#Worldtour: 3 weeks in New Caledonia

After a 6-hour flight from Tahiti and a 21-hour time difference, we arrived in New Caledonia.

Visiting Nouméa

Due to a tropical storm, we stayed in Nouméa for 4 days, as the roads were blocked by water and it was not advisable to leave. So we visited Nouméa, a small town without much to see: Place des Cocotiers, market, Baie des Citrons and Baie de l'Anse Vata (lovely beaches). 

Immerse yourself in the island's history at Fort Teremba

On the following Thursday, we were finally able to set off into the bush in our super Dacia Duster (the tallest car on the roads) and made our first stop at Ouano for a mini-walk and a bit of elevation gain. We then visited Fort Teremba, a former French prison.  Between 1864 and 1895, inmates were sent here for forced labor as part of penal colonization. They were instrumental in building roads, bridges and other infrastructure in New Caledonia. When they finished their sentences, they were allotted land and had to live there (their wives could join them). So there was a kind of cohabitation with the Kanak, the island's historic inhabitants, who rebelled a little when we started taking land from them to settle everyone... Some tribes then disappeared, others were created and soon after, Governor Paul Feillet arrived on the Pebble to put an end to the prisons and encourage free colonization.
 

New Caledonia is a big mix of descendants of prisoners, Alsatians or Lorrainers (who fled in 1870), Réunionese (who wanted to grow sugar cane) and Indians working for them, Kanaks, deportees from the Commune, etc. In short, a lot of people and above all different cultures that don't always understand each other. In short, quite a lot of people and, above all, different cultures that don't always understand each other.

After visiting the Fort, which was very instructive, we went on to see the Tanghy peninsula and its beach before ending the day in Poé, where we slept.

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Walking the Trois Baies trail

The next day, we hiked the Sentier des Trois Baies, which offered lovely views of the Baie de la Roche Percée (and its bonhomme), the Baie des Tortues and the Baie des Amoureux. We also hiked in the Domaine de Déva, a sort of large park where you can walk, cycle, play golf and more. We had a superb view of the lagoon and the mountains.

Visiting the north of the "Caillou"

After a short flight over the Coeur de Voh, we continued north.

See the Koumac caves

We visited the caves of Koumac, a beautiful spot where we were able to walk a hundred meters or so with our headlamp. We also hiked to Roches Notre-Dame, a large limestone formation in the middle of a forest.

Heading north to Poingam

We saw some beautiful beaches on the way to the very north of the island, to Poingam: Plage Blanche and Plage de Nénon were almost deserted and very pretty. We also passed through Poum and Arama, where there wasn't much to see. When we arrived in Poingam, we took a short stroll to the salt marshes, where we enjoyed some lovely views before returning to the beach. As the weather wasn't exactly kind, we didn't linger in this region and headed off to discover the north-east.

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Discovering the Kanak tribe and diving in Hienghène

We went on an excursion to the islet of Hiega, where the guide introduced us to the vegetation and accompanied us on a snorkeling tour. It was a beautiful day, and the seabed was pretty, despite reduced visibility due to wind and rain. We had hoped to have at least one tribal experience during our stay. So we went to the Tendo tribe, 45 minutes inland from Hienghène, to meet Julie, a Kanak woman. The tribes are actually Kanak villages with small tin houses, far from the image of straw huts. However, they have kept a few traditional huts, which are more resistant to cyclones than their modern houses, and which can be used to welcome tourists like us. We slept in a traditional hut, which was quite comfortable and spacious. We had a chance to chat with Jean-Claude, head of the clan (a group of families) and Julie's husband, who explained a little about their way of life and how they have adapted to living with settlers. When we arrived, Olivier also did the custom with Julie: we offer a piece of cloth and 500 cfp, presenting our intentions to the person who welcomes us. Normally, this is done with the chief of the tribe, but in a tourist setting, this is not the case. We went shrimp fishing in the river with Julie, and Olivier had a feast afterwards! A nice tribal experience, but still a bit too touristic for us.

Hiking in the Southern Province

After discovering the North of the country, we completed our loop in the Southern Province.
We headed for Farino, where we had visited at the beginning of our stay, but where the weather didn't allow us to hike. We really wanted to discover the Parc des Grandes Fougères, so we devoted a day to it. It's a huge park and, once again, we found ourselves pretty much alone in it, which was a nice way to take it easy. We hiked the longest loop, which offered great views of the surrounding area, and then returned via small paths under a cool rainforest after a picnic by a river where the Coeur de Farino is located.

After that, we went to the very south of the island to hike in the Parc de la Rivière Bleue: a superb place with water, mountains and bright colors thanks to the red earth and green trees. We followed the GR and then headed downhill to trails where we were sure to see cagous, New Caledonia's typical flightless birds. The next day, we went for a walk to the Chutes de la Madeleine.

The road back to Nouméa to complete our loop was also very pleasant, still with that reddish/orange earth and views of valleys and bays in the distance.

To round off our stay, we made an excursion to the Islet Maître opposite Nouméa for a spot of diving. There we saw turtles and striped tricots, the typical local snake with deadly venom, but not to be feared: it only spits it out to eat, not to defend itself.

Anne & Olivier

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