NEW CALEDONIA

I just send a reply post about the same subject but after thinking a bit i decided to make it a topic...
All the time i come in this forum i only see people speaking about fidgi, tahiti, samoa but never ive seen a post on new caledonia.Maybe i dont come often, coz im living in malaysia and mostly visit the asian forums, but i did come here and try to find....
So id like to tell people that NC, where i come from is going on its way to independance and it need ur help, tourists, go there and visit it.I can assure you its beautifull, lagoon and mountains too.And it is not a typical pacific island like tahiti as many trees and landscape are unique...It kinda reminds me australia in some parts but miniatures...It as a huge lagoon around it, anclosed 700km long, 80 km wide, with 2000 islands in it....
thats all i wanna say
have a nice trip wherever ur goin....
alexis

New Caledonia
Hi, my partner and I and our 2 kids were in NC just a few weeks ago and really loved the place. We would definitely like to return in the near future to get out beyond Noumea and into the rural areas. I'm not sure why NC is less visited by Australians (I'm Australian) when it is only 2 and a bit hours from Sydney but I guess it is probably due to being more expensive to visit than Fiji for example. We visited NC by default to be honest as it was the only South Pacific island I could get flights to on Frequent Flyers at the time. I would encourage others to consider New Caledonia when considering an island holiday.

nc
ur surely right that it is more expensive than fidgi
but i know compare to tahiti it is not more expensive.
thanks for ur nice answer, and mel me if u go back there, ill maybe help u a bit about ur journey.Im not there but my whole family is and im in contact with them everyday with netmeeting....

New Caledonia
I've been to New Caledonia five times and love it, can't wait to go back. There is a major advertising push happening in Australia at the moment with amazing bargain packages to Noumea and I think it will start to see some more people go there soon. I think not many Australians visit because they think it's expensive, which it is, but you can still do it quite cheaply and the best attractions - the beaches, walking around the city, the views from Ouen Toro - are free.

What exactly is happening with the independence movement at the moment?

TT's Resident Sydney Sweetheart and Decadent Good Time Girl

New Caledonia
Hi all, I'm off to New Caledonia in about two weeks. At this stage staying a couple of nights in Noumea and then I was thinking about the Loyalty Island for a week maybe at a homestay, has anyone got any contacts for that?
Then maybe a week on Le Grand Terre and then ten day on Ils de Pins for more camping and cheap accomodation. Any hints about great places to see and cheap places to stay would be greatly appretiated!!!! I can't wait to get there!

Thanks in advance,
Jane
we are camping

Jane Howie
Sounds like a great plan you've got there and no doubt you'll have an amazing trip.

I camped around La Grande Terre and that was fantastic. I would recommend, from Noumea, heading south to the Parc de la Riviere Bleue which is huge national park and is really lovely. You can camp, swim, hike, chill out there, so spend at least two days/one night. Then head north up the west coast, stopping at Bourail (they have a great camping ground there, quite cheap with basic amenities, situated on a long stretch of shallow beach). Stay a night at Poum on the northenmost tip then head south on the east coast, stopping anywhere that takes your fancy as there are plenty of interesting spots, beautiful coves and beaches and take the time to observe traditional Kanak culture along the way.

The Iles Loyautes are beautiful, very traditional and the scenary is spectacular. You can stay at gites, little huts that are part of a family's home (and if you do you must splash out on trying a bougna. This is where seafood/meat and root vegetables are cooked with coconut under the ground and tastes unbelievable). I've been to Mare which was great and I've heard Lifou shouldn't be missed either. But if you have a week or so you can hop between the islands (check if the inter-island ferry is running). As for Ile des Pines, it is also extremely beautiful but they have built a Le Meridien hotel right on my favourite beach! It is prohibitively expensive but don't worry there are other places to swim and explore.

The latest LP to New Caledonia is a great guide and I'd definitely recommend you get it.

If you have any more queries feel free to PM me.

TT's Resident Sydney Sweetheart and Decadent Good Time Girl

I spent a week in New Caledonia a couple of years ago and found the experience to be very disapointing. The resort I stayed at, Le Meridian, is nice but I found little incentive to leave the resort as New Caledonia offers very little in the way of attractions. Noumea is ugly, expensive, and utterly lacking in any charm whatsoever. There is very little to do on the island and the few attractions and day trips that are on offer are boring and pricey. For example, we took the Petite Train (more like a tractor) out to the cultural centre, which although impressive from the outside is extremely dull on the inside. You can take a very expensive day trip out to the island with the lighthouse on in (Ammadee Island I think it was), but again, very un-rewarding and expensive. The night-life is non-existant. Anybody who does not speak french will struggle to communicate in NC, even in Noumea. My experiences only relate to Noumea and its immediate surrounds as I did not venture out into the countryside, so perhaps my experiences are not truly representative of the entire island, but nevertheless, I would not recommend the place to anyone.

We are off to NC, Noumea and Mare, at the end of December. Any views/comments on the Novotel Surf in Noumea and Nengone Village on Mare?

Nengone is pretty informal and a little dated... but its location takes some beating and the island itself is something very special... PS take a phrase book...

Hello; I am going to go to Southeast Asia for six months and I just heard of New Caledonia (specifically Iles de Pins). I was wondering how feasible it is to fly from, say Bangkok, to New Caledonia and what the cost might look like?