16 May 2011:

The Kanaky flag is flown quite frequently in New Caledonia - it's the flag associated with the natives - the Kanak - and a strong independence movement. Ouvéa is seen as one of the more rebellious areas of NC, and was the scene of a famous hostage incident in 1998 that resulted in over 20 deaths. You can read about the incident here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouv%C3%A9a_cave_hostage_taking

Rough notes:

http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2012/04/2011-nz-to-sf-day-3.html