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Locekol beach is the third beach on the 3km (each way) 5 beach trek on the Island of Mare in the Loyalty Islands. I took this image at about the same time of day that the satellite image was taken and you can see the long shadows of the New Caledonia Pines on the lagoon in both the Satellite image and the sphere image. Only in the sphere image you can look right up and get a sense of the majesty of these pine trees. Well, actually, they are not really pine trees, they are of the family Araucaria- a very ancient kind of tree found only found in New Caledonia. Locally called Pins Colonaires, these trees can reach 50 metres in height and are culturally important to the people of New Caledonia.
This is one of the few unguided walks in Mare and it goes from the beach in front of Mare's hotel, the Nengone Village Hotel Loyalty Islands through a forest of 30 to 40 meter tall New Caledonia Pines to a three lovely untrammeled beaches - then along a zig-zag trail behind Cape Wabao (where you can get temporarily lost) to emerge onto Pede Beach.
The whole walk is detailed on the Rocket Guide to New Caledonia along with information about staying in Mare and activities there.
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Mare Island is the southernmost of the four Loyalty Islands in New Caledonia. It is an uplifted coral atoll with jagged cliffs on the southern shores 130 metres high. The center of the island, the ancient lagoon, is flat and there are several caves and sink-holes - some with salt water and others with fresh water. Air Caledonie offers two flights a day to Mare - a 40 minute flight. There is also a 3.5 hour high speed ocean going catamaran Betico II. There is just one Mare hotel, the Nengone Village Hotel, one Gite, two tribal stays, and one camping ground. The primary attraction for visitors are the wilderness walks, the snorkelling, the lovely beaches, and the festivals. There is no public transport on Mare but there are small tour buses, taxis, and rental car agencies. The island is small enough that you can also rent a bicycle and visit many of the main tourism destinations. As in all the Loyalty Islands the people speak their own local Melanesian language plus French.
