New Caledonia

From MaxTravelz

New Caledonia (French:Nouvelle-Caledonie) is a dependent overseas territory of France lying in the western Pacific Ocean, in the Coral Sea, to the east of Australia and west of Vanuatu. The territory consists of the main island of Grand Terre, the archipelago of the Loyalty Islands (Iles Loyaute), and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls.

New Caledonia offers stunning beaches, mountaintop fondue in chalets, camping, amazing snorkelling and diving, and fabulous French food.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 History 4.2 Climate 4.3 Geography 4.4 Economy 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By boat 6 Get around 6.1 Rent a car 6.2 Catch a bus 6.3 Hitching 7 See 8 Do 9 Talk 10 Buy 10.1 Costs 11 Eat 12 Drink 13 Sleep 14 Learn 15 Work 15.1 Voluntary service 16 Stay safe 17 Stay healthy 18 Respect 19 Contact

Regions

New Caledonia includes:

• Grand Terre - The main island. It is one of the largest islands in the Pacific. The barrier reef lying off New Caledonia is second only to the Great Barrier reef in size.

The main tourist destinations are:

• Île de Pins - Was one of the few places in the Pacific with trees tall and sturdy enough to provide replacement masts for ships.
• Loyalty Islands (Iles Loyaute)

Cities

• Noumea is the capital city.
• Hiéngène, on the Grande Terre
• Bourail is the farmer town.

Ports and harbors

• Mueo
• Thio
• Port Bousie

Other destinations

• North province
• South province

Understand

The people of New Caledonia are split into three major groups:

• the native Kanaks
• French citizens working in Noumea
• descendants of French prisoners

There is a general move towards independence in New Caledonia and it was decided in the Nouméa Accord that the territorial Congress will have the right to call for a referendum on independence after 2014, at a time of its choosing.

History

Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island was made 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.

The 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands; formerly under French law. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s seems to have dissipated. A referendum on independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new referendum is scheduled for 2014.

National holiday 

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Climate

Tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid. The islands are subject to tropical cyclones, most frequent from November to March.

Geography

The main island of New Caledonia is one of the largest in the Pacific Ocean and its terrain consist of coastal plains with interior mountains.

highest point 

Mont Panie 1,628 m

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

Economy

New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel resources. In recent years, the economy has suffered because of depressed international demand for nickel, the principal source of export earnings. Only a small amount of the land is suitable for cultivation, and food accounts for about 20% of imports. In addition to nickel, the substantial financial support from France and tourism are keys to the health of the economy. The situation in 1998 was clouded by the spillover of financial problems in East Asia and by lower prices for nickel. Nickel prices jumped in 1999-2000, and large additions were made to capacity. Strikes in the building industry in 2001, which lasted four months, adversely affected many other sectors of the economy. French Government interests in the New Caledonian nickel industry are being transferred to local ownership.

Get in

By plane

Air France provides direct flights from Paris. Regular flights from Tokyo, as New Caledonia is very popular with the Japanese. Flights from various Pacific nations, New Zealand, Australia, and SouthEast Asia. There aren't many flights, so beware of availability and there is little or no competition on routes, so be very wary of high flight prices.

By boat

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

Get around

Rent a car

Cheapest are:

• Red point (requires drivers above 24 years of age)
• Loco-a-choc

Catch a bus

The buses aren't too bad and go pretty much everywhere, but they aren't frequent.

Hitching

It is possible, but I wouldn't advise it. Around celebrations there are many drunk drivers on the roads.

See

• The Jean Marie Tjibaou Center The center was a gift from the French Government. The architect was Renzo Piano, an italian architect.
• Botanical garden
• Wandering along the waterfront in Noumea - Baie des Citrons and Anse Vata.

Do

• Snorkelling, diving, windsurfing
  • Îlot Canard just outside the Anse Vata is a good place for beginners
  • Aguille de Prony is an amazing underwater structure in the Prony bay south of Noumea
• relaxing, tanning, and generally doing nothing
  • Baie des Citrons and the Anse Vata are common beaches at the Noumea peninsula
  • Îlot Maitre 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
• eating French and local cuisine
• hiking, camping
  • Parc Rivière Bleu in the Yaté region south of Noumea
  • 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....

Talk

The official language is French, and it is difficult to find English speakers outside of Noumea. In Noumea, French, English, and Japanese are widely spoken at hotels, restaurants, and shops. To enjoy a place like this, you should really endeavour to learn some French.

Buy

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 souvenirs shops may be found throughout Noumea.

Costs

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

Eat

• Bougna, a traditional meal among the native Melanesians, which consists of some form of meat, pork, chicken, fruitbat, 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
• Fruitbats
• All fruits here seem to taste very good

Buy food from local markets, which are common to almost every town.

Restaurants are expensive. You can eat quite well for about 10EUR at a couple of joints opposite the library in town. For travellers on a budget, you'll need to observe what the Kanaks do for the best deals.

Drink

Try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kava

You can recognise a Kava bar by a red light outside and dim lighting inside.

It is about 100CFP compared to 500CFP for a beer, so about a fifth of the price.

You drink the Kava immediately once you've purchased it and then go off to a dark bench to chill.

Sleep

There is only one affordable hostel in town.

Learn

Work

Voluntary service

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 over 18 and under 28 years old (inclusive). You must not have had your civic rights revoked by a court or have been convicted of certain offences.

Stay safe

New Caledonia is fairly safe.

• When snorkelling, one should avoid direct contact with poisonous sea urchins, as well as avoid sustaining scrapes from coral structures, which tends to cause irritations and swelling.
• A seasnake known locally as the Tricot Rayé has a potentially lethal venom, but the snake is not aggressive when left alone, and only attacks when threatened.
• There are sharks, though rarely Great White Sharks. They can be quite big mind you and basically avoid shark attacks by:
  • Not having caught (bleeding) fish near yourself
  • Facing the shark, so to the shark you look large, vertical and difficult to bite

Stay healthy

Iodine or a similar disinfectant is invaluable to fight off small infections, which quite commonly occurs in most sores and scratches.

Some mosquitoes carry the dengue fever virus. Consult a doctor for more information.

Respect

Contact

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