"Do It Cheap in New Caledonia" New Caledonia by naturalmystic82

New Caledonia Travel Guide: 420 reviews and 639 photos

The Terrace on Place de Cocotiers - New Caledonia

accommodation

Noumea and New Caledonia are renowned for being expensive, but fear not! it can be done cheaply

accommodation - the cheapest accommodation in noumea is at the backpackers or Auberge de Jeunesse - the backpackers is cool
because it has a good view over the city and a very communal atmosphere, and the cheapest hotel in noumea. the cons are it is still a bit expensive - about 25 AUD and it is up a bit of a hill - not so fun if you can afford to get drunk - there is no shuttle but, no bother, because it is very close to the centre of town. Other alternatives to the auberge are either camping - but for this you will need to travel a bit away from the city - or motels though even the cheapest motels are around 60 AUD.

Food - Nightlife

Tjibaou Centre - Museum For Kanaki Culture

their is quite a range for this in Noumea, But i will detail it on the cheapest level. To start off with, if you are changing money in Noumea
the american express office, off place de cocotiers is good with low commission, to eat and drink. - Noumea has all Kinds of very good food try the Bougna if you can - it is a traditional kanaki (natives of melanesia) style of cooking and involves cooking meat (either fish or chicken but sometimes fruitbat) with local vegetables like taro and sweet potato in an underground oven and covered with hot rocks - really good. NC also has very good seafood and french style foods, but if you wanna do it very cheap their is a good supermarket at the foot of the stairs to the backpackers which sells beer for 1 AUD a can (its about 7-8 AUD a glass in any bar or pub) and cheap noodles, this combined with a very good boulangerie or bakery just further down the road means you can live on a very cheap (though meatless!) budget actually the bread is very good everywhere, and usually quite cheap - any kind of meat is expensive. Lonely Planet reccomends the main marche or market at the docks for cheap food, but i found it not really the best. Nightlife - actually the nightlife is often best at the backpackers, but their are some very expensive night clubs - one at cocotiers and a few at anse vata - the main tourist area. but also in my experience the place for the best cheap resteraunts, and some good pubs - their is a big pub at cocotiers but it really is very expensive. also in noumea if you stay for a while their are a number of kava bars, kava is pretty famous all over the pacific as a natural depressant, with some interesting varied effects. the kava bars in noumea are a little hard to find, but very highly recommended. better to go with a local if you are lucky.

Personal recommendations

Go to the loyalty islands -these can be reached by an inter island ferry called the Betico - all of these are scenically much more beautiful than Noumea, with unbelievable beaches, good diving and surfing and can be cheaper in a way than, Noumea or Le Grande Terre

Last visit to New Caledonia: Feb 2003
Intro Updated Jul 10, 2004
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Reviews (4)

The North Coast Off The Beaten Path (1)

If you have time in NC I would definately reccommend visiting the northern part of the island. The southern part of La... more travel advice

Speak a few words of French - New Caledonia

Speak a few words of French Local Customs (1)

I know this is a good tip for every country , but especially in the outer islands just being able to speak the basics is... more travel advice

plage de kuto -tres beau! - New Caledonia

Kuto Beach Things to Do (1)

Amazing white sand beach, if you are lucky you will be there when the cruise ship isn't more travel advice

The Sun.. Warnings Or Dangers (1)

This tip applies really for all the south-pacific, but to europeans beware - the sun here is really very strong - much... more travel advice

Comments (9)

bijo69 Jul 14, 2005 at 8:14 AM Report Abuse

Good to know that you don't have to be a millionaire to visit NC
el.mOe Feb 27, 2005 at 9:40 AM Report Abuse

good info and nice pictures. thanks a lot and cu in nc
JLBG Jul 15, 2004 at 2:59 PM Report Abuse

I hope to visit New Caledonia and meet its inhabitants. That might well be my next trip outside Europe/Africa !
Geisha_Girl Jan 12, 2004 at 12:27 PM Report Abuse

Really cool and helpful advice here!! If we're looking for a pristine, deserted beach where we can get "stranded" for awhile, it sounds like the Loyalty Islands have 'em! ;-) Great page!
XenoHumph Nov 14, 2003 at 11:29 AM Report Abuse

Cool place to go! Nice beach! Nice tips!
littlesam1 Aug 10, 2003 at 7:09 PM Report Abuse

That has to be one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.
richiecdisc Jul 3, 2003 at 4:46 AM Report Abuse

The beach looks beautiful but that's some bloody expensive beer you're talking about there! lol
AyurinHiro Jun 26, 2003 at 4:28 AM Report Abuse

Hi! Beautiful photos of New Caledonia beaches! Thank you
tini58de Jun 24, 2003 at 11:21 PM Report Abuse

Fascinating place, indeed! Great start - I am hoping to see and read more in the future!!