The West Coast of the mainland (Grande Terre) shows off a great variety of scenery from its northern tip down to the area surrounding Nouméa. Characterised by both large spaces favouring cattle farming and a lagoon of stunning beauty, the West Coast is also host to a rich cultural heritage.
The North-West of the western coast, up to the Boat Pass, allows you to discover dry and almost moon-like land, as well as the remarkable seabed off the coast of the Poum Reef.
From dry and moon-like beauty of the northern tip to the Caledonian Far West
In addition to the natural beauty of the scenery, where ochres, pinks and oranges are mixed into the usual palette of greens, Poum, just like Koumac, offers an important mining heritage, whose golden tourist nuggets are incontestably the Pilou Mine and the former mining village of Tiébaghi.
Further south, the West Coast belongs to the American Far West. This is the region of stockmen (local cowboys) and great agricultural cultivation. From Koumac to Poya, passing through Kaala-Gomen and Pouembout, the coast offers scenery of wide and long grassy plains, and of savannas covered with paperback trees. The coastline is dominated by mangroves, often little known and yet full of natural sumptuousness.
Heart of Voh, the Lapita potteries, the petroglyphs of Montfaoué: some many world-renowned treasures...
It is at the heart of a mangrove that the world-renowned Heart of Voh is located and whose reputation owes much to the clichés of photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The area around Koné conceals a world-famous archaeological treasure. It is in fact on the site of Foué that the Lapita potteries were discovered, which convey New Caledonia's cultural heritage spanning millennia. A cultural heritage which the petroglyphs of Montfaoué at Poya come to complete...
From Bourail to La Foa there is also heritage to be absorbed, but here it rests upon the traces left by the penitentiary administration. Fort Teremba, at Moindou, is the most evident demonstration of this...
The lenticular reef: a natural wonder at the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage lagoon
A registered UNESCO World Heritage site, the lagoon in the west coast zone is one of the most beautiful in New Caledonia, notably containing the sublime lenticular reef which stretches from Bourail to Moindou. And what can we say about those islands! Each one is as sumptuous as the next, from Green Island near Bourail to Ténia Islet near Boulouparis.
- Dumbéa
- Boulouparis
- La Foa
- Farino
- Moindou
- Bourail
- Koné
- Voh
- Kaala-Gomen
- Koumac
- Poum
- Païta
- Pouembout
- Poya
- Bélep
- Sarraméa
Thanks to its geographical and climatic conditions, the West Coast is perfectly suited to extensive cattle farming. From Kaala-Gomen to Païta, the coast is punctuated by raising stations. Borrowed from Australian vernacular, the terms ‘stockyard’ or ‘stockman’ are now part of the Caledonian linguistic heritage. It was, incidentally, sandalwood trader James Paddon who imported the first herds from Australia in 1854. Today, several tens of thousands of cattle continue to graze the vast stretches of the stations, watched over by stockmen on horseback. Agricultural fairs at Koumac, Bourail, Boulouparis and Païta each year reflect the importance this has in Caledonian culture.
Discover the must sees in the West coast
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Mount Koghi
Less than a half an hour away from Nouméa, two very attractive hiking trails offer panoramic views across the primal forest of New Caledonia.
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Fayard Park
Less than half an hour away from downtown Nouméa, within the Dumbéa district boundaries, Fayard Park lies on the banks of the river by the same name. This is a favourite haunt of Greater Nouméa r...
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Ténia Islet
Ténia Islet long ago lost its characteristic shape that merited a somewhat unflattering name. Although the currents and tides have redesigned the landscape over the years, the islet has remained ...
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Caledonian aviation
The history of Caledonian aviation has two important dates, when pioneers prepared the land for the first air links between Le Caillou and it neighbours, both near and far... One of these dates c...
Read moreThe Greater Nouméa
As for Païta and Dumbéa, the two communes of the Greater Nouméa have not abandoned their bushman identity, despite significant urban development in recent years. They are a true paradise for hikers in particular. Mont Humboldt for the seasoned hiker, but also the more accessible walking trails: Monts Koghis, Pic Malaoui or Mont Mou to name but three...
