Nouméa - Nouméa

Nouméa is the capital of the New Caledonia, department French overseas in the Melanesia.

To know

Background

Nouméa owes its origins to the captain Louis-Marie-François Tardy de Montravel who on 25 June 1854 chose it for the establishment of his garrison, giving it the name of Port-de-France. The military garrison occupied the "fort Constantine" which was located on the site where the Gaston-Bourret hospital now stands.

How to orient yourself

Center of Nouméa is the Place des Cocotiers, a vast rectangular square of 400 m in length. At its center is the celestial fountain built in September 1893 to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the taking of possession of the New Caledonia by the France. The statue, 8 meters high, caused a scandal at the time as it depicts a half-naked woman. The model who posed for the sculptor was a woman of Arab origin, Céleste Ben Yamina. rue Jean-Jaurès and south from the rue Anatole France. Both arteries start from the Colline du Semaphore where the youth hostel is located.

Rue de l'Alma, just north of the Place des Cocotiers, is the shopping street. There are numerous boutiques that sell fashion items but the prices are steep.

It begins further up the Rue de l'Alma avenue James Cook which borders the north side of the dock where the fast catamarans for the other islands of the New Caledonia. Further on is the museum of maritime history (Musée de L'Histoire Maritime). Avenue James Cook stops after 6 km at the Nou peninsula, where Fort Tereka is located and one of the best hotels in Nouméa, the Kuendu Beach Resort, suitable for those who cannot bear the confusion of the southern sector described below.

South sector

Immediately south of the center is the Quartier Latin with the municipal market and the post office near Port Moselle and therefore the marina [1] where countless pleasure boats are at anchor.

Further south is the more touristy area of ​​Nouméa arranged on gulfs surrounded by numerous hotels and with beaches where it is still possible to swim. Below is a list of the bays of Nouméa:

• Baie des Citrons —
• Bays of L'Anse Vata - Anse Vatà is the area of ​​hotels and "Boites de Nuit" which apply a strict selection at the entrance, based on racist criteria, as reported in 2009 by the newspaper Nouvelles Calédoniennes. Anse Vata can be noisy at night for delicate eardrums.
• Baie de Sainte Marie —
• Bays de Magenta - Near the homonymous airport reserved for domestic flights only, the Baie de Magenta is the place where the Havanna, a merchant ship for Île des Pins and the Loyalty Islands which, however, also accepts passengers at a significantly lower price than the catamaran crossing.

North sector

The northern sector of Nouméa has nothing to do with tourism as it is occupied by the factories of the Société Le Nickel, founded in 1910. The mineral is partly refined on site and partly loaded in its raw state on ships bound mainly in Australia is Japan

Neighborhoods

Montravel is the name of a popular neighborhood and a hill on top of which is the telecommunications tower. It is 5km from the center and east of the Colline du Semaphore. There is the Forest park (Parc Forestier), consisting of a botanical garden and a zoo where you can admire rare specimens of birds from New Caledonia. Among these the cagou (scientific name: Rhynochetos jubatus) at risk of extinction.

How to get

By bus

Buses from other centers of Grande Terre they terminate at the Gare Routière opposite the municipal market (Avenue Henry Lafleur).

How to get around

By public transport

There are 9 bus lines in Nouméa, each marked with a different color. The buses start their runs from 05:30 and end at 19:00.

What see

Center

• City Museum of Nouméa (Musee de la Ville de Nouméa), Rue Georges Clemenceau (Place des Cocotiers), ☎ 687 262 805. Housed in a colonial building that used to be the seat of a bank, the museum displays mainly black and white photographs that trace the history of the city of Nouméa from 1853 until 1953. 
• Museum of New Caledonia (Musée de Nouvelle-Calédonie), 45, avenue du Maréchal Foch (Corner of avenue Foch with rue Jean-Jaurès - downtown area). Housed in a 1970 building, the New Caledonia museum exhibits archaeological finds such as rock carvings, ceramics that testify to the past of the Melanesian civilization 
• Bibliothèque Bernheim, 41, Avenue du Maréchal Foch, ☎ 687 242 090. The library was built in the early twentieth century thanks to the donations of Lucien Bernheim (1856-1917), a man of Mulhouse which made its fortune in New Caledonia thanks to the mining of chromium and cobalt. It is installed in the colonial pavilion of the Paris Universal Exposition of 1901. 
• Cathedral of San Giuseppe (Cathèdrale Saint-Joseph), 3 rue Frédéric Surleau. Built using forced labor, Noumea Cathedral was inaugurated in 1890 when it was still incomplete. It dominates the center of Nouméa from a hill. Inside you can see the 28 stained glass windows and the holy water stoups made up of giant shells (Tridacna gigas) 
• ^{[link not working]}Maritime History Museum (Musée de L'Histoire Maritime), 11, Avenue James Cook (Close to the Gare maritime), ☎ 687 263 443. Inaugurated on 4 October 1999, the museum exhibits models of pirogues and objects found from wrecks of ships sunk during the 18th century 

South sector

• aquarium (Aquarium des Lagons), Promenade Roger Laroque (On the Anse Vata bay, near the Meridien hotel), ☎ 687 262 731. Reopened in a new and larger facility built with funding from the European Union, the Nouméa aquarium is most famous for its collection of fluorescent corals. 
• Headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Pacific Community (Siège du Secrétariat Général de la Communauté du Pacifique (CPS)), 95 Promenade Roger Laroque, Anse Vata, ☎ 687 262 000. 
• Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center (Center culturel Tjibaou), Rue des accords de Matignon (On the Magente Bay, beyond the airport of the same name), ☎ 687 414 545. Dedicated to the Kanak culture, the Jean-Marie Tjibaou center allows you to read up on the culture of the original inhabitants of New Caledonia. The center also offers kanak dance and music performances. The complex that houses it was built in 1998 on a project by the architect Renzo Piano 

North sector

• Fort Tereka. Located at the western end of the island of Nou, today joined to the mainland, Fort Tereka dates back to 1878 and offers splendid views over the ocean. 

Events and parties

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

Night clubs

An updated list of nightclubs with the program of the evenings can be found on the site www.noumeabynight.com

• Flex Bar, 37 rue Jean Jaurés (Center). Themed "Soirées". Generally electro, house, Trance music 
• MV Lounge, 22 rue Jules Garnier (Baie des Citrons). Usually evenings with electronic music 
• Bodega Del Mar, 134 Promenade Roger Laroque. Hours: Open Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm. Ideal for enjoying the Nouméa sunsets in the company of a glass of rum and tapas. The evening program includes live music. 

Where to eat

Where stay

Free camping is possible on the artificial islet of Sainte Marie or on the other of Larégnére.

Moderate prices

• Auberge de Jeunesse, 51 bis, rue Pasteur Marcel Ariège (At the top of the Colline du Semaphore), ☎ 687 27 58 79. It is part of the Hostelling International association. 

Average prices

• Laperouse hotels, 33, rue de Sébastopol (Town center), ☎ 687 272 251, fax: 687 259 037. 29 single and double rooms. Some have private bathrooms. 
• Hotel Le Paris, 5/47 Rue De Sebastopol (Center). It is part of the chain Bestwestern. 
• Le Mocambo, 49 bis, rue Jules Garnier - Baie des Citrons - BP 678 - 98845 Nouméa Cedex, ☎ 687 262 701, fax: 687 263 877, @[email protected]. Forty rooms in a 4-storey building on the Baie des Citrons. 
• ^{[link not working]}Marina Beach Motel, 4, rue Auguste Page (Next to the hotel Le Mocambo), ☎ 687 287 633. One-room and two-room apartments. It has a sauna and thermal baths. 
• ^{[link not working]}Motel Anse Vata, 19, rue Gabriel Laroque BP 4453 - 98847 Nouméa Cedex, ☎ 687 262 612, 687 741 701. 5 minutes from Anse-Vata beach, this motel offers competitive prices and therefore, if you want to find a place, you will have to book well in advance. 
• Motel Le Bambou, 44, rue E. Spahr Val Plaisance 98800 Nouméa Cedex, ☎ 687 261 290. This hotel is also very well known and is always busy due to its low prices. All rooms have a balcony, private bathroom and often a kitchenette. A studio can also be rented for 1 month. The beach is a 10 minute walk away. 
• ^{[link not working]}Appartel le Lagon, 149, route de l'Anse-Vata BP 440 - 98845 Nouméa Cedex, ☎ 687 261 255, fax: 687 261 244. Single and double rooms 41 studios. On the beach. 
• ^{[link not working]}Lantana Beach, 113, Promenade Roger Laroque Anse-Vata, ☎ 687 262 212. 37 rooms (single, double and triple) On the ground floor there is a very busy disco on weekends with a lot of noise 

High prices

• Kuendu Beach Resort, Avenue James-Cook, Ile Nou, Nouville. BP 404 - 98845 Nouméa Cedex, ☎ 687 243 000, fax: 687 276 033, @[email protected]. 6 km from the center, the Kuendu Beach Resort is located on the beach of the same name at the end of the small peninsula called Ile Nou. Accommodation is in bungalows surrounded by greenery. You can go on pedal boat or kayak trips at no extra cost. The unit has a swimming pool. Possibility of diving even for beginners. 
• Residotel Le Stanley, 33, rue de la Riviéra - Ouémo. BP 1617 - 98845 Nouméa Cedex, ☎ 687 232 323. On the top of a hill overlooking the Baie de Saint Marie. the Residotel consists of 57 studios and suites all with kitchenette and balcony. The swimming pool is on the rocks that border the beach. It is suitable for those who stay for at least a week. 
• ^{[link not working]}Complex Nouvata Parc, 123, Promenade Roger Laroque. BP 137 98845 Nouméa Cedex, ☎ 687 262 200, fax: 687 260 558. 
• Le Meridien, Pointe Magnin BP 1915 - 98846 Nouméa Cedex., ☎ 687 265 000. Very high prices of course but most of the customers have joined an organized trip. Inside there is a casino. 

Safety

How to keep in touch

Internet

You can connect to the network for free through the computers in the Pacific Community General Secretariat library if free, of course.

Around

• Amedeo lighthouse (Phare Amédée). The most classic of the excursions from Nouméa is the one to the Amedeo Lighthouse, prefabricated in France in 1865 and mounted on an islet 18 km from the entrance to the port of Nouméa. Its function was to prevent ships from running aground on nearby coral reefs. With its 56 m. figure among the highest in the world. The agency Mary D Enterprises^{[link not working]} (687 263 131) proposes the excursion to the lighthouse and the surrounding marine park in a 30 m yacht. Other agencies carry out the excursion in glass bottom boats but the cheapest is the one with the "Spanish Dancer" catamaran in the center. Amédée Diving Club^{[link not working]}. Since everyone knows this and places are limited, book or go to the pier in time.

• Yaté (The property is 83 km from Noumea) - A small village on the east coast, Yaté can be reached from Nouméa via the RP3 scenic road which winds its way through green hills. The road allows access to the lake of the same name and the Provincial Park of the Blue River (Parc Provincial de la Rivière Blue). Yaté is suitable for lovers of hiking or off-road excursions. In its surroundings are the Maddalena waterfalls (Chutes de la Madeleine) and those of Wadiana. It is possible to camp on the beach near the mission of Touaourou or on the other three in the peninsula of Kwé Binyi.

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Nouméa
• Commons contains images or other files on Nouméa

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