10 reasons I *heart* Noumea

1. Ooh La La

Everyone that knows me knows that I’m a Franocphile. But from Sydney I can’t always just go running off to Paris. Living in Australia, its just a short flight to Noumea (capital of New Caledonia – the third largest archipelago in the Pacific Ocean after Papua New Guinea and New Zealand). And there’s also the jetlag to consider – Noumea is just 1 hour ahead of Sydney.

There that sexy French language is spoken all over the island. So brush up on your:

Bonjour hello / good morning / good afternoon)
Bonsoir good evening
Au revoir goodbye
Comment allez-vouz how are you?
Ca va (bien) merci Fine, thank you
S’il vous plait please
Merci (beaucoup) thank you (very much)
Oui yes
Non no
Excuzez-moi (pardon) excuse me
Nouvelle Caledonie New Caledonia

But if like me you can’t get your tongue around a foreign language, there’s enough English spoken to make it easy enough to get by.

And of course, locals and visitors are sexy and stylish – with that certain savoir faire you’d expect from a French island retreat. This is an elegant island paradise.

2. Happy talk keep talking happy talk

New Caledonia is a happy place with happy faces. The slow Melanesian pace helps me relax. Yet don’t get me wrong. The place ticks over on time and in Noumea service is efficient.

The Melanesian or Kanak culture is ancient and of oral tradition. I’ve still got a lot more to explore in New Caledonia but my next trips must include some visits to village life. I’m intrigued that some places may only be visited once, so perhaps I need to put spontaneity aside and for once do some planning.

I’m also intrigued by what I’ve read of “La Coutume (The Custom) holds the social organisation together. Kanak society has its own particular social structure where each person participates in the life of the tribe. The key person in Kanak family life is the maternal uncle, called the uterine uncle. Within the structure, subjects respect the little chief and the great chief and listen to the advice of the elders”.

3. The Tourist Bus

OK well here comes the embarrassing admission. I like being a tourist, and every time I’m in a new city, I like to start my visit on the tourist bus. You know the hop on hop off type that gives you a city overview and helps you get your bearings. The Noumea Explorer runs Tuesday to Sunday and if you’re staying at Le Meridien there’s a stop right at the resort.

4. Noumea Gourmet Culture

Noumea is a delightful piece of France in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, with its bakeries, its market and its wine merchants. One of my favourite places for a casual bite to eat is La Creperie Bretonne but there’s a whole range of dining possibilities

Blending traditional French cuisine with the local island produce, there’s also a unique and delicious island cuisine. I’ve checked out the newest restaurant L’Assiette du Cagou on my last visit. Dishes featuring local produce in many lovely restaurants in Noumea and also in the countryside.

Outside of the evolving blend there is also traditional Kanak cuisine. Bougna is must try: a traditional Melanesian dish cooked in the Kanak oven which has been prepared with hot stones placed at the bottom of a sand or earth hole. A recipe might include chicken, white and purple yams, taros, manioc (cassava), green bananas and coconut cream.

For food shopping and to check out the local produce – the colourful market at La Baie de la Moselle is open daily from 5am to 11am.

5. Gourmet Time

Le Meridien Noumea has just started GOURMETIME with Master Apprentice cooking experiences – 2 hour cooking classes in the heart of Le Meridien’s kitchens with Executive Chef Michael Boussemart.

GOURMETIME also offers Bike & Cook a cycling tour to discover Noumea’s streets and its delicatessens, looking for the products needed for the cooking class.

Le Meridien also offers a Wine Experience guided by the sommelier Eric Savignac.

6. Rest and Relaxation

Here I go – I’m blushing again – because there’s nothing I’d rather do at the luxury Le Meridien resort, than lay back in my deck chair and enjoy the sun. Is that wrong? The Le Faré bar is close for deck chair drinks and snacks service. If I feel like a change of pace I can turn my deck chair from pool side towards an ocean view. Enough said. I can pack light – all I really need is a cozzie and perhaps a sarong. This is the life!

7. Water Water Everywhere

If truth be known, I do like and need to be a bit more active than just laying in the deck chair – ever so occasionally mind you. So there’s also a bit of swimming involved when I’m staying at Le Meridien – both in the pool and in the calm ocean waters directly behind the resort.

Snorkelling and scuba diving are incredible because of the 24,000 square kilometres of UNESCO heritage listed calm clear waters that are protected by 1,600 kilometres of coral reef. Brilliant!

Do you want more water? Then there’s also boat excursions (and glass bottom boat trips), canoeing and kayaking, motor boats, jet skiing, water skiing, kite surfing and more.

8. Adrenlin pump?

It’s not my idea of a resort holiday but if you want to mix it up there’s faster activities – hiking, horse riding, rock climbing, helicopter rides, gliding and parachuting – if you really have to!

9. Music to my ears

The musician was with me on a previous visit, so he insisted we visit the CD store. We spent half a day there. My fingers were tapping, but it wasn’t the wrong (impatient) type of finger tapping as I waited for him. The music in Noumea is pretty special. Because of its ethnic mix, New Caledonia has a wide range of music including traditional New Caledonian, Polynesian, and Asian. There’s an excellent range of Melanesian music at the store.

As well as traditional songs, the country’s musical culture developed in the mid-80s with the birth of Kaneka, inspired by the traditional Pilou and made more contemporary with modern rhythms influenced by Reggae. Plus there’s also a more interesting range of Reggae than is easily found in Australia.

10. Culture Vulture

I didn’t get there this visit but last time I was in Noumea I checked out the Museum of New Caledonia. The Tjibaou Cultural Centre is ten minutes from downtown Noumea also bears witness to the history of the Kanak and Oceanic populations.

Out of town, in the North Province of New Caledonia, the cultural Kanak heartland houses The Goa Ma Bwarath Cultural Centre and a collection of Kanak objects.

www.visitnouvellecaledonie.com