snorkeling in New Caledonia

We have just booked our flights for New Caledonia for July 2008 (Redeem of air miles. That's why we're so early;-))
We have been to Samoa and Fiji in the past, so we are a bit familiar with the pacific islands.
We = a family of 5: 2 adults, 3 children aged 14, 12 and 10.
I would like your opinion on the following:
- cheapest car rental (would you recommend a 4wd?)
- we have time to go to either Isle des Pins or one of the Iles Loyautes. Which one would you recommend, knowing we love snorkeling, but since there is 5 of us, we are rather limited in budget and would rather snorkel from the beach instead of taking a boat out.
- Best snorkeling places on Grande Terre? Safety currents?
- other tips?
Thanks heaps
Marthune

I haven't been to New Caledonia myself but I have been reading from time to time a wonderful blog (in English), Sojourn in the South Pacific, of a family living there.

If you go through the older posts you'll find descriptions and photos of their travels around the country. I think you'll find it very helpful.

How long will you be away for?

There are a number of car rental desks at Noumea airport . We used Avis and Budget. The former also have an office in town and the latter have one at Baie de Citrone , a short walk from Anse Vata.Where will you stay in Noumea? Probably near Anse Vata, Im guessing.

The easiest and closest island to get to is the Isles of Pines (IDP). This is 2 1/2 hr by hi-speed ferry the Betico and leaves from the port in downtown Noumea. It has 1st and 2nd class - the latter much cheaper. IDP is really lovely and the kids (and you) will especially love the amazing "Piscine", a natural pool that is full of colourful fish...and its very safe for kids.The 2 main beaches of Kuo and Kanumera are world class.

We are going for 10 days.
Is Noumea really worth spending several days? I thought it would be better to head straight for Hienghene and visit one of the islands.
The other option is of course taking an air pass and visit all three of the loyalty Islands, despite the cost. I am just a bit concerned about the weather (temperature) that time of the year. Do you really feel like snorkeling? Is there enough to do to keep us busy on a rainy day? Would it be wise to take wet suits for snorkeling?

I didnt ned a wet-suit. I suppose you could take a light one, but no-one that I saw on our last 2 trips used them.The weather in July will be 24 or so max by day and 17 min at night approx. Very pleasant

I wouldnt spend "several" of the 10 days in Noumea - a couple will suffice.

You will love Highengene - for me it was the highlight after IDP.

The Air Pass is a good option but not for only 10 days. Youll spend too much time transiting airports.

Hi Marthune

The cheapest car rental companys are Mencar and Point Rouge. I have used both and found the cars and service to be good. They have pick up/drop off available from the local and international airport as well as noumea centre.

I good vehicle for the family would be a peugeot 307 station wagon, rates are available on there internet sites just google them.

Sorry to be a spoiler but you are going at the coldest and wettest time of the year. New caledonia also gets the trade winds which makes the climate different to other pacific islands.

Isle of pines is nice but expensive unless you camp. I have been to all of the loyalties and feel Lifou is the best in terms of the food and accomodation available.

Someone may correct me, but the only good snorkeling I have found on Grand Terre is on the outer reef which lies 20-40 kilometres off the coast line. Which is not an option for you.

All of the loyalty islands and isle of pines have snorkeling available from the beaches.

If you want any help with boat timetables etc just ask.

Stefan

Hi Stefan,

Yes, it is bit of a spoiler, but I'm sure we'll have a good time anyway.:-)
New Caledonia was the only destination still available that time of the year. I guess that had a good reason. So it is what it is, really.
I guess perhaps we should more focus on culture and nature than on snorkeling. What would be your recommendation? Follow lonely planet's highlights?

It would definitely help to get the boat timetables. If you have up to date prices too, that's even better. Do you reckon economy is good enough?
Should we book Betico in advance?

Thanks for the help and honesty.
marthune

Did anyone stay at the Motel Paradise Park in Noumea? What are your experiences?
Marthune

Wow, you have found a very obscure hotel. I wondered why I hadnt heard of this place. Here is a map of the location of Motel Paradise Park (no. 16). How on earth did you choose this place??

There are many fine hotels most are in or near Anse Vata. A budget choice is Lantana Hotel in central Anse Vata.I really eel that you will be isolated if you stay at the Motel Paradise Park. It was built in 1980, so reasonably modern and is in 3 acres of land so, may be ok, but it is well away from the beaches and also away from the city centre and port- thus wonder why you would choose it.

When we went ion the Betico we booked in NC a few days before travelling. We didnt have success booking from outside the country.

Ha, ha. I haven't booked anything yet. Still researching. The flights have been booked, though. So no turning back there.
I found the motel on http://www.newcaledoniatourism-south.com, but the pictures weren't terribly clear and I couldn't find it anywhere else.
I know a lot of people like Casa del Sole, but the prices (especially on New Zealand Dollars) are shocking.
Because there are five of us, we tend to need two rooms which adds up unfortunately. I had Lantana Hotel shortlisted first, but then I read how people rather recommended Baie des citrons. As it turned out the options there were on the expensive side, I read this motel paradise park was not too far from the city centre, near a park and had a pool. I thought it was great for the kids. Never mind the beach if it is too windy and too crowded (which I read about Anse Vata). Guess I thought wrong , then.:-)
I'll have another look at Lantana Hotel.
Thanks again
Marthune

Yes Baie De Citone is lovely, but bear in mind its only 5 or 10 min walk from Anse Vata, so atyiong on Anse Vata is still an option to consider. Anse vata has some other attractions. The night market (thursdays?) happens there as does the ladies cricket and mens boules (sundays?)

BTW our last trip to NC was using air miles too. NC is not all that popular with Aussies or Kiwis - most tourists are French. This is in my view an attraction. Places like Bali and Fiji are full of Aussies/Kiwis.

On pricing, my general rule is, when going outside peak times, try phoning [/L(phone number here)
your first choice hotels (eg Casa del Sole) and haggle - it often works. Also go to their websites and se if there are specials. Finally look on discount hotel sites eg [L=this one]http://www.hotelclub.net/hotel.reservations/Noumea.htm
your first choice hotels (eg Casa del Sole) and haggle - it often works. Also go to their websites and se if there are specials. Finally look on discount hotel sites eg [L=this one]http://www.hotelclub.net/hotel.reservations/Noumea.htm

OOps sorry bout the last post, but I think you get the idea.

We spent three weeks in N.C. in July this year and had a lot of good weather, warm enough to go swimming anyway. Ile des Pins is far south and we did get the rain there and found the water rather cool. Also we found the island very disappointing after the Loyalty Islands, we spent time on Maré and liked it best and then on Ouvea, which is also very nice. Unfortunately we missed out on Lifou and really regretted it, specially since we didn't like Ile des Pins. We camped everywhere and on Mare and Noumea were the only people to do so. The campsite on Ile des Pins (Nataiwatch) was terrible, a total rip-off. It was packed and there was no water at all for 3 days, the toilets were blocked and the place stank. They still charged the full rate saying the entire region was without water. Strangely the hotel next door did have water...
We booked a car from Mencar in Noumea, but reserved it from Europe via Europcar, it was a very reasonable deal. Noumea is alright for 2 days, we stayed at the excellent youth hostel - great value for money, very central and extremely clean, the best hostel I've ever stayed at.
Write me a PM if you have any more questions.
Isabel

I've just read your post, but since you are only going next year there's still time enough.
I was in NewCaledonia for 2 weeks at the end of July/beginning of August. The weather was very pleasant, around 20 to 25 degrees, but the sun was very strong, so it was definitely warm enough for swimming and snorkelling (without wetsuits). The best snorkelling for me was in the Piscine Naturelle on the Isle de Pins, I'm sure your kids would enjoy that. Make sure you take some bread with you and you'll be surrounded by lots of fish including "Nemo" And you don' have to pay extra for that trip since you could take the bus there. But I would highly recommend going by outrigger canoe (pirogue ride) from Baie de Joseph to Baie d'Upi. I was only 1800 Francs (about 15 €) per person and it was absolutely breathtaking, we saw a big ray and lots of dolphins right near the boat. And afterwards you walk through the rainforest for about an hour to get to the Piscine Naturelle. There were absolutely no mosquitos there, not even in the forest.
Isle de Pins is really great, the beach at Kuto is absolutely beautiful - white sand and not a lot of people. I haven't been to the Loyalties, so I don't know if they are even better. But if you've only got ten days I would not choose more than one island.
One spot on Grand Terre I would also highly recommend is the Parc National Riviere Bleue. You can drive round one part and take a minibus in the other half. It's absolutely worth seeing. But plan for an entire day there.
We stayed at Casa del Sole in Noumea and paid about 90 € for a one bedroom apartment, which means big livingroom with fitted kitchen (including dishwasher and washing machine), bedroom and bathroom. I imagine you could stay there with 3 kids. And they also have 2-bedroom apartments. You can make your stay there cheaper by doing your own cookingsince you have all the facilities there. Going out for a meal with 5 people on a regular basis would probably be quite expensive.
One problem in New Caledonia is language, if you don' speak French it's quite difficult to communicate outside Noumea. But, looking at your name, you probably do.
Where are you planning on staying in Hinghiene? We stayed at the Club Med, which is actually run by locals now, but that wasn't too cheap, especially the food. But Hinghiene is definitely worth seeing. The black rocks in all their different shapes are fascinating. And if you are there you should absolutely go a bit further north to see the waterfalls, it's lovely to swim in the pools they form.
We rented a car from Mencar/Europcar, they had quite reasonable prices.
If you have any further questions, just ask.

Thank you all for your feedback. It has been very helpful. We're getting there.:-)
We have booked at Marina Beach in Noumea for 5 nights and will do some day trips from there (Parc provincial de la riviere Blue, perhaps also La Foa, Farina and Sarramea, perhaps a visit to one of the tribes,...) The nice thing about doing it this way is that we can just do what the weather permits and what we feel like doing. Downside is that we won't see Hinghiene.
We have decided to go to one of the islands; either Ile des Pins with the Betico or to one of the Loyalty islands by airplane for a few days. Iles des Pins definitely is the cheaper option, but after reading Isabel's (Cotswold) comments, I started wondering whether it would be better to spend the extra bit of money on a flight to the loyalties.
The options I am currently looking at are:
Iles des Pins- Relais le Kuberka
Mare- Gite seday ( nice snorkeling, but no beach)
Lifou-Chez Rachel
Lifou-Gite Fare Falaise
Lifou- l'oasis de Kiamu (Remote?)
Lifou- Le bout du monde
Ouvea- ??? According to the website 'silvanocat' recommended (sojourn in Noumea), Ouvea has the best snorkeling, but when I read Lonely planet, I am a bit confused about whether or not you can snorkel without a guide. Not sure where to stay either.
I have the impression that people who just visit Iles des Pins think it is great, people who go to both the Loyalties and Iles des Pins, seem to prefer the Loyalties. If this is so, then which one of the Loyalties do we choose?

My husband and I speak French indeed (The children don't), so language isn't a problem.

Again, Thanks for all the feedback.

Marthune