What I wish I had known about Ile des Pins (New Caledonia) before going...

I travelled from Noumea to Ile Des Pins by plane, and returned by Betico. A taxi from the (excellent) Noumea YHA to Magenta airport cost me 1200 Franc. Be careful not to exceed the weight allowance for your bag when going by plane. You only get 10kg allowance for your check-in luggage, and only 3kg for the carry-on. The airline is quite strict about this. I was charged 600 Franc for my bag exceeding this limit by 3kg. (Why they impose such strict limits I don’t understand, as AirCalin is using an ATR42 for the 20 minute flight to IDP which has a far greater load capacity than those limits suggests. On a short flight like this there shouldn’t be any problem really.) I very much agree with the previous posters who have suggested that the Betico is generally a much better choice to go. In my case I chose to fly one-way only because the flight suited my schedule better than the Betico.

I found Gite Nataiwatch a very convenient place to stay. The facilities are a bit worn but the place is generally comfortable. The manager speaks great English and there is flawless WIFI connectivity all around the resort. For me the location on the island was ideal as I wasn’t dependant on a motor vehicle to get around and explore. In fact I would have been happy to rent a scooter and drive around the island a bit, but the only scooter rental in the neighborhood recently went out of business. (There may have been an option to rent one from the Le Meridien but I don’t think I would have been willing to pay their steep rates).Renting a car wasn’t an option as I hadn’t made a reservation for one early enough, and there happened to be no availability on the day I would have been interested in renting one. Especially on weekends rental cars may not be easy to come by on short notice, so arranging one in advance might be a good idea if you would like the freedom to roam around a bit.

Fortunately a bicycle was available for me and some exploring could be done. Riding it, Vao and the main points of interest in that corner of the island were no more than 20 minutes away. I had seen the other side of the island en-route to the famous pirogue trip across Baie D’Upi (nice, but not spectacular), and based on my impression I don’t think I missed out on too much by not returning there another time with a scooter or car. Kuto and Kanumera beaches are just a short walk away from Gite Nataiwatch, which is a big bonus. On the bicycle it’s a 10 minute ride to the nearest shop.

Edited by: Taekyon2

Hi - just wanted to see how you got from the airport to your hotel?
We are staying at Kuberka, and the transfer cost is 1500 per person per way - which seems high for such a small place?
Is it cheaper to get a taxi from the airport than arrange a private transfer? There are 2 of us, so 3,000 CPF per transfer seems like a lot...

1500 per person is indeed much. I think I paid less than 1000 one way. Sorry, I don't know about taxis.

Hi, thanks for the helpful post!

Just few more questions, if you could help.

1. What is the per person baggage restriction for the Betico?

2. Once you get dropped off at the Noumea port from Ile des Pins, how did you travel to your next destination? (hotel or airport) I heard that it's pretty tricky to hail a cab.

Thanks!!

Sorry for replying late.

1) Don't know. I had 15kgs which was no issue at all. I saw several people with bigger/heavier bags.

2) I walked. Never took cabs anywhere.