About New Caledonia
General Introduction
New Caledonia is a French overseas territory located in the Southwest Pacific near Australia. It consists of the large island of New Caledonia, the Loyalty Islands, the Isle of Pines, and several smaller island groups. The capital, Nouméa, is located on the main Island, Grande Terre, and is a peaceful port city with diverse population and colorful European architecture.
New Caledonia boasts the world’s largest lagoon and second largest coral reef. Your journey here can span the green valleys to the tropical forests, the white sand beaches to the beautiful waterfalls. The beautiful waterfronts are lined with bars, cafes, restaurants and nightclubs.
New Caledonia puts a magnificent, natural wonderland at your fingertips. Here, the warmth of the locals matches that of the weather, and opportunities for adventures are as abundant as the settings for a relaxing vacation.
There is no better place to experience the pacific with a taste of Europe than New Caledonia, where Melanesian tradition blends with French sophistication, where the Isle of Pines brings out the romance and Loyalty Islands accentuates the Kanak culture.
History
The first inhabitants of New Caledonia were the hunter-gatherer people known as the Lapita, the ancestors of the Melanesians and Polynesians, who came from the islands of Vanuatu about 3000 years ago.
The British explorer James Cook spotted Grande Terre in 1774 and named it New Caledonia as it reminded him of the highlands of Scotland, which were called Caledonia by the Romans.
France officially claimed New Caledonia in 1853 by Admiral Febvrier-Despointes, initially establishing it as a penal colony, a part of an attempt by Napoleon III to rival the British colonies in Australia and New Zealand. At the time, the population was estimated at 50,000 Melanesians and a few hundred Europeans. Towards the end of the penal colony era, free European settlers (including former convicts) and Asian contract workers by far outnumbered the population of forced workers and the indigenous Kanak populations declined drastically.
During WWI the locals were recruited to fight on the French and Turkish war fronts. During WWII the New Caledonian soldiers fought for the allied forces in North Africa, Italy and France. Nouméa served as a headquarters of the United States Navy and Army in the South Pacific. Due to the proximity of the territory to the South Pacific operations, Nouméa also provided a repair base for damaged American and Allied ships. Nouméa declined in importance as a naval and military base as the American and Allied offensive rapidly moved north and over the Equator.
After the war, the Kanaks were progressively given the right to vote and eventually formed their first political party.
New Caledonia has been on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories since 1986 and now has a unique status between that of an independent country and a normal Overseas department of France. New Caledonia is set to decide whether to remain within the French Republic as an autonomous overseas collectivity or become an independent state in a referendum to be held between 2014 and 2019.
Population
As of 1996, a little less than 45% of the New Caledonia population is made of the indigenous Melanesian Kanak community, which are no longer the majority due increase in immigration and other factors.
The rest of the population is made up of ethnic groups that arrived in New Caledonia in the last 150 years: Europeans (34.5%) (predominantly French, with German, British and Italian minorities), Polynesians (Wallisians, Tahitians) (11.8%), Indonesians (2.6%), Vietnamese (1.4%), Ni-Vanuatu (1.2%), and various other groups (3.9%), Tamils, other South Asians, Berbers, Japanese, Chinese, Fijians, Arabs, West Indian (mostly from other French territories) and a small number of ethnic Africans.
New Californians are all French citizens but an increased autonomy in the Matignon Accords of 1988 also provides for a local Caledonian citizenship.
Culture
New Caledonia is rich with a very unique array of culture and tradition. it has an unusual interwoven flavors of Europe and the South Pacific with the customs of the original indigenous people carried throughout time.
Although French is the official language of New Caledonia, there are actually more than 30 Kanak languages, which are embedded in their Art and Literature.
Wood sculptures are a popular form of artistic expression in Kanak culture and Île des Pins is known for its sculpted wooden posts. Noumea features several art galleries filled with paintings by local artists.
You can find magnificent festivals and public events such as the Jeudis du Centre Ville, and see performances with many dance styles including Tahitian, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Pilou, a traditional Kanak dance.
Discovering Kaneka, the popular local music, is a pleasure onto itself, a mixture of reggae and traditional Kanak rhythms is sure to get you dancing.
The Tjibaou Cultural Centre is the cultural hub for the entire South Pacific. It offers visitors a unique collection of contemporary art from the Pacific region, as well as exciting Melanesian and Polynesian artistic and historic displays.
Geography
New Caledonia is located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) east of Australia and 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) northwest of New Zealand. The island nation of Vanuatu lies to the northeast.
The territory made up of a main island, the Grande Terre, and several smaller islands, the Belep archipelago to the north of the Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands to the east of the Grande Terre, the Île des Pins (Isle of Pines) to the south of the Grande Terre, the Chesterfield Islands and Bellona Reefs further to the west. A territorial dispute exists with regard to the uninhabited Matthew and Hunter Islands, which are claimed by both France (as part of New Caledonia) and Vanuatu.
The mainland is where most people live, and which is the richest area of New Caledonia, is divided lengthwise by a range of mountains (Chaîne Centrale), the highest points of which are “Mount Panié” in the north (1,629 m) and “Mount Humboldt” in the south (1,618 m). Various species of trees can be found in these mountains.
The Grande Terre is by far the largest of the islands, and the only mountainous island. It has an area of 16,372 square kilometres (6,321 sq mi), and is elongated northwest-southeast, 350 kilometres (220 mi) in length and 50 to 70 kilometres (31 to 43 mi) wide. A mountain range runs the length of the island, with five peaks over 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). The highest point is Mont Panié at 1,628 metres (5,341 ft) elevation. The total area of New Caledonia is 19,060 km2 (7,360 sq mi), 18,575 km2 (7,172 sq mi) of those being land.
Climate
The tropical climate of the islands of New Caledonia is divided to two main seasons, and rainfall is highly seasonal and averages about 1,500 millimetres (59 in) yearly on the Loyalty Islands, 2,000 millimeters (79 in) at low elevations on eastern Grande Terre, and 2,000-4,000 millimetres (79–157.5 in) at high elevations on the Grande Terre.
The two main seasons are a dry season, and a warm and wet season. The dry cooler months are from April to November with daily temperature ranges from 17-27 °C (63-81 °F). During the wet season (December to March) the temperature can reach 32 °C (90 °F). The south-east trade winds temper the heat, and evenings are pleasantly cool. The wet season sees the occasional cyclone hitting the islands but the tropical nature of the climate allows both seasons to be popular for travelers depending on your preferences and favorite vacation activities.
Overall, the best time to visit New Caledonia is from September to December, when the days are not too hot and sticky, and there’s less likelihood of rain.
Getting around Australia
Air
New Caledonia has two airports:
New Caledonia Airport (Airport Code: NOU), in Païta, 52km (32 mi) northwest of the capital city of Noumea, (www.cci-nc.com/tontouta) Air France provides code-share flights from Paris via Tokyo, Osaka, or Seoul. Regular flights are available from Tokyo on Aircalin, as New Caledonia is very popular with the Japanese. Air New Zealand and Qantas also serve the airport. There are also flights from various Pacific nations, New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia. However, there aren’t many flights overall, so beware of availability. There is little or no competition on routes, so be very wary of high flight prices.
Noumea-Magenta Airport (Airport Code: GEA) , 4km (2.4mi) from the city center. Serves all domestic flights within New Caledonia, such as the Loyalty Islands (Maré, Tiga, Lifou, Ouvéa), from Isle of Pines in the south to Belep Islands in the northern tip of the mainland as well as Koné and Koumac on the west coast and Touho on the east coast.
New Caledonia’s only domestic airline is Air Calédonie (www.air-caledonie.nc)
Ground
The buses are not too bad and go pretty much everywhere, but they are infrequent. But they are worth trying and will save you money. You can catch a bus that will take you very conveniently from the Baie Des Citrons to downtown Noumea for very little. A taxi for the same destination will cost approximately four times as much but can be called any time and will take a more direct route with no stops.
There are also many Car Rental Companies and most of them have desks at the airport and prices are fairly reasonable. The visitor information centre in Noumea has a list of companies.
For those of you who search less common forms of travel can find places to rent scooters which are becoming a more popular way to enjoy New Caledonia, and if you like more comfort or you are traveling with family or a big group you can rent an RV (camper van) but will have to find the campgrounds allowing for overnight stays in some areas.
Sea
Noumea is a popular port of call for people sailing around the Pacific, and traveling in by boat is possible from the near by islands. Ferries and boat rides for travelling between the islands are available on a daily basis and from some locations at least a few time per week.
