Language No Obstacle for a Recharge

While our new IridiumGo satellite communicator has been terrific with text messaging, plain text emails and limited satellite phone calls, at the end of the day, we're accustomed to PROPER internet communication. We've been lucky so far  because our Telstra wireless modem works with the New Caledonia OPT Liberte pre-paid Sim and every 2nd day we've activated an internet connection for 24 hours. Speeds have been equivalent to those we experienced with Telstra travelling up the Queensland coast and coverage has been much better than suggested by the New Caledonia Rocket Guides. Perhaps our targa bar 9db gain broomstick aerial is a factor.

Everything was going along swimmingly until the credit ran out on the sim. Instructions we'd been given were to buy a recharge card, available at almost any General Store, Supermarket etc. We hadn't been monitoring our credit and oops it ran dry of course, at the most inconvenient moment. Being anchored in a bay some 10kms from the nearest shop of any description demanded some creative thinking when faced with no internet for up to a fortnight or a 40nm mile return trip over 2 days through the reef pass etc back to Kuto. Surely it must be possible to re-charge the card by credit card? No documentation indicated that it was possible. This was indeed 'Merde'!

Having all the time in the world gives one courage to phone Telstra when you need to; why not the 'Telstra' of another country and in halting French?

We not going to claim it was easy, nor that we were successful on the first attempt, but we got the hang of the menus after a couple of goes and eventually spoke to an accommodating fellow with a ridiculously sexy French accent, who cottoned on to what we wanted and after making enquiries of his own, delivered this piece of gold:- http://rechargetonmob.nc

Yay!

Blogmistress on the case

2018 update
Tip: Visit the App Store to download the new RechargeTonMob app before you leave regular internet range