New Caledonia: Whose Secret Is It Anyway?
Located almost directly between Australia and Fiji, New Caledonia might well be France's best-kept secret. The mainland, which is where most people live, is divided lengthwise by a range of mountains (Chaîne Centrale), the highest points of which are "Mount Panié" in the north (5,344 feet) and "Mount Humboldt" in the south (5,308 feet). Various species of trees can be found in these mountains.
This unusual relief, very much like a backbone, divides the Mainland into two very different areas:
The East Coast, humid and open to the trade winds is a fertile, exotic land with lush tropical vegetation, green valleys, beautiful waterfalls, rivers and authentic Melanesian huts along the roads.
The West Coast is a drier, temperate zone. There are fewer coconut trees but "niaouli" trees grow by the thousands and the endemic wildlife is rich. It is "cattle country," shaped by people who live at the pace of their cattle. There is an abundance of beautiful beaches too.
Unlike its volcanic neighbors, New Caledonia is a fragment of an ancient continent, which drifted away some 250 million years ago. Its flora and fauna evolved in isolation, and are now quite unique: 3,500 recorded species of plants, three quarters of which occur only here; 4,300 species of land animals, 1,000 species of fish, 6,500 species of marine invertebrates.
Eight hundred miles long, and 80 miles wide, New Caledonia offers an endless variety of landscapes, from some of the best white sand beaches in the Pacific to spectacular mountain retreats.
Surrounded by a 1,000-mile long coral reef, New Caledonia also boasts the largest lagoon in the world. The reef can be as close as a few miles from the coast in some places and as far as 40 miles in others - with an average depth of 25 miles.
The Territory of New Caledonia consists of the Mainland, the Isle of Pines to the south of the Mainland, the Loyalty Islands to the east of the Mainland (Maré, Lifou, Tiga and Ouvéa), the Belep Archipelago in the north west and numerous islands and islets: Huon & Surprise, Chesterfield, Walpole, Beautemps-Beaupré, Astrolabe, and the Bellona reef, … a total surface of 11,875 square miles (10,232 square miles for the Mainland alone, which is 250 miles long).
Getting There
Carriers that operate service to New Caledonia are aircalin, Air France, Air New Zealand, Air Vanuatu and Qantas.
From Osaka to Nouméa: three flights a week depart from Osaka: Thursday, Saturday and Monday. Arrives in Nouméa: Thursday, Saturday and Monday. With possible connection with Air France flight arriving from Paris and KLM flight arriving from Amsterdam. Visit www.airfrance.com
From Tokyo to Nouméa: five flights a week depart from Tokyo: Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Arrives in Nouméa the day after for possible connection with Air France flights arriving from Paris.
From Sydney to Nouméa: seven daily flights weekly with direct flights taking just three hours. (Aircalin and Qantas flights). Visit www.aircalin.com
From Brisbane to Nouméa: three flights per week depart Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. (Aircalin and Qantas flights).
From Auckland to Nouméa: four flights weekly depart from Auckland: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Direct flights take about 2.5 hours. (Aircalin and Qantas flights).
From Papeete to Nouméa: one flight a week departs from Papeete: Sunday. Arrives in Nouméa: the same Sunday.