To
many of you going to New Caledonia
will sound quite exotic and far away.
But for those of us “downunder” it is just a quick flight to find a
tropical part of France. New Caledonia
is a French territory so it is great to go a short flight and find French food,
language and culture.
Le Meridien, Noumea |
There
are nice hotels and apartments along the beach on the main island. We stayed at Le Meridien – which worked well but was quite
expensive. Next time we will also visit
the Isle of Pines
which is a short boat ride away.
Isle of Pines, New Caledonia |
We
took the local buses into town – that was an experience in itself – many of
them were rickety old things with overflow seating that folded down into the
aisles – a logistical nightmare when someone at the back of the bus needed to
get off! And I’m sure the “health and
safety” czars would have something to say about it! But they were cheap and patronised by the
locals.
Tjibaou Cultural Centre, New Caledonia |
The
highlight of our visit was a visit to the museum. I
am not a fan of museums generally but this one is a spectacular building in a
great setting and had a nice feel to it.
The French government spent squillions on it. Some say in atonement for the treatment of
the indigenous people – the Kanaks.
Thanks for this ... very timely, as we're off to New Caledonia in a few weeks! Have never been there before but we're attracted to the idea of snorkelling in a French tropical paradise, especially in the middle of a Canberra winter ;-) Thanks for the museum recommendation. Will definitely check it out ...
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a lovely time.
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