solstice

[adeandnod]

going on solstice from Sydney to Noumea /lifou april 13th 2017.has enyone done this cruise in the past. any tips etc / buy trips on land etc.thank you

[sewgood]

Yes I have done these stops plus Isle of Pines on the Solstice are you going there as well?

In Noumea buy your tour from the information centre where the shuttle from the ship drops you rather than buy a tour from the ship. Much cheaper to buy it on the day and no worries about missing the ship on this Island.

I didn't do any tour on Lifou we just walked up to the church on the top of the hill/rock and looked around the small market. There were lots of cruise passengers swimming on the beach near where the tenders dropped us off.

There have been lots of posts about these Islands and what to do on them especially Noumea. A search for them may be a good idea.:)

You have lots of time to plan a fantastic cruise.

[SinbadThePorter]

going on solstice from Sydney to Noumea /lifou april 13th 2017.has enyone done this cruise in the past. any tips etc / buy trips on land etc.thank you

 

In Noumea, Amadee Island is very expensive, but nice. Unfortunately, I think they are still renovating the lighthouse, so you can't go up it. At less cost there is also a ferry across to L'Escapade island (aka Ilot Maitre) from Port Moselle next to the cruise ship terminal.

 

In Lifou, from the ship you can see a church on a point. This is a nice lookout if you feel like an energetic climb (take water). On the road to the church, there is a side road leading right which goes down to a sheltered bay with steps down to very nice coral. There will be a couple of locals there who will let you snorkel for $A10. This is worth doing, although like every other such spot in the South Pacific the shallow coral has been killed by people standing on it. So you need to go out a bit.

[avalon007]

At Lifou that snorkel spot off the side road is called Jinek Bay, last time there it cost us A$15 each.

 

Don't miss it - it is one of the best snorkel spots in the South Pacific, I am a scuba diver & I would prefer to snorkel at Jinek than dive many places.

 

Church at the top of hill isn't too hard a walk if you are of average fitness.

 

In the opposite direction there is another larger church you can easily walk to & a small cave at the bottom of a grotto with a huge tree growing out the centre of it that the locals near the church will take you to for a few dollars.

 

You can often spot turtles swimming around the dock where the tender pulls in.

[whimsy7]

Solstice is a beautiful ship. we thought the food on board was very good.

check out the burgers at the Mast Grill....no extra charge for these....they were great!!

Isle of Pines is one of our favourite ports.

walk up a slight hill away from the first beach area. turn left and walk down towards another beach on your right.

good spot for snorkelling around Sacred Rock.

get some reef shoes for these coral beaches or at least wear something on your feet as the corals bits can cut your feet...at minimum thongs or croc type slip ons

Edited April 14, 2016 by whimsy7
additional information provided

[CCC's]

I was on Solstice last Nov/December 2016 travelling to Noumea, Lifou and Isle of Pines. Cruised to Noumea many years ago so this time only did the hop-on hop-off bus which you can purchase a ticket from the main cruise terminal in Noumea CBD. Cost about AU$15. On my long ago trip to Noumea we visited the Cultural Centre which was wonderful, beautiful architecture and cultural displays. Try to visit this if possible.

 

At Isle of Pines, which is a tender port, I bought an excursion from the ship, costing about US$70. It was approx. 2 hour tour of island with a guide in an air conditioned mini bus. I really enjoyed that. Drove all over the small island and had very interesting commentary from the local drive. Also, he took us to a Grotto which was the highlight of the trip. You walk through rainforest (easy) to the grotto where religious items are displayed high up the wall of the grotto. There is also a very interesting story attached to this special place. Visited old church, local school, and many other places of interest.

 

I would recommend you purchase this excursion from the ship (I don't normally do this) but this one is excellent and well worth the money spent.