New Caledonia Event Planning | New Caledonia Tourism NZ

Nouméa and the Southern Province

As a conference destination, Nouméa offers you the very best of so many different worlds. With options that just aren’t available anywhere else in the South Pacific.

The city is like the heart and soul of France in the South Pacific – a bustling cosmopolitan place on a large peninsula surrounded by the azure lagoon. And a melting pot of tastes and experiences.

It’s an ideal place to hold a conference as everything is so close, providing ease of access to the wide variety of venues. The international airport is just 40 minutes to the north, the domestic airport is just 15 minutes from the centre of town, and the main cruise and wharf area is right at the bottom of town. The main hotels are all around the beautiful Anse Vata beach and are just a 15 minute bus or taxi ride to the central city – or a wonderful 45 minutes walk around the waterfront.
Isle of Pines

Known as ‘the Jewel of the Pacific’, the Isle of Pines is one of the most spectacular islands in the Pacific. Fringed with white sands, turquoise lagoons and its signature Araucaria soaring pine trees, it is an evocative and exotic landscape of ancient botany and raw beauty.

Just fifty kilometres off the southern tip of the main island, the Isle of Pines can be accessed either by fast ferry or by a short domestic flight from the Magenta airport in Nouméa.

The natural pool of Baie d’Oro (Oro Bay) is unquestionably the best illustration of this beauty. But in contrast to this, you can wander through the more than a century old brick convict jails at the southern end of the island, marveling at just what it would have been like to serve time here!

Either way, the Isle of Pines really is a place that sums up the archetypal south sea paradise.
The Northern Province

Against a backdrop of mountains, rainforests, rivers, savannah and beaches live some of the most traditional communities in New Caledonia. This is the Northern Province, where the customs of ancient times are still practiced by many of the Kanak people and where it’s still possible to stay in a traditional village and receive a warm tribal welcome.

The West Coast is a region of wide open spaces, mountains and savannah, sprinkled with paperbark trees. Whereas the East Coast is much more tropical with lush vegetation, turquoise lagoons, wide rivers, spectacular waterfalls and coconut groves.

The North is a land of natural wonders, from the remarkable Chicken Rock in the sea at Hienghene to the uncanny shape of the Heart of Voh, a natural expanse of mangroves in a giant symbol of love. On the East Coast at Poindimié is the Hotel Tieti (3 Star), which offers a wonderful out of the way conference venue with all the facilities you require.
The Loyalty Islands

The four raised coral islands, Mare, Tiga, Lifou and Ouvea, lie about 100 km to the east of the mainland. They are all relatively flat and have a combined population of about 21,000 people. The local people are relaxed and friendly – who wouldn’t be, having some of the best beaches in the entire South Seas! Flights to the Loyalty Islands leave daily from the domestic airport in Nouméa.

Lifou, the largest, is a raised atoll with soaring cliffs and fine sand beaches marking the contours of the island. The main town and administrative center is We, situated on a dream beach on the eastern coast.

Mare is an island of real contrasts, with high cliffs, basalt rocks, dark forests, small coves with caves and powdery white sand beaches lining the clear waters of the lagoon.

Ouvea at only 132 sq km, is the smallest of the main three. The lagoon, protected by a barrier reef and a chain of islets, consists of nearly 25 km of breathtaking sand beaches along a turquoise sea. As a pre and post conference option, why not try the resort of Paradis d’Ouvea on the western side.