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Our hotel... For being here so long and not being a flapwit, I've become good mates with the guys at reception and found out a few things. There's no real food here. Every morning the hotel receives some baguettes from down the road, and put those out with jam and whatnot, a few cartons of...

Saturday. TikTok has been blocked in NC as the trouble-makers may have been using it. No loss there. Yesterday the predicted airport opening was pushed to the 22nd, so QF rebooked for that day. After rebooking, noted that our NOU-SYD was upgraded to an A330. Just had a look at the seat map and...

SB has two each of A320neo and A330neo. And a lot of destinations. So they're going to be busy for a while once the airport opens. Rumour has it that there's about 2500 Australians here at the moment. Interesting times ahead.

We're insanely lucky to be in a hotel in Anse Vata which has a bakery and a couple of convenience-type shops about 100m away. This area had some light troubles, but nothing like the more suburban areas. The bakery has been opening at 0930h, but I get in the queue around 0745h. Food is being...

If you're in New Caledonia, register at: https://crisis.dfat.gov.au/crisisportal/s/

Friday. More of the same. Was sad to see supermarkets we visited last week being looted, etc. (e.g. the big Carrefor out at Kenu-in). And a gerdarme was shot and killed via friendly fire. Poor cough. Two A330s of armed forces arrived earlier today, e.g...

Thanks. Writing this from the hot tub :) QF are fine to rebook us as required. We don't need to be anywhere until the 27th, so happy here for the moment. The QF office I suspect is closed and wouldn't offer any benefit over using the phone. The high commission facebook page is starting to get...

Yup. Now booked for Sunday direct to BNE.

Yeah, 0500h. L'atelier gourmand. QF have optimistically booked us for tomorrow NOU-SYD-ADL-BNE. Sounds like a lounge crawl if we can depart.

Yes. The French high commissioner said something like "if you shoot at armed forces, they're going to end up shooting back at you". Locals yesterday formed their own street militias, blocked off the entrances etc. The bobcat was used to move the concrete blocks around. So, Thursday. State of...

Slept in until 930 then went for a drive as the bakery was shut. Mad traffic anywhere near a food outlet. All the major food chains are closed, so it took both of us about four hours each to get food for a few days. Lots of civil unrest last night, many more arrested. Many fires were lit on...

Updated news https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/nouvellecaledonie/province-sud/direct-la-nouvelle-caledonie-se-reveille-apres-une-nuit-d-affrontements-et-de-violence-1487843.html

Yes... Via YVR. There's mention of the reinforcements in: https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/nouvellecaledonie/nuit-d-emeutes-dans-le-grand-noumea-1487888.html

France. Air Force transport inbound now... (edit) Also from French Polynesia earlier today

Watched the local news earlier this evening, I think they said that CRS 8 (very heavy police) is coming to Noumea. If so, things should get back to normal soon. Anyhow, QF rebooked us on Friday's flight home.

NOU closed until (at least) the 16th. https://www.aircalin.nc/en/breaking-news Hotel is quite empty, so some more enforced relaxation. There was lots of noise outside just before curfew started, now it's quieter than a typical Sunday.

Review the NZ Herald link in my original post. It's not all baguettes and sunshine in New Caledonia, plenty of troubles that date back to original colonisation.

So here we are back in Noumea, on day nine of ten. The local Kanaks have been very unhappy https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/riots-and-unrest-rock-new-caledonia-noumea-international-airport-closes-and-cancels-flights/3JS2ISJ7G5AUHNFN5FWI4JCYPE/ Yesterday while driving home from the Dumbea river...

Wade through railpage forum.

NIF now being tested. XPT replacements... Interior fitout hasn't been finalised, so don't hold your breath.