Living in Western Australia, I am spoilt when it comes to magnificent beaches and inviting blue sea. We have some of the whitest sand in the world on our doorstep, as well as some of the clearest water running almost the entire length of our coast. That doesn’t mean, however, that I don’t look enviously at pictures of places like the Pacific islands and imagine that I was there relaxing in their ocean waves. One of the Melanesian nations in particular caught my eye and inspired my desire to travel – New Caledonia.
For much of the world, the South Pacific is almost impossibly far-flung, and it can take a prohibitive amount of time and money to get to. Luckily for us in Australia, they are among our closest neighbours. The French speaking New Caledonia is a manageable three-hour flight from Sydney and it actually took me longer to get over to Sydney from Perth, than it did to get from there to Noumea – the capital of New Caledonia.
It was mid-September when we went, meaning that we were there in the cooler and drier part of the year. As we would be spending much of our time outside on beaches and boats, this was a good thing. We arrived in the evening and were met at the airport by our shuttle bus driver. I would recommend pre-booking airport transfers as the distance between La Tontouta International Airport and Noumea is approximately 52 km. He took us the short distance through the city and around the bay of Sainte-Marie to our hotel for the night – Le Meridien Noumea Resort and Spa.
Noumea is built on a wiggly peninsula and Le Meridien sits right at the very end. This is where the best beaches in the city are and, thanks to the hill which separates it from the rest of Noumea, it feels tranquil and detached, despite being a stone’s throw from the rest of the city. The next day, after breakfast, we took in our surroundings with a walk on the beach. It was pretty special – white sands, blue sea and swaying palm trees – but we were headed to somewhere even better.
Just off Noumea is a string of small islands. Many are uninhabited – some are barely more than strips of sand – but all are about as close to the stereotypical tropical paradise as it is possible to get. You can visit them from Noumea, but if you want to maroon yourself in this Eden and forget the rest of the world exists, then you have to stay a few days on Îlot Maître.
Note: Îlot is a French word for small island
It didn’t take long to drive to Port Moselle, jump on a boat and cruise over to the island. We were settled into our bungalow by just after midday. The island is roughly rectangular and is just 700 metres long (170 metres across at its widest point). Every inch of shoreline is carpeted with white sand, and every other inch – hotel buildings aside – is covered in tropical scrub. The hotel designers have taken a spectacular natural setting and done everything they can to enhance it. Most of the bungalows are tastefully hidden away between the trees, with the more expensive ones built onto a pier allowing guests to sleep directly above the crystal water.
It is the perfect place to do nothing but admire the beauty that surrounds you. We spent that afternoon and the next day relaxing and exploring. It doesn’t take long to wander the length of an island this size, but once you have walked the beaches you can stroll out into the shallow transparent water and gaze down at the sand beneath. Canoes are available to guests as well, so we spent some time taking a look at the island’s reef.
We were fortunate enough to have three days on Îlot Maître, so we spent the third day visiting some of the other islands. The Blue Lagoon taxi boat company runs a number of trips and we booked a boat and a guide to take us out. Our guide, Johan was kind enough to pick us up from Îlot Maître and showed us around, beginning with Îlot Goéland – a white speck surrounded by the deepest blue. Mostly sand, the island has a patch of grass and three trees. It’s lack of features doesn’t stop it being spectacular though, it is a humbling experience to be alone in such a beautiful and empty place.
Our last stop was Aimedee – another tiny picture-perfect island. Here we could snorkel and we spent some time paddling around the pristine water. Johan left us there for a few hours, so we had more than enough time to take everything in. The main attraction – and the island’s only structure – is the lighthouse, built to guide ships through a gap in the reef and into Noumea. It is the highest point for miles with sweeping views. Unfortunately for us, you can only climb it if you visit as part of a tour group. We had to satisfy ourselves with admiring it from below.
When Johan returned, we made our way back to Îlot Maître, and from there we caught the ferry back to Noumea. As the boat sped back across the darkening water, behind us a magnificent sunset developed. The blues which had accompanied us at every turn, transformed into oranges, reds and yellows as the sun dropped below the horizon.
Prints from my trip to New Caledonian adventure are available to purchase. Get in touch if you want to own a piece of the South Pacific.
