The Le Laperouse Photo: Ponant
A cruise ship is on its way from New Caledonia to Wallis and Futuna with more than 100 people who had been stranded in Noumea because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Wallis and Futuna, which closed its borders to passenger flights as well as passenger ships in mid-March, has remained free of the virus.
The ship, Le Laperouse, is expected to travel for two weeks to provide qurantine for the passengers.
They were tested before embarking and will be retested on arrival in Wallis.
The cruise ship with its 94 crew had been anchored off Noumea after offloading its passengers in Wellington in mid-March when concern mounted that they would have trouble finding flights back to their home countries.
The Le Laperouse is scheduled to make a second trip from Noumea to Wallis later this month to repatriate another 100 people.
No date has been given for the reopening of flights between the two territories.