Noumea new caledonia

[Thebosn1]

Traveling to Noumea on the the Carnival Legend next year, our last port call before Sydney. We are in port from 9 AM until 5 PM on a Friday.

 

I was looking to do something low key instead of a big formal excursion. Does anyone have any tips for something to do near the terminal, or maybe a less formal tour?

 

Any information on the port and how to have an enjoyable port call without a full blown excursion would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Jim :confused:

[Dcoy]

I would also be interested on anyone's suggestions for this port. I'll be there at the end of Feb and I didn't care for any of the ships tours.

 

Thanks

 

Don

[bronte2]

If you are on a larger ship you will dock at the container port and be transported to the arrivals hall by bus. There is a small market inside both on the ground floor and upstairs. You will also find tour operators here as well.

 

The small town is just across the road and you can wander around here but really there is not a lot to keep you engaged but maybe that's just me as we have been there a number of times. :D Having said that, it's still nice to have a wander around.

Probably your best bet is to get the HOHO bus which will give you a good overview of the surrounding area. You should be able to get the tickets in the arrivals hall. It tours most of the major sites including the Tjiboutou Cultural Centre and the beaches. It stops at a hillside viewpoint which gives wonderful views over Noumea.

If you take the HOHO bus it will still give you time to wander around town.

Last time we were there the only thing we wanted to see was the Tjiboutou Centre so we took the HOHO bus there and didn't bother getting off anywhere else but still enjoyed the ride.

Just near the arrivals hall on the same side of the road, is a series of cafes/bars which will be packed with cruisers using the wifi!

Enjoy your time in Noumea

[Dcoy]

Bronte2

 

Thanks for he information. I'll plan on looking into the HOHO bus. Do you know if you can make more than one round trip on the bus?

 

I like to take the full trip without getting off to get the lay of the land then go around again hopping off and on as I like. I have been on HOHO buses that only let you take one round trip then you're done.

 

Thanks

 

Don

[Thebosn1]

The small town is just across the road and you can wander around here but really there is not a lot to keep you engaged but maybe that's just me as we have been there a number of times. :D Having said that, it's still nice to have a wander around.

Just near the arrivals hall on the same side of the road, is a series of cafes/bars which will be packed with cruisers using the wifi!

Enjoy your time in Noumea

 

Thanks for the info. Really sounds like a pretty dull port. Is there a decent place to eat and have a few drinks in the town near the terminal?

 

Jim

[bronte2]

I believe the HOHO bus tickets are for the full day so this would indicate you could spend all day riding around if you chose to :D I would check with the operators before you purchase the tickets just to make sure.

 

For places to eat, there is a cafe right next to the passenger terminal which seems popular with both locals and cruisers. We ate there on a previous trip and the food was fine. Last year we only had a drink but observed the meals of a local family at the next table and the food looked great. To the right of the terminal on the waterfront just a short 2 minute walk away there are a couple of cafes. I don't recall how many eating places there were as the area was pretty busy as I believe there was free wifi :) so we just wandered past.

There are cafes and restaurants at the beaches where the HOHO bus stops but I don't have any recent experience so can't recommend anywhere. Just be careful as they can be expensive.

I hope some of this is helpful.

[Thebosn1]

For places to eat, there is a cafe right next to the passenger terminal which seems popular with both locals and cruisers. We ate there on a previous trip and the food was fine. Last year we only had a drink but observed the meals of a local family at the next table and the food looked great. To the right of the terminal on the waterfront just a short 2 minute walk away there are a couple of cafes. I don't recall how many eating places there were as the area was pretty busy as I believe there was free wifi :) so we just wandered past.

There are cafes and restaurants at the beaches where the HOHO bus stops but I don't have any recent experience so can't recommend anywhere. Just be careful as they can be expensive.

 

Very Helpful thanks!

[Dcoy]

I believe the HOHO bus tickets are for the full day so this would indicate you could spend all day riding around if you chose to :D I would check with the operators before you purchase the tickets just to make sure.

 

For places to eat, there is a cafe right next to the passenger terminal which seems popular with both locals and cruisers. We ate there on a previous trip and the food was fine. Last year we only had a drink but observed the meals of a local family at the next table and the food looked great. To the right of the terminal on the waterfront just a short 2 minute walk away there are a couple of cafes. I don't recall how many eating places there were as the area was pretty busy as I believe there was free wifi :) so we just wandered past.

There are cafes and restaurants at the beaches where the HOHO bus stops but I don't have any recent experience so can't recommend anywhere. Just be careful as they can be expensive.

I hope some of this is helpful.

 

Yes, this was very helpful.

 

Thanks

 

Don

[sandancer]

If you are on a larger ship you will dock at the container port and be transported to the arrivals hall by bus. There is a small market inside both on the ground floor and upstairs. You will also find tour operators here as well.

 

The small town is just across the road and you can wander around here but really there is not a lot to keep you engaged but maybe that's just me as we have been there a number of times. :D Having said that, it's still nice to have a wander around.

Probably your best bet is to get the HOHO bus which will give you a good overview of the surrounding area. You should be able to get the tickets in the arrivals hall. It tours most of the major sites including the Tjiboutou Cultural Centre and the beaches. It stops at a hillside viewpoint which gives wonderful views over Noumea.

If you take the HOHO bus it will still give you time to wander around town.

Last time we were there the only thing we wanted to see was the Tjiboutou Centre so we took the HOHO bus there and didn't bother getting off anywhere else but still enjoyed the ride.

Just near the arrivals hall on the same side of the road, is a series of cafes/bars which will be packed with cruisers using the wifi!

Enjoy your time in Noumea

We will be here in April and have a tour booked which has to be paid in francs. Do you know if there is an ATM near the dock? We are also visiting Lifou and the Bay of Islands. Is it the same currency? Thanks a lot

[bronte2]

I can't remember specifically where the closest ATM is but the town is only across the road and there are ATMs there.

Lifou is one of the Loyalty Is which are part of New Caledonia so the official currency is Pacific Francs. There will be some market stalls set up at the tender drop off and most of the stall holders will accept AUD as well.

Bay of Islands is in NZ so the currency is NZD.

 

Lifou is a delightful little island. If you don't have anything planned, take a walk up the hill to the left of the tender port. There is a rustic little church at the top of the hill which you will see when you sail in. There are great views of the ship and surrounding areas from here.

[RJB]

I can't remember specifically where the closest ATM is but the town is only across the road and there are ATMs there.

Lifou is one of the Loyalty Is which are part of New Caledonia so the official currency is Pacific Francs. There will be some market stalls set up at the tender drop off and most of the stall holders will accept AUD as well.

Bay of Islands is in NZ so the currency is NZD.

 

Lifou is a delightful little island. If you don't have anything planned, take a walk up the hill to the left of the tender port. There is a rustic little church at the top of the hill which you will see when you sail in. There are great views of the ship and surrounding areas from here.

Do you know if they will accept US dollars or credit cards?

[bronte2]

In Noumea you can use credit cards but I don't think many places will accept $US. Perhaps the cafe at the terminal may but I wouldn't count on it. Most of the shops will only accept Pacific Francs or credit cards.

 

Lifou is only a tiny island so I would be wary of relying on a credit card. I don't have any experience of trying to use one here as we have always used cash. The traders at the little market at the tender port may accept US cash but once again, I wouldn't rely on it so it would be best to have some local currency.

I haven't been there for a couple of years so perhaps someone who has been there recently can shed some light on this.

 

New Zealand will obviously accept credit cards but won't accept $US in shops. If you wish to pay in cash you will need $NZ.

[Fabsio]

Hi All,

 

Some great advice on here, thank you!

 

I was just wondering, for a family of 4 (both kids under 5), what rough amount of francs should we allow for if we are stopping at Isle of Pines, Lifou and Mare to cover excursions and snacks?

 

Cheers,

 

David

[tompaddyelle]

Hi David,

 

I have been to both Lifou and Isle of Pines and have found that you do not need to spend any money there at all. They are both Beach ports so we tend to spend the day swimming and lying on the beach.

Have not been to Mare so cannot comment on that.

 

Hope that helps :)

[Chmielel]

In my opinion Noumea has the best snorkeling of any port I've visited. I booked a all day tour with Aquanature. The day trip includes two 1 hour Snorkeling tours on two different sites, with a break on Signal Island. On my tour we saw whales, ells, stingrays, black tip sharks giant clams and the most beautiful soft and hard coral reefs. There was a great variety of colorful fish to view. It been about 3 years but it still my favorite tour.

It prefect for experience or 1st time snorkelers.

[3littlepigs]

Noumea

HO HO bus was $5 when bought with other tours, not sure if IRS the same price if you buy it by itself. Definitely don't buy it on ship. There were other short excursions available where you are dropped off from $10.

 

Lifou

I hope the cruise line are paying the locals a LOT of money to be able to land passengers here.

We were horrified at the damage the cruise ship trade has done to the beach where the tenders dock. The beach is tiny and strewn with litter, coral dead (crushed underfoot) until you get a fair distance from shore...it's still not much more than waist deep 50 metres from shore. The coral there is ok, some nice fish. My daughter saw a turtle.

We were first off in the morning. Found a spot for our towels then snorkelled for a couple of hours, swam back to the beach and stood up to discover a beach and water as crowded as Bondi on a hot summer day...headed back to the ship and had a nice quiet swim there.

You don't need money, there us nothing to buy unless you aren't going back to the ship for meals.

 

Port Vila

You now have the option of using a water taxi (small runabout boat) to get to town or hideaway. They were charging $5 each to take you across the bay to the wharf on the far dude of the supermarket, two minutes walk to town.

Buses were charging $5 per person at the port gate. The current local price us apparently 150 vatu. Good luck with negotiating that!

The duty free past the pub at the end of town was the cheapest long lines by the afternoon.

The pub has toilets and claims to have free wifi but nobody could get it to work.

For the price of a drink at the numbawon cafe on the waterfront the wifi worked but slowly.

Patisserie opposite the market has a toilet up the back and good coffee, also yummy cakes...both much appreciated after the tasteless fair on Radiance!

 

Isle of Pines

 

Walk a rose the road and snorkel out in the far side of the rock island past the Seagrass beds, the water is maybe 5 metres deep visibility not the best but if you have something to tempt the fish with they will be all over you with excitement, huge variety of fish, lots of fun but take care, there can be a tidal current and the water I'd deep, take a pool noodle with you if you aren't a strong swimmer..

Beautiful island.

[Widebay]

Bosn1 - I have been to Noumea on 2 visits, one with Celebrity Millenium & the other with Sun Princess. The hop on/hop off or Noumea Explorer Bus works well. After buying the day ticket from the driver, the bus stops at nearly all the main attractions.

 

What we did last time, after buying the ticket was to get off at Anse Vate Beach for a nice swim in the ocean & not a cruise ship pool. After the swim we walked from one bay to the next, checked out the shops, had a nice coffee, and then after our 2nd swim, we flagged down the bus at the bus stop, back to the cruise ship, after a very pleasant day. At Anse Vate Beach we also enjoyed a nice local New Caledonian beer each.

 

The Explorer Bus that we caught does a circle of all the main attractions including cultural centre, Anse Vate Beach, etc.