4 Best Sights in New Caledonia

Opened in 2007 at a cost of around $18 million, the Aquarium of the Lagoon is a wonderful place to while away a few hours. You can view sea turtles, sharks, stonefish, and the ubiquitous sea snake, along with 150 other species of underwater creatures. The trophy is the nautilus, an ancient mollusk with a hard, spiral shell. The original aquarium (opened in the 1956 and the forerunner to this new building) was the first in the world to display a nautilus in captivity. Exhibits are arranged with a variety of themes and tanks—freshwater, lagoons, mangroves, coastal, the open sea, and the ocean depths, which is where the nautilus dwells. The fluorescent living corals are a popular display.

You won't find any ducks on Ile Aux Canards (Duck Island), which is just a few hundred meters off the mainland, but you will encounter fantastic coral and a good underwater snorkeling trail. A yellow taxi boat transports day-trippers from Anse Vata Beach (1,200 CFP round-trip) to the island. There's not much to do apart from snorkel or sit on a deck chair under an umbrella and take it easy (there's a fee for chairs and beach umbrellas). A café serves burgers and other lunch items, but it's best to pack your own picnic lunch—buy a few items from a local grocery store. To get there take a local bus from Noumea to the Anse Vata beach and look for the water taxi. Pack reef shoes as the sand is full of broken coral pieces, and avoid going to the island when a cruise ship is in port, or you'll be invaded by day-tripping passengers.

Situated about 107 km (62 miles) south of Noumea, the Isle of Pines is nothing short of gorgeous. Named after the thousands of Araucaria pines growing everywhere, the island has powdery white-sand beaches, azure water, rocky off-shore islets, coral, and fish by the score. It's possible to take a day trip to the main island in the group and swim and snorkel in three of its lovely bays and lunch at another. A day package through Alpha International includes a flight out of Noumea at 8:20 am and a return flight, leaving the island at 4:55 pm. On arrival there's a short drive east to Oro Bay, known as the "natural swimming pool" for its calm turquoise waters and abundance of fish and coral. After plenty of free time, trips head west for lunch at Oumea Bay and then drive south to the delightful beaches of Koto and Kanumera. Typical food served at lunch include bougna (meat and vegetables wrapped in leaves and cooked underground) and big, juicy escargot (snails) endemic to the island. You could also visit the island more cheaply by ferry (10,700 CFP round-trip), on the Betico 2—but it's a 2.5-hour trip each way. In addition to Alpha International, a handful of Noumea travel agents conduct day trips.

Named in honor of charismatic independence leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou, this wonderful building high on a peninsula overlooking the ocean is a must-see. The design, by acclaimed Genoese architect Renzo Piano, is stunning: a row of 10 large, conical pavilions shaped like shells stand on a 250-meter (820-foot) ridge on Point Tinu, about 8 km (5 miles) northeast of Noumea. Each pavilion is a different size and dimension, and each contains either a permanent or temporary exhibition, such as "The Spirit of Oceania" in one, and a selection of Kanak art dating from the 18th to the 20th centuries in another. The center celebrates the culture of the Kanak people, Melanesian natives of New Caledonia, who were the inhabitants of the country when France annexed it in 1853. While the exterior of the building is breathtaking, and the Kanak Trail that links a series of huts and sculptures in the gardens is interesting and informative, some have criticized the interior for its lack of exhibits and inadequate English-language commentary. To reach the center from downtown Noumea, take the number 40 bus.