to see and there were many photos taken up there that day.
After the great relief of walking down all 247 stairs, we made our way through the tall coconut trees to catch a ride on a glass bottom boat. The boat set off across the calm water where we could peer through the glass to see many colourful fish and oddly shaped corals. Following our boat adventure, the students hired snorkel flippers and masks to swim in the bay which was, despite the cloudy sky, warm and lovely to swim in.
The moments spent in the water were so exciting as we came across stingrays, sea cucumbers and even got to swim with turtles! It was fascinating for us to experience, and after an hour or two of swimming we proceeded to indulge in a delicious lunch prepared by the boat crew who brought us to the island.
There were endless choices of Tahitian dishes foreign to us kiwis, that were carefully set in stations up on the sand; the students all got to have a literal taste of the strong culture of Nouméa. We also were entertained by Tahitian dancers and a lively band, who in fact brought up our very own Mr Bidwell to the stage to participate in a cultural dance. And was that some performance from Mr Bidwell! We were all in stitches of laughter at the performance. Madame Read even mentioned, “That is the most I’ve laughed in years!”
The afternoon after lunch was spent with more swimming and chilling on the beach, then to finally board our boat again to sail back to the main island. Leaving behind the beautiful Phare Amédée and our wonderful memories made of laughter and joy.
Francesca Adams
