looking for travel mate in New caledonia

NC doesn t seems to be a popular backpacker travelling place. I m not too surprise when i see the life cost there. I m planing to go there after australia.didn t plan exactly when i ll arrive will be between March to Jully. and same for the staying, well as i m french i can stay long as i want. will depends of the budget. I ll be glad to meet up with other travellers other there or locals.
and also be glad to hear some tips and advice from previous traveller... as cheap place to stay, transportation ect.
Thanks mate
Cyrille

forgot to say : i m interesting about sailling and windsurfing . maybe travel or work on a ship. some plans to sail away from NC ?so if u have also tips about it, i ll be glad to hear.
thanks

Bonjour Cyrille,

It depends where in New Caledonia you want to go to. If you plan to go to the Isle Des Pins, the budget places there are either Relais Kuberka, Gite Nataiwatch (both of these are at Kuto) or Chez Regis which is at le Baie D'Oro not far from la piscine naturelle.

In Noumea itself Le Beaurivage at Baie Des Citrons is a budget place, but it is now very rundown and the elevators and other machinations there tend to be frequently out of order.

Last time I visited in January this year, we stayed at the Casa Del Sol Apartments at Baie des Citrons. It was fully self contained and everything as in the supermarket, patisserie, numerous restaurants/snacks/cafes were either just downstairs or within easy walking distance. The bus stopped just outside.

The two best value car rental places there are either Point Rouge or Mencar/Europcar. Be careful though as the drivers there are truly terrifying and do not drive after dark as they have a massive road fatality rate due to a large part to drink driving and excessive speeding.

If you are planning to drive south to either Port Boise or Prony, you will need to hire a 4x4, as the roads are too difficult to negotiate otherwise and there are no safety guard rails on the side of the road.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask to send me a PM.

Tropicgirl

You should define what you mean by "budget".

By standards of most backpackers, the places recommended above are still pretty expensive.
The only really cheap accomodation in the territory is the hostel in Noumea, campsites, and village homestays.
These are good value.

Away from Noumea and the resorts of the outer islands, don't expect to meet many (or even any) other foreign travellers, just mostly local French staying at the campsites, etc.

Food can be fairly cheap if you resort to self-catering, but expensive if you eat out at restaurants.

Cheap public transport is available in the form of buses on Grande Terre, but they are not really frequent.
Hitching is very easy though, and may well be necessary at some point if you don't rent a car but still want to travel around extensively.

There is a youth hostel in Noumea.

For car hire, I like Budget on Baie de Citrone in Noumea.

Make sure you take a jacket, it's chilly that time of year. Windsurfing or kitesurfing around Noumea is good at that time because of the strong, incessant winds.

If you're looking to go sailing as a crew member, head down to Port Moselle in Noumea and put your name on a noticeboard or with the port captain. It also does not hurt to walk down to the foreign visitors pontoon (the first pontoon you come to after the charter yachts) and just ask the yachties there if they are looking for crew. Yachties are always friendly and you can stat a conversation simply by saying, "you have a beautiful yacht" or "thats an interesting piece of machinery, what is it?" even if you already know what it is. I met many solo sailors looking for company and someone to share some grocery costs. Many yachties travel onwards to Vanuatu, New Zealand, Fiji and especially Australia. Hurricane season in the Pacific arrives soon after July and if you're looking for a ride back to Australia on a yacht, just ask who's going. Night watch crew are always in demand and often times cruisers end up sailing solo to Australia and New Zealand and take a big risk - they want crew! Just be prepared to pay for groceries and supplies and possibly pitch in for diesel. Crewing on someone's yacht is very easy to do, just head down to a marina.

I sailed around New Caledonia from Noumea to the Isle of Pines via Bai de Prony and the South Coast. Then up to Ouvea, and back through the Northern Lagoon. I left Koumac for Australia and even got to visit the Chesterfield Archiapellago on the way, home to nothing but birds! I highly recommend sailing from NC to Australia and you should do everything in your power to petition the captain to stop at the Chesterfields if you decide to do this. Again, July is peak season for cruisers trying to leave NC for NZ and Australia. Finding someone to go deeper East into the Pacific will be difficult but not impossible.

BTW, some places on the East Coast are home to hostile local Kanaks and the landscape is scarred by mining. Be careful while driving as kids sometimes throw rocks. Just be polite and respectful to locals. Avoid confrontation like the plague.

Thanks all for ur great informations ,
i will also try to work a bit. As french should be a bit more easy for paper work.
Have u any advice and experience about working there ?
cyrille

I plan to go there in July. Maybe we can meet up?

Hi there,
I live in NC and would be interested to do some backpacking with you. contact me on yendrec@gmail.com
Andrzej