Cultural sightseeing in New Caledonia. What to visit - museums, temples, castles and palaces

Nature is the major landmark of New Caledonia. Beaches with golden sand, relict plants, lagoons with turquoise water, coral reefs, waterfalls, and caves – all these naturally formed landmarks are a real treasure that amazes even experienced tourists. Get acquainted with the nature of New Caledonia because this country has much to see and to explore. For example, there are no blood-sucking mosquitos and flies, but there is a unique Kagu bird that cannot fly and sings similar to dog barking. There are roughly 2.5 thousand unique plant species on the islands. They are called endemics and this means they do not grow anywhere else except New Caledonia. It is safe to say that New Caledonia is a large naturally formed botanical garden.

Noumea is the capital of New Caledonia. It is not a big city by international standards as its population is roughly 100,000 people. However, the city has big and well-developed suburbs. Together the capital and suburbs account for 2/3 of the total population that currently exceeds 270,000 people. The European influence is clearly visible in the culture of New Caledonia. This applies even to the most remote and traditional Kanak villages. The look of local buildings hasn’t changed through the centuries, but local lifestyle is not much different from the European one. The capital area offers its visitors to get acquainted with the cultural heritage of the islands and other regions of Oceania.

Noumea is the cultural center of the country. There are many thematic museums, a cathedral, and a large cultural center. The New Caledonia Museum displays an interesting collection of Kakan and Oceanian art. The City Museum is one of the oldest museums in Noumea that is open in the building of the first bank in the country, a building of the 19th century. For tourists, it is also interesting to visit the Second World War Museum and the Maritime Museum of New Caledonia that exhibits precious artifacts found in sunken ships. In Lagoon (the city’s neighborhood), there is a giant aquarium made of 33 giant water reservoirs. The aquarium has become home to numerous marine creatures that live in coastal waters of New Caledonia. By the way, tourists are welcome to participate in bus excursions that quickly take them to all major landmarks of the capital. Named “Noumea Tour Guide”, this excursion lasts only one hour. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The valley in the Amieu Pass region is the location of numerous vineyards and wineries. Some hotels in the capital offer excursions to this wine region of New Caledonia. Guides tell about the history of wineries and peculiarities of winemaking. Of course, it is impossible to imagine such wine tours without wine sampling. An interesting fact – grape-vine was brought to New Caledonia from France, so the island produces the same varieties of the popular drink. However, the active tropical sun makes the grape’s taste more intensive, so the same wine produced in New Caledonia is sweeter than French.

In the town of Paita, tourists can visit a museum with the same name. Its exhibition reflects the history of Paita and New Caledonia in general. Visitors can learn more about the discovery of the islands by Europeans and French colonization. The exhibition tells about the most important events in the history of the islands in chronological order – the arrival of Scottish explorer James Cook in 1774, British and French missionary missions, gold mining, New Caledonia as a prison for French convicts – from the discovery until the present time. There are many authentic artifacts – not just stories about the past, but real navigation maps of first explorers with routes from the continent to the islands, building plans, nickel mining documents, and more. There are also many genuine items from the past: work tools, weapons, household items, and clothing.

Fort Teremba is located at a distance of approximately 124 kilometers from Noumea. This is a military fort built in 1878. Besides protective purposes, Fort Teremba was used as a prison. With time, the building lost its initial purpose and became a museum and a historic landmark in 1989. If peaceful themes are more appealing for you, it will be very interesting to visit the deer farm not far from the capital. The farm breeds big livestock of these animals. Rusa Farm delivers fresh deer meat to numerous buyers in New Caledonia. All restaurants in the capital have deer meat on their menus. Initially, there were no mammals on the islands except for bats, so the presence of deer is unique. The animals were imported to New Caledonia not many years ago, but deer spread quickly. Needless to say, the farm has become one of the landmarks of the islands, so many tourists enjoy taking tours to Rusa every year.

The traditional house of the indigenous people, the Kanaks, is a round-shaped building with a very tall roof. Tourists can see a large Kanak village that is built in the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in the suburb of Noumea. Visitors will see traditional household items, ceramics, wooden sculptures in the national style, and genuine artworks. The architecture of the Tjibaou Cultural Centre also deserves the attention of guests. The round-shaped complex is reminiscent of the traditional houses, but there is no high roof. It looks like the roof of the complex dissolves in the air. The building can survive even in a hurricane.