Noumea in port from 3pm-10pm

Hi Guys,

We are going on the Pacific hopper cruise on the Pac dawn out of Brisbane this month and we are in port at Noumea (been to Noumea a couple of times bit of a dump and the rudest people I think, anyhoo) from 3pm-10pm.

Has anyone done this and what is the best thing to do within these afternoon hours.

Hi Guys,

We are going on the Pacific hopper cruise on the Pac dawn out of Brisbane this month and we are in port at Noumea (been to Noumea a couple of times bit of a dump and the rudest people I think, anyhoo) from 3pm-10pm.

Has anyone done this and what is the best thing to do within these afternoon hours.

The waterslide on board.

I'm on the Dawn on the 20th from Brisbane. I've been to Noumea often enough to know not to bother to get off.

Getting there at 3pm means that the only worthwhile, if expensive, excursion to Amedee is not available.

Enjoy the ship while most of the other passengers are roaming around Noumea in the dark risking the Vika virus.

One thing that confuses me is that P&O are showing an excursion to the Aquarium, but the Aquarium is shut on Mondays. Don't me tell that Noumea is actually catering to tourists by opening it up specially for us cruisers.

The waterslide on board.

 

I'm on the Dawn on the 20th from Brisbane. I've been to Noumea often enough to know not to bother to get off.

 

Getting there at 3pm means that the only worthwhile, if expensive, excursion to Amedee is not available.

 

Enjoy the ship while most of the other passengers are roaming around Noumea in the dark risking the Vika virus.

 

One thing that confuses me is that P&O are showing an excursion to the Aquarium, but the Aquarium is shut on Mondays. Don't me tell that Noumea is actually catering to tourists by opening it up specially for us cruisers.

Ok ,

I think we will be staying on the ship. We are on the Dawn on 13th doing the same ports .

Thanks..

I would catch the bus or taxi to Lemon Bay for a later afternoon swim and then enjoy a drink at one of the nice bars along the beach while watching the sunset. From the map it looks like Lemon Bay faces west so should get a lovely sunset over the ocean. Then taxi home.

There are some very nice areas in Noumea and New Caledonia as a whole. Like the hometowns of anyone posting on here, Noumea has it's areas that aren't so attractive. That doesn't quite justify suggesting the entire place isn't worth visiting. We have visited several times and enjoy, not just the "luxury" things, but simply taking in how other people live.

However, like wagtail_syd said, Lemon Bay is worthwhile. We'll be arriving there at 4:00pm in March and will be doing that again. In fact, it's our tradition. We grab a hop-on/hop-off bus for around $12 each. Note that some charge a lot more than that, so search around. Along with your bus ticket, you get a 1/2 price coupon for a bar at Lemon Bay. That bar faces the water and palm trees. You can sit outside in the cool and soak in the view. They brew awesome wheat beer onsite and much of the cost of your bus ticket is recovered by the discounted drink.

We now have a contact for hiring a proper car (not scooters or electric mokes like are available at the port). So, next time, we can travel far beyond where we've been before.

There are some very nice areas in Noumea and New Caledonia as a whole. Like the hometowns of anyone posting on here, Noumea has it's areas that aren't so attractive. That doesn't quite justify suggesting the entire place isn't worth visiting. We have visited several times and enjoy, not just the "luxury" things, but simply taking in how other people live.

 

However, like wagtail_syd said, Lemon Bay is worthwhile. We'll be arriving there at 4:00pm in March and will be doing that again. In fact, it's our tradition. We grab a hop-on/hop-off bus for around $12 each. Note that some charge a lot more than that, so search around. Along with your bus ticket, you get a 1/2 price coupon for a bar at Lemon Bay. That bar faces the water and palm trees. You can sit outside in the cool and soak in the view. They brew awesome wheat beer onsite and much of the cost of your bus ticket is recovered by the discounted drink.

 

We now have a contact for hiring a proper car (not scooters or electric mokes like are available at the port). So, next time, we can travel far beyond where we've been before.

This sounds good, can you tell me where to get these tickets for the bus and where we might catch it..

As you may be aware, the ship will dock at one of two places. If the weather is suitable and the dock is free, you'll dock against the two-storey markets. Otherwise, you'll dock at the shipping container area and be taken by bus to the market. On the bottom level of the market are little shop fronts where various tours, etc. are being sold. One woman regularly walks around trying to sell pricey hop on/hop off bus tickets and being pushy. But look around for a shop front selling them for around $12 (they're all for the same bus!). You get a wrist band that allows you on and off the bus at will and a 1/2 price drink voucher per person. Last time, this was for drinks at the "3 Brasseurs".

They'll give you directions but, essentially, walk out the front onto the main street. The bus will pull up directly outside the market. These are good, air conditioned coaches. It will stop at a number of locations, repeatedly working a loop back to the market. There are a couple of places you can hop off if you're seeking to have a drink. They're not particularly signposted and the driver doesn't always volunteer an announcement, so it can be good to ask him/her for help.

However, you can hop off at the Aquarium stop, then walk back along an attractive beach area (Anse Vata), around the headland for the drink (2km?), or get dropped off at a stop very close to "3 Brasseurs". (The "3 Brasseurs" can be seen on Google Maps just above the oval highrise building). Google Map: https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Anse+Vata,+Noumea,+New+Caledonia/@-22.3012174,166.4382435,745m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x6c27e26fad5ad017:0x480601c05a9d78f8!8m2!3d-22.3004763!4d166.4432935

Incidentally, if drink vouchers are still for the same location, you can taste test their various beers on tap before purchasing.

As you may be aware, the ship will dock at one of two places. If the weather is suitable and the dock is free, you'll dock against the two-storey markets. Otherwise, you'll dock at the shipping container area and be taken by bus to the market. On the bottom level of the market are little shop fronts where various tours, etc. are being sold. One woman regularly walks around trying to sell pricey hop on/hop off bus tickets and being pushy. But look around for a shop front selling them for around $12 (they're all for the same bus!). You get a wrist band that allows you on and off the bus at will and a 1/2 price drink voucher per person. Last time, this was for drinks at the "3 Brasseurs".

 

They'll give you directions but, essentially, walk out the front onto the main street. The bus will pull up directly outside the market. These are good, air conditioned coaches. It will stop at a number of locations, repeatedly working a loop back to the market. There are a couple of places you can hop off if you're seeking to have a drink. They're not particularly signposted and the driver doesn't always volunteer an announcement, so it can be good to ask him/her for help.

 

However, you can hop off at the Aquarium stop, then walk back along an attractive beach area (Anse Vata), around the headland for the drink (2km?), or get dropped off at a stop very close to "3 Brasseurs". (The "3 Brasseurs" can be seen on Google Maps just above the oval highrise building). Google Map: https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Anse+Vata,+Noumea,+New+Caledonia/@-22.3012174,166.4382435,745m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x6c27e26fad5ad017:0x480601c05a9d78f8!8m2!3d-22.3004763!4d166.4432935

 

Incidentally, if drink vouchers are still for the same location, you can taste test their various beers on tap before purchasing.

Thank you very much, we will definitely be doing this what you have suggested, sounds great.

We have always docked at the container port so I hope we get the inside dock this time.

We have stopped heaps of times on cruises at Noumea at both container port/tourist info centre port/full day & 3pm. Your ship docks at the tourist info area, a big open square style building. There will be colourful dancers on your arrival and you can have a bit of a shop and talk to the locals then get back on the ship for sunset drinks,this would be your most relaxing option. You dont need French currency at this stop. Anyway I am with you that its the grottiest rudest port to stop when New Caledonia has so many other beautiful areas. WHY WHY does P&O do this silly 3pm docking. You cant doing much apart from wine and dine (and we do enough of that on-board!) and depending on the time of year the 'yellow choo choo' train tour returns in the dark and you cant see anything! Stay positive though P&O will wake up to the fact Noumea has to be a very saturated market for them by now!

Stay positive though P&O will wake up to the fact Noumea has to be a very saturated market for them by now!

There is a paucity of docks suitable for cruise ships in the South Pacific. P&O, like the other lines, hates tendering as much as the passengers do, so the few docks in the area that are available tend to get overworked. Noumea also happens to be the foreign port closest to Sydney and Brisbane.

I was thinking the other day that if we want to give the South Pacific region an economic boost, a good way might be to use our foreign aid dollars to build proper cruise ship docks in various islands.

I'd always assumed that that ships visit Noumea for re-provisioning. Is that correct?

I don't really understand the hate for Noumea. In 3 visits I've never found the locals rude at all. They're just going about their normal lives. We spoke to quite a few people getting help with local bus tickets etc and they were friendly and helpful and kind. The dock itself isn't pretty but then neither is White Bay and I don't rate the whole of Sydney based on that. It's a city, not an island resort so kind of unfair to compare it to Isle of Pines or Mare.

Spot on!

I'd always assumed that that ships visit Noumea for re-provisioning. Is that correct?

 

I don't really understand the hate for Noumea. In 3 visits I've never found the locals rude at all. They're just going about their normal lives. We spoke to quite a few people getting help with local bus tickets etc and they were friendly and helpful and kind. The dock itself isn't pretty but then neither is White Bay and I don't rate the whole of Sydney based on that. It's a city, not an island resort so kind of unfair to compare it to Isle of Pines or Mare.

The people on the port are lovely and pleasant, and I suppose that any port you visit has the ups and downs.

My experience with the shopkeepers in town in general have been a little sour, will skip them this time about.

In any case it is the whole cruise experience we go for and not so much the ports visited.

We have stopped heaps of times on cruises at Noumea at both container port/tourist info centre port/full day & 3pm. Your ship docks at the tourist info area, a big open square style building. There will be colourful dancers on your arrival and you can have a bit of a shop and talk to the locals then get back on the ship for sunset drinks,this would be your most relaxing option. You dont need French currency at this stop. Anyway I am with you that its the grottiest rudest port to stop when New Caledonia has so many other beautiful areas. WHY WHY does P&O do this silly 3pm docking. You cant doing much apart from wine and dine (and we do enough of that on-board!) and depending on the time of year the 'yellow choo choo' train tour returns in the dark and you cant see anything! Stay positive though P&O will wake up to the fact Noumea has to be a very saturated market for them by now!

and if you arrive on a sunday most places are closed