New Caledonia (Nouvelle Caledonie)

Capital: Noumea
Airport: Tontouta (45km northwest of Noumea)
National Airline: Aircalin
Visas: Not required for Australian passport holders for short stays
Population: 230,789 (2004 census)
Official language: French
Ethnic Groups: Melanesians (42.5%), Europeans (37.1%), Polynesians, Wallisians, Tahitians (12.2%), Indonesians (3.6%), Vietnamese (1.6%) and others
Location: South Pacific Ocean (Approx 1,200km east of Australia)
Land size: 18,575km squares
Currency: French Pacific franc (CFP franc)
Currency Code: XPF
GDP: US$3.15 billion (2003)
GDP per capita: US$15,000 (2003)

Brief Background Info:

Settled by both Britain and France during first half of the 19th century, the island was made a French possession in 1853. It also served as a French penal colony for about 40 years from 1864. Under French law, New Caledonia is part of the French Republic. New Caledonians are French citizens and hold French passports. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s has since dissipated. The last referendum on independence in 1998 did not pass and as decided in the Noumea Accord, the next referendum on independence will be held after 2014. France props up the New Caledonian budget/economy with an substantial amount of financial subsidy each year.

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New Caledonia. Quintessentially French yet so quintessentially South Pacific at the same time. I had to re-adjust to hearing and seeing Melanesians speaking fluent French after all these years of associating Melanesians with speaking English or pidgin English. It didn’t help that I’d also only just come from the Solomon Islands, where the linga franca was English and Solomons Pijin.

Mistaken for a ‘waku’ (or Solomon Chinese) in the Solomon Islands, I was constantly mistaken for a Japanese in New Caledonia. After all, the majority of the tourists that I came across in the New Caledonia were either French or Japanese and since I didn’t look anything like what a typical Frenchman ought to look like, many assumed I was Japanese – including even a couple of Japanese tourists, who started talking to me in Japanese until they realised I had a blank look on my face. Nevertheless, deep down, I was secretly ravishing in the erroneous cultural identity tag people were putting on me. I loved seeing people’s reactions whenever I had to challenge their perceptions and assumptions of who I was. “Non, non. Je non Japonais”, I would say in my broken French.

My first impressions of New Caledonia were largely positive (not counting the somewhat snobbish treatment I got from the Aircalin flight attendants). Perhaps my broken French just wasn’t good enough for them? *shrugs shoulders* The scenery of Tontouta as the plane came in to land was spectacular. I suggest you sit on the left side of the plane if you want to get a good view (see photo on right). When the plane finally pulled up at the terminal, I smiled to myself as I walked across the tarmac and into the terminal building. There was something quintessentially French about it – something that just simply announces to you that, yep, you have definitely stepped onto French territory without a doubt – from the uniforms worn by the police and immigration officials right through to all signs and billboards in French. And how could I possibly forget that image seared into my mind of this airport official (of Vietnamese descent) speaking French in an almost lyrical tone to the throng of mainly French tourists who’d also just walked into the arrival hall with me.

New Caledonia in some ways reminded me of South Africa – with its mountainous terrain on the one hand, but also barren plains on the other hand. Its beaches are beautiful and the fine sand and water were really quite a sight to behold. I had to keep pinching myself and rein in my muted laughter at the same time as I swam in the crystal clear waters of Baie de Kanumera at Ile des Pins towards the end of my trip (see photo on left). I felt like a goldfish swimming in a giant bowl of (unchlorinated) tap water! OK, maybe not a goldfish, but you get my point.

I always reckon that the quickest way to pick up on the nuances and heartbeat of a new country you’ve just arrived in is to take public transport. The bus ride from the airport into Noumea was a first glimpse into this very multicultural capital - the majority of my fellow passengers were a mixture of Melanesians and Polynesians. I was also flabbergasted at the level of public infrastructure in place that I saw during the 45-minute trip into Noumea. I found it hard to digest the fact that only several hours earlier, I was in a neighbouring country north of where I was now and yet such a huge difference in the standard of living existed between the two countries. From what I saw, New Caledonia’s living standards were, in my mind, nearly on par with that of Australia’s.

“This is exactly what the Solomon Islands could potentially be like one day,” I thought to myself, half-hopeful, half-despondent at the thought of what the Solomon Islands has become today nearly 28 years after independence. As much as I hate to admit this, I think countries like PNG and the Solomon Islands probably would have fared much better had they not been given independence during the period of rapid successive decolonisation of many former colonies throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

Arriving into Noumea on a Friday night was probably not the wisest thing either since central Noumea becomes dead quiet once the weekend arrives. Central Noumea reminds me of a 1950s or 1960s town stuck in a time warp.

I also religiously heeded the youth hostel’s advice during my first few nights in Noumea on which routes to take if I were to go out at night. “Take this route,” the man at the hostel reception said, as he drew on the map, “because it goes past the police station.” “Don't walk through this and this area here at night.” Well, always heed local advice, so they say. “Great.” I thought to myself. “What a lovely introduction to Noumea on my first night.” As I picked up my key and walked towards my room, I saw a notice on the noticeboard further advising travellers to be careful of a group of men recently seen loitering around or near the steps leading up to the hostel. I made a mental note of that in my head to look up the word for ‘Help’ in French – because I’d just walked past them earlier. “Excellent.” I mused to myself.

If the living standard was high in New Caledonia, so was the price of nearly everything. One need only to compare the price of one MacDonald’s Big Mac (800F or AUD$12) against one back home (AUD$3) to get the idea that the wad of franc bills in my wallet weren’t gonna last long if I don’t watch my spending. Even the French tourists from France lamented to me about the price of things in this overseas territory of theirs. However, cheap food was still able to be found – provided you knew where to go. The Central Market in Noumea quickly became my favourite breakfast joint, where a crossaint could be picked up for as little as 70F to 120F.

After the first day or two, I became very good at regurgitating two particular lines in French. “Bonjour/Bonsoir. Excusez-moi, vous parlez anglais?” and “Pardon. Je ne parle pas francais.” Which means, “Excuse me, do you speak English?” and “Sorry. I don't speak French.” And, of course, I also uttered lots of “Oui” and “Non” as well, along with the vigorous shaking of my head – or nodding – whichever that was required. Not to mention lots of grateful “Merci beaucoup” to helpful locals.

Among the more memorable things I did during my time in New Caledonia include the pirogue boat ride up the eastern coast of Ile des Pins (see photo on right) – thanks to a fellow French solo backpacker at the hostel who told me about it – and also nervously hitching a ride on the same island not once but twice, to get to Vao and back to where I was staying. Vao was the main village on the Ile des Pins. It was a case of either hitch a ride or risk getting heatstroke by the time I got to the village. It was a calculated risk and both times, the driver slowed down almost as soon as my thumb went up. I also really enjoyed swimming at Baie de Kunamera.

And, oh, not to mention clambering over a two-metre-or-so high fence at 5am in the morning in order to get out of the hostel in time to catch the bus to the airport on my last day. The hostel manager had told me the night before to return the keys to my room by dropping them down this key chute at the office. But she forgot to tell me that I needed to also open the outside gate first. Lovely. And so, I felt very much like a burglar, throwing my bag over the fence and then clambering over the fence to get out of the hostel compound.

New Caledonia is definitely worth a visit if you want a taste of France with sunshine all year round but without spending as much on the airfare. Things may be expensive but there are bargains and cheaper food to be found. I highly recommend staying at the youth hostel if staying in central Noumea or at one of the many hotels in Anse Vata or Baie de Citron, two beachside suburbs where much of the touristy activity is concentrated. The Tjibaou Cultural Centre in Noumea is also worth a visit (see photo above left), especially if you're into architecture and cultural stuff.

Ile des Pins is also definitely worth a visit - and I highly recommend the pirogue ride up Baie d'Upi, off the east coast of Ile des Pins. If you're keen to try out some Kanak tucker, you can arrange to taste some bougna at the end of the pirogue trip. However, arrange this with the gite you're staying at least a day beforehand. New Caledonia is very beautiful and unfortunately, I didn’t get to see all the other bits, especially the northern regions. Next time, perhaps, when I win Tattslotto.