Tour Code: NCP29

 

Take your time to discover the Grande Terre at your own pace, right to the ends of the earth. The road network is excellent and well signed. Relax in charming hotels and bungalows, nestled in lovely greenery, where comfort rhymes with local culture. Travelling around New Caledonia by car allows you meet the local population in all their diversity, to visit small villages, local Melanesian tribes and to see unspoilt areas visited by a few lucky tourists  – the New Caledonian ‘outback’ awaits you with open arms. Arouse your taste buds! Delight in the flavours of local produce while at the dinner table of homestays or at the great places we suggest for you.



Day 1: Australia - New Caledonia

Fly from Australia to New Caledonia.You’ll arrive at Tontouta International airport and make the 45 minute transfer to your hotel in Nouméa. Once settled in, why not get out into the city and try sampling the food? With around 140 world class restaurants and cafes to choose from, featuring food from every region of France, you’ll be spoilt for choice. 

Night at the Nouvata Hotel (Premium Room with sea view)

 

Day 2: Noumea - Bourail (177 km – 2h30)

Pick up of the rental car at your hotel in Noumea. (Auto - Ford Fiesta (5 seater) - includes unlimited kilometres and basic insurance).

Driving north, you will discover the West Coast, the « Caledonian Far West », with its large livestock farming domains and its hills covered of niaoulis.

Pass by the charming village of La Foa.

After La Foa, cross the village of Moindou, former coal mining center. Stop off at Fort Teremba, a former prison where you will learn the history of colonisation and influences on local populations…

Drive towards Bourail. The meanderings of a quiet river, the Néra, surrounded by shady pastures where the bovines graze, announce the capital of the Caldoche country.

In Bourail, we suggest beach of Poé where you can eat at the seaside campsite. On the way to Poé, we advise you to make a detour to the natural sites of the Roche Percée and the Bonhomme de Bourail, a surprising monolith with a « human face », shaped though time by the waves. The Roche Percée belvedere offers a brethtaking view on the Bourail pass, the Green Island (Île Verte), the Turtles Bay (Baie des Tortues), and other large white-sandy beaches surrounded by magestic Cook pines.

Night at Sheraton Deva Spa & Golf Resort (Traditional Room)

 

Day 3: Bourail

Buffet breakfast at your hotel.

Day at leisure in Bourail. Bourail has boasted an exciting and impressive range of sports and leisure activities. Stand up paddle boarding, surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, a family excursion to Ile Verte and more... just take your pick. Poe Beach is your ideal gateway to the lagoon. A host of attractions await you just a stone’s throw from the Sheraton hotel: a glass bottom boat, the Air Paradise seaplane, evening concerts or a lively round of golf. The hotel is set in the heart of breathtaking Deva Domain, which offers visitors an astonishing 158 kilometres of signposted nature trails, not to mention two great pump tracks in the nearby Bike Park.

Alternatively you can drive to Parc provincial des Grandes Fougères and spend the day there (1 hour drive from Bourail). You can experience nature at the Parc des Grandes Fougères (Great Ferns Park) – entry fee not included. This park is situated in Farino, the least populated and highest settlement in New Caledonia. It offers a diverse range of ecosystems that are crowned by large tree ferns. There are many pathways throughout the park for walking or biking. There are no cafés in the park so you will need to purchase your picnic lunch (not included) before arriving at the park – in Bourail for example.

Night at Sheraton Deva Spa & Golf Resort (Traditional Room)

 

Day 4: Bourail - Hienghene (219 km / 2h40) 

Buffet breakfast at your hotel.

Head to Pouembout for a short hike on Plateau de Tia to enjoy a panoramic view over the area and ocean. Then visit the Cultural Centre of Pomemie (kanak exhibits). Travel across the superb Koné-Tiwaka transversal road that will take you to the East Coast. The road is lined by mountain torrents and numerous vantage points. You will discover the magnificent mountains with their peaks and the tribes niched in the valleys.

You will arrive in Hienghène from the South. As you arrive, the road is lined with Lindéralique rocks – massive cliffs of black limestone that can reach 60m tall – that are characteristic of this area.

Night at Koulnoue Village (Premium Bungalow)

 

Day 5: Hienghene - Poindimie (73 km / 1h00)

Buffet Breakfast at your hotel.

Day at leisure.

We suggest you to head up to the Belvedere – the best spot to embrace the spectacular Hienghène Bay. From this rock projection you can admire the Chicken Rock and Sphinx formations, the contrasting colours of the lagoon and Mount Panié, to the North, which is the highest peak in New Caledonia at 1 628m.

Drive along the coast road with its rivers, valleys and views over the lagoon to reach Poindimié.

Night at the Tiéti Poindimié Hotel (Tropical Bungalow)

 

Day 6: Poindimie

Buffet Breakfast at your hotel.

Day at leisure.

Poindimié is one of the best spots in New Caledonia for diving/snorkelling. Take the day to do a diving baptism or to enjoy the lagoon for a snorkelling excursion with Aqualagoon (advanced bookings recomended).

Night at the Tiéti Poindimié Hotel (Tropical Bungalow)

 

Day 7: Poindimie - Noumea (330km / 4h30)

Buffet Breakfast at your hotel.

Leave the East Coast in the morning and head south in the direction of Nouméa via the Houailou-Bourail traverse road. This very picturesque route goes along the waterfront, takes you through several villages and tribes and over the mouths of majestic rivers before climbing up and over the ‘La Chaîne’ - the mountainous relief that stretches from the north to the south of the Grande Terre – at the Col des Roussettes (Fruit Bat Peak). The road then descends into the grassy plains of the West Coast.

Night at the Nouvata Hotel (Premium Room with sea view)

 

Day 8: New Caledonia - Australia

Return your rental car to Tontouta International Airport for your homeward flight.