New Caledonia, Australasia and Oceania travel resource.

New Caledonia,Australasia and Oceania.

New Caledonia has all a Francophile could desire: fresh baguettes, plentiful Bordeaux, chic boutiques and occasionally rude service -- all in a gorgeous tropical setting. Though this South Pacific archipelago has been part of France for nearly 150 years, it remains one of the region's best kept secrets.
To experience traditional island life in New Caledonia, you'll have to cross a geographical and cultural divide to reach la Brousse, the local term for the outback. On Grand Terre, the cigar-shaped main island, the mountains and nickel mines in the center divide the largely French-settled region on the south from the less developed land of the north, which is occupied by the island's indigenous people, the Kanaks. The traditional Kanak way of life, known as la coutume, which involves an intricate system of tribal sharing and gift giving, ancestor worship and clan ties, has eroded over the generations, but it is experiencing something of a comeback in the younger generation.
The Kanak clans inhabit the smaller islands to the north, east and south of Grand Terre: the verdant Ile des Pins, the rugged, unspoiled Loyaute Islands and the tiny Belep Islands. Getting to those areas requires only a little more effort, but it's truly rewarding. And the beaches there are among the best in the world, too.