The Isle of Pines - Ouro

Our expert New Caledonia

The Isle of Pines - Ouro

The Isle of Pines - Ouro Ouro still maintains traces of the prisoners to which it was once home, with these coral graves. © Ariel Fuchs

2 miles west of Vao, Ouro used to be an important prison at the end of the 19th century. Among the convicts, some had been deported during the Paris Commune period. These political prisoners arrived in 1872 and lived all their life on the Isle of Pines. From that time there is a cemetery, with tombs carved out of coral, as well as the remains of a prison which held 42 cells. Ouro is now a peaceful fishermen's village.