It is an unlikely name for a South Pacific island, but L'Ile des Pins, or the Isle of Pines, is unmistakably tropical: slender columnar pines form a backdrop to talcum powder beaches that border bays of aquamarine and cobalt blue.

Called Kwenyii by the local inhabitants and Ile des Pins by the French, it is a part of the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, located in the south-western Pacific, midway between Fiji and Australia. Although lacking Tahiti's fame, Isle of Pines is no less beautiful or romantic, offering exceptional cruising and exploring. New Caledonia is less expensive and much less crowded than its counterpart in French Polynesia. While all of New Caledonia offers fine cruising, Isle of Pines remains our favorite island after three years of Pacific cruising.

All boats entering New Caledonia must first clear in at Noumea. Isle of Pines lies 60 miles from the capital, a passage that can be made directly or broken into legs, with a variety of interesting, sheltered anchorages en route.

The island has a serious side, for once it held a penal colony. In 1872, some 3,000 political prisoners from the Paris uprising were deported from France to the Isle of Pines. Some 200 Kunies, the indigenous inhabitants of Isle of Pines, were forced to evacuate their land and gardens to make room for the prisoners.

The prison was closed in the early part of this century, and although the walls still stand they are slowly giving way under the onslaught of the tropical climate and vegetation.

The anchorage at Kuto Bay has excellent holding, good protection from south-easterly and easterly winds and offers easy access to a few basic services and provisions.

The Kunies have retained title to almost all their traditional lands, and that fact has kept large hotels from being established. In addition, rather than focusing solely on tourism for their livelihood, the Kunies have developed two small-scale export industries: snails and sandlewood. Snails are collected by the local women and sent to Noumea, with over 10,000 exported each year. Sandlewood is harvested and the oil used in perfumes. To prevent overharvesting, tribal councils set a yearly limit on the number of trees that can be felled.

The nearby anchorage at Kanumera Bay, although smaller than Kuto, is even more picturesque, with fine snorkeling along its outer margins. Neither bay offers good protection in a strong southwesterly; we found it best to seek shelter on the north and east sides of the island during such conditions.

It is well worth hiring bicycles or a car and venturing inland. The island's inhabitants are devout Catholics, a fact plainly visible at Vao, the major settlement.

The statue of Saint Maurice, marking the site of the island's first Catholic service, is located on Vao's outskirts. The Kunies have encircled the statue with totems, carved with images of turtles, eagles and snakes.

Traditions of a different sort hold sway at Bay of Pirogues, a few miles past Vao. This area is home to Isle of Pines' still active sailing canoe fleet. Canoes dominated the shore: canoes under construction in the shade of the trees, canoes pulled up on the beach, and canoes moored in the shallows.

With main hulls built of indigenous columnar pine, the canoes are balanced by a single outrigger. Some concessions to the modern age have been made: Dacron has replaced woven pandanus for sails, and many canoes now sport a small outboard engine, used when the wind dies or for motoring against the current. But the sailors of Isle of Pines still use their canoes as sailors have for generations: for fishing, transporting people and small cargo. And, of course, for fun.