New Caledonia

Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864.

The islands have been an overseas territory of France since 1956. Simmering tensions between the native Kanaks and French settlers over the questions of independence and property rights burst into sporadic violence between 1976 and 1988, known euphemistically as "The Events" (Les Événements). The grim climax was the Ouvea hostage crisis of 1988, when armed Kanak independence activists took a group of local gendarmes hostage, leading to a violent firefight that saw a total of 25 people killed.

The subsequent 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands formally under French law and brought a measure of peace and stability to the islands. Referenda on independence were held in 2018 and 2020, with the majority of voters opposing independence; a final confirmatory referendum took place in December 2021, and they chose to remain a part of France, although this was boycotted by much of the opposition. However, proposed changes to allow more French residents to vote in local elections again led to violent riots in 2024, with 9 people killed.

In New Caledonia, as elsewhere in France, the national holiday (la Fête nationale) is 14 July, known as Bastille Day by English-speakers.

New Caledonia has a semi-tropical climate, modified by southeast trade winds. It is often hot and humid in January and February. The islands are subject to tropical cyclones, most frequent from November to March. During winter (April to August) the daytime temperature is around 22°C. The water may still be warm, but it often feels too cool to really want to go swimming.

The main island of New Caledonia is one of the largest in the Pacific Ocean and its terrain consists of coastal plains with interior mountains. The highest point is Mont Panié (1,628 m).

Grand Terre is rich in minerals, and is an important source of many ores, mainly nickel and chromium. There is a mountainous interior green with subtropical foliage. The outlying islands are coral-based, have stunning white sand and sport palm trees.

New Caledonia Travel website

Noumea-La Tontouta Airport (NOU IATA), in Païta, 52 km northwest of the capital city of Nouméa +687 35 11 18. Aircalin, the flag carrier of New Caledonia, has its main hub here. Aircalin operates a flight from Paris via Bangkok, and a flight from Singapore which is timed to connect with Air France's flight from Paris, and a codesharing agreement between both airlines. Air New Zealand and Qantas also serve the airport. There are also flights from various Pacific nations, New Zealand and Australia. However, there aren't many flights overall, so beware of availability.

Nouméa is a popular port of call for people sailing around the Pacific, though most dare not sail during cyclone season.

Domestic flights link Nouméa to the outlying islands and to the northern half of the main island. All domestic flights in New Caledonia are operated by Air Calédonie and Air Loyauté.

Nouméa-Magenta Airport (GEA IATA) (4 km from the city centre), ☏ +687 25 14 00. Serves all domestic flights within New Caledonia, such as the Loyalty Islands (Maré, Tiga, Lifou, Ouvéa), from the Isle of Pines in the south to the Belep Islands at the northern tip of the mainland as well as Koné and Koumac on the west coast and Touho on the east coast. The government has announced plans to close the airport by March 2026, with all flights moving to La Tontouta.

There are two main bus services in New Caledonia:

CarSud is the regional bus service in Province Sud. Ligne C will take you from La Tontouta airport to Nouméa city centre for 400 F (as of June 2014).

Karuiabus is the city bus service in Nouméa. Ligne 10/11 will take you from the city centre to Baie des citrons and Anse Vata for 210 F (as of June 2014).

Taxis do not cruise the streets to pick up passengers as in other cities; they have to be ordered by phone (28 35 12). This makes the bus a good alternative as the total journey time is not much longer than by taxi.

If you are staying in a hotel or other accommodation you can just ask them to call you a taxi. The same applies if you are shopping in Nouméa – if you have just purchased something, even groceries in a small store, they will be happy to call you a taxi.

Renting your own car is a reasonable option for a larger group and is the only sensible option if you plan on exploring anywhere off the beaten track. The usual suspects have offices at La Tontouta Airport, as does local chain Point Rouge. Most cars are manual, so book ahead if you want an automatic.

New Caledonia follows French traffic laws, so driving is on the right. Around Nouméa, roads are generally good quality if narrow, and there is a free expressway covering most of the way from La Tontouta Airport to Mont-Doré south of Nouméa. However, in the countryside (brousse), potholed or unpaved tracks on twisty mountainsides filled with speeding ore trucks are all too common, and driving at night is to be avoided at all costs. Around celebrations there are many drunk drivers on the roads, so take care.

Hitching is much easier than in metropolitan France but, like in most places, with the same inherent risks.

Îlot Canard just outside the Anse Vata is a good place for beginners

Aguille de Prony is an amazing underwater structure in the Baie de Prony south of Nouméa

Baie des Citrons and the Anse Vata are common beaches on the Nouméa peninsula

Îlot Maître has a resort. This can be reached by taxi boat from the Anse Vata, and by boat from the Baie de Mouselle

Numerous other tourist resorts can be found throughout the Grande Terre and Île des Pins

Parc de la Rivière Bleue in the Yaté region south of Nouméa. Get there early because the best walks take a while to reach and you must be out of the park by 5pm. Plan on taking the shuttle (need to be booked ahead of time at the ticket office) if you want to skip a boring 2km walk on the road both ways.

The Monts Koghis offer two nice walks just outside of Nouméa. Park at the auberge des Monts Koghis, sign a release and leave your mobile number in case of emergency.

Prony offers a nice 1.5h walk through the historical village. Park at the Baie de la Somme since the road is better and there's a lot more parking space, then follow the signs and get on the walk to Prony.

Joining a hiking group is generally a good idea, since you then can really enjoy the great scenery without fear of getting lost, or having to stick with conventional tourist spots

The CFP franc (called just franc locally, symbol F, ISO currency code XPF) is the currency used in New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna. The initials CFP stand for Collectivités françaises du Pacifique ("French Communities of the Pacific"). It is pegged to the euro at a fixed rate of 119.33 francs. CFP coins are in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 francs, and the colourful banknotes are in denominations of 500, 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 francs.

Coins and banknotes are identical across all three French Pacific territories. Before January 2023, New Caledonia and French Polynesia had their own distinct designs on the coin reverse sides, but these were withdrawn, and the 1 and 2 franc coins were discontinued.

Thanks to the currency peg, you'll get the best rates by exchanging euros. Australian and US dollars can also be easily changed. Get rid of any leftover francs before you leave.

The cartoon series La Brousse en folie and Le sentier des hommes by Bernard Berger will give you an insight in the local culture and tradition. The comics are written in French, the former imitating the local accent and grammar (or lack thereof).

Other than that, plenty of conventional souvenir shops may be found throughout Nouméa.

New Caledonia is very expensive, since much of the food needs to be imported. There is no culture of bargaining either and attempting such might cause offence.

Bougna, a traditional meal among the native Melanesians, which consists of some form of meat, pork, chicken, fruit bat, crab, etc, along with roots such as yams and sweet potatoes. This is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked under hot rocks heated in a fire.

Coconut crabs

All fruits taste very good

Volontariat Civil à l'Aide Technique VCAT. Conditions: you must be French or from another EU member state or a country belonging to the European Economic Area. You must be between 18 and 28 years old (inclusive). You must not have had your civic rights revoked by a court or have been convicted of certain offences.

Simmering tension between the indigenous Kanaks and settlers of French origin over the question of independence burst into occasional violence between 1976 and 1988 and again in 2024, leading to 9 deaths. While tourists were neither targeted nor harmed, much of the islands including the airports were shut down, stranding many travellers for days.