The Island of New Caledonia and the nearby Society Islands have been an overseas territory of France since 1853. It lies to the south east of Papua New Guinea and to the west of Vanuatu. The Island of New Caledonia itself, lies inside the largest coral lagoon in the world. The largest island in the group is known as Grand Terre and the capital of New Caledonia is Noumea. The three islands that make up the Loyalty Islands group are Ouvea, Lifou and Mare. The islands of New Caledonia are in a period of change where the inhabitants will be given a vote between 2014 and 2018 as to whether they wish to become an independent nation in their own right or remain a French territory. The indigenous people here are known as the Kanaks and they are of Melanesian origin. They represent 44% of the population.

New Caledonia is a popular tourist destination . The islands lie across the Tropic of Capricorn and have a warm wet season between December and March, with the occasional cyclone, and a cooler dry season for the balance of the year. Some parts of the island lie in a rain shadow and vegetation varies from tropical in some parts to almost arid in others. The island is rich in minerals and mining plays a large part in the economy. The island has ¼ of the worlds nickel resources and nickel mining contributes strongly to the islands economy. Poor mining practices in the past, including open cut mining has significantly contributed to the destruction of some of the islands eco systems.

Tourism plays a major role in the country’s economy with tourist coming from Japan, France, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The most popular places visited are Noumea and the beautiful Isle of Pines in the country’s south. The Society Islands are magnificent, with coral reefs and lagoons of spectacular beauty. Noumea is a microcosm of France set in an island location. The shops, restaurants and cafes have that unmistakeable French ambience and French is the official language. With the Franc and the official currency, you could be forgiven for thinking you had actually woken up after a dream and found yourself in a French seaside town. French colonial architecture is common and the local food have a distinctly French flavour. The Isle of Pines is quite famous for its magnificent scenery with a beautiful island covered with slender pine trees running down to a coral beach and beautiful lagoon. It is truly an idyllic setting for a relaxing holiday. The Isle of Pines is on the cruising itinerary’s of many Pacific Cruise liners. New Caledonia is also an easy destination to get to with regular flights to Noumea from Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific destinations.

If you would like to experience a slice of France in the Pacific, and only threes hours flying time from Australia, then come to New Caledonia for your next holiday.