Another French speaking island - New Caledonia!!

Ahh..New Caledonia..very much sticking to the theme of Island hotspot destinations and continuing with the French-speaking islands, we end up in New Caledonia. It is located in the subregion of Melanesia in the South-west Pacific. It includes a main island called Grade Terre and several smaller islands called 'the Loyalty Islands. About two years ago, New Caledonia's population was estimated to be 249000.


So, the main part of this blog post is what you're going to be able to do in New Caledonia, well first off, the places you HAVE to visit:

- Noumea: The Place des Cocotiers which is a garden square at the centre of the city, taste local fruits and vegetables at the market beside the Bay de la Moselle and even take in some of the culture at the Territorial Museum, which houses some of the most important and unique Melanesian architecture and antiques.

- The Loyalty Islands: Maré, Lifou and Ouvéa are a 40 minute flight from Nouméa, and there are several flights each day on Air Calédonie. These islands offer a better cultural experience than almost anything.


Finally, the most important part of travel (according to me atleast) is the food! New Caledonia does not disappoint with the highly French inspired Island menu of delights served up at Restaurant Ouen Toro l'Escapade Island Resort.


Hope you guys check out the links below which will give you much more information than I ever could about travel in New Caledonia and head over there, its not that expensive!


Cheers,
Nish


References:
http://www.newcaledonia.com.au/home
http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/infopays/photos/NCL/Mare.jpg
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/images/eol/2003/noumea.jpg