Just as metropolitan France has its famous GR® (Grande Randonnée: long-distance hiking) trails, New Caledonia has also blossomed with such hiking trails over the past few years, and they now have well-established reputations!
Divided into seven main stages, Long-Distance Hiking Trail NC1 crosses the south of Grande Terre, from the old village of Prony to the Dumbéa river, going via the pinnacles and peaks of the central chain. It took the energies of some hikers associations, the drive of several passionately-motivated individuals and the commitment of the South Province authorities to lay out this now perfectly signposted and developed trail.
The trail
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![Red earths of GR NC1, New Caledonia]()
Red earths
If you take it in this direction (from Prony to Dumbéa), you first cross horizons of red earths, sometimes somber, sometimes bright, before descending into the clammy sultriness of the great primary forest.
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![GR NC1 in Yaté, New Caledonia]()
Advice to picture collectors
After several hours of walking, you’ll be happy to sink into the fresh and clear water of one of the rivers that you’ll cross during your hike.
At the summit of the Pine Peak, on the slopes of Mounts Pouédihi or Gwé Daru, you will finally allow your imagination to wander, carried away by the rustling of the blow of the trade winds. Maybe you’ll carry in your mind the beautiful words of the great traveler and Scottish writer, Robert Louis Stevenson: “He who travels is unable to say whether he feels more pleasure in taking up his rucksack, or in laying it down again…”
