I spent my first three days in Noumea planing my next steps and trying to understand how getting around works in this part of the world.... first of all I it was funny to be in a French environment: speaking French, French food, French signs and behaviour, French tourists, somehow France but actually not really....
Soon I realised that as a tourist, stuck in this part of the world, I had to accept the local rules and ways of dealing with the (very few) tourists around: not many boats or flights going to the islands, the few available expensive and fully booked... so I booked 5 days on Ouvea and 4 days on the Ile des Pins at the end of my trip (more about the islands later in other news).
Then I hired the car and set of exploring the main Island "Grande Terre" during 12 days: first the south with its big mines of nickel, red soil and hilly landscapes. Unfortunately it was foggy and raining - but this added to the special feeling of this area.
During my trip I soon found out that there are not many places to stay around: a few gites, relais or staying with the local tribues. Planing and booking in advance became essential if I did not want to get stuck without a bed - for those planing to do a similar tour the best option is to do it camping, Most places are located in beautiful spots and have a campground - so you are generally not short of finding a place to put up your tent! And don't forget to book your food (lunch if you want any and dinner) at least 24hours in advance. What, you don't know where and when you want to eat - not a problem, you simply don't eat! So stock up with biscuits and food before leaving Noumea if you don't want to plan to much.
Except for difficult logistics (and I forgot to moan about the difficulty to find a beer for the apero) Grande Terre is a marvellous place to discover. It has fantastic landscapes, which changes every few km. You have all the coastline, which changes from beautiful beaches to sharp rocks (Bonhomme near Bouraille). Grande Terre is one big lagoon. Some times the reef is very close and some times far out. So you have the beautiful changes of all types of blue - just as you imagine paradise in south pacific!
Inland the landscape is at times flat, then hilly, then mountains. The soil is red, white, black, brown - it changes all the time. And on the roads, except around Noumea, there is no traffic. At times you can drive for hours (almost) and not meet a car. Instead you meet lots of "wild life": horsed, cows, goats, dog, cats,.... they are all walking around and looking at the few cars driving past.
Highlight of my tour was the relais de Pointgam: at the very northern tip of the island the relais de Pointgam is located on a beautiful beach, offers great accommodation and has an excellent Table d'hote, which serves excellent cuisine. I will remember the 'carpacio de cerf' followed by the 'ragout de langouste' for a long time!
Staying in a traditional case, with a local tribue, was also a nice experience. Sadly however there was not much opportunity to interact with the locals - all tourists stayed together and were eating separately from the locals. So not exactly the experience which was advertised. Nevertheless sleeping in the case was fun.
All in all I enjoyed the tour a lot: the driving a car, the landscapes, all the beaches and the opportunities to snorkel.
Soon I realised that as a tourist, stuck in this part of the world, I had to accept the local rules and ways of dealing with the (very few) tourists around: not many boats or flights going to the islands, the few available expensive and fully booked... so I booked 5 days on Ouvea and 4 days on the Ile des Pins at the end of my trip (more about the islands later in other news).
Then I hired the car and set of exploring the main Island "Grande Terre" during 12 days: first the south with its big mines of nickel, red soil and hilly landscapes. Unfortunately it was foggy and raining - but this added to the special feeling of this area.
During my trip I soon found out that there are not many places to stay around: a few gites, relais or staying with the local tribues. Planing and booking in advance became essential if I did not want to get stuck without a bed - for those planing to do a similar tour the best option is to do it camping, Most places are located in beautiful spots and have a campground - so you are generally not short of finding a place to put up your tent! And don't forget to book your food (lunch if you want any and dinner) at least 24hours in advance. What, you don't know where and when you want to eat - not a problem, you simply don't eat! So stock up with biscuits and food before leaving Noumea if you don't want to plan to much.
Except for difficult logistics (and I forgot to moan about the difficulty to find a beer for the apero) Grande Terre is a marvellous place to discover. It has fantastic landscapes, which changes every few km. You have all the coastline, which changes from beautiful beaches to sharp rocks (Bonhomme near Bouraille). Grande Terre is one big lagoon. Some times the reef is very close and some times far out. So you have the beautiful changes of all types of blue - just as you imagine paradise in south pacific!
Inland the landscape is at times flat, then hilly, then mountains. The soil is red, white, black, brown - it changes all the time. And on the roads, except around Noumea, there is no traffic. At times you can drive for hours (almost) and not meet a car. Instead you meet lots of "wild life": horsed, cows, goats, dog, cats,.... they are all walking around and looking at the few cars driving past.
Highlight of my tour was the relais de Pointgam: at the very northern tip of the island the relais de Pointgam is located on a beautiful beach, offers great accommodation and has an excellent Table d'hote, which serves excellent cuisine. I will remember the 'carpacio de cerf' followed by the 'ragout de langouste' for a long time!
Staying in a traditional case, with a local tribue, was also a nice experience. Sadly however there was not much opportunity to interact with the locals - all tourists stayed together and were eating separately from the locals. So not exactly the experience which was advertised. Nevertheless sleeping in the case was fun.
All in all I enjoyed the tour a lot: the driving a car, the landscapes, all the beaches and the opportunities to snorkel.
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