The village of Poya is situated between the Southern and Northern Provinces. Living largely off agriculture, farming and nickel, the Poya hinterland has magnificent scenery worthy of being explored, in particular on its beautiful walking trails.
At the heart of the village, the Catholic church Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc presents a unique Way of the Cross, with 14 stations represented by liturgical paintings. A huge painting of Christ can also be found here, created, like the paintings of the stations, by a former student of the Paris École des Beaux-Arts.
The 156 petroglyphs of Montfaoué
There are a great many hiking spots in Poya (such as the Gohapin tribe). Especially since the region contains a magic place, the Montfaoué site which has the greatest number of petroglyphs (stone engravings) in New Caledonia. Petroglyphs whose origin and meaning remain unexplained to this day...
Finally, if you leave Poya on the north side, after a succession of little passes you will reach the Népoui junction, whose village is dependent on the Poya commune. It owes its existence to the Népoui-Kopéto mine, in operation since 1969. Reaching a height of 1000 metres, it is the highest operational mine in the country.
From Beaupré to the Contrariété Island...
Visitors who prefer the sea will cross the iron bridge over the Moindah, dating from the American presence during the Second World War. They will then continue their journey on the Beaupré road, crossing farming areas and fish farms along the water’s edge. You can also visit an island with a strange name, the Contrariété Island, which, despite its name, is a real pleasure, rather than the contrary!
- Bourail Tourism Office
- Opening hours: from Monday to Saturday: 9h00 - 12:00 and 13h00 - 17:00
- Telephone: +687 46 46 12
- Email: info@bourailtourisme.nc
- Dumbéa
- Boulouparis
- La Foa
- Farino
- Moindou
- Bourail
- Koné
- Voh
- Kaala-Gomen
- Koumac
- Poum
- Païta
- Pouembout
- Bélep
- Sarraméa
Poya is the only Caledonian municipality which straddles the Southern and Northern Provinces.
Poya North contains the vast majority of its population - 92.5% - and makes up two thirds of the commune’s total area - 569 km2. Poya North is itself a combination of several entities: the village itself, Basse Poya and the village of Népoui, which itself has around 1,200 residents.
On the other side of the administrative ‘border’, Poya South, also called Moindah, has remained almost uninhabited for a long time. However, the population was ‘greatly’ increased between 2004 and 2014, going from 122 to 230 inhabitants!
Discover the must-sees in Poya
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Petroglyphs of Montfaoué
New Caledonia and, in particular, Grand Terre have more than a hundred sites with petroglyphs. The biggest of the sites at Le Caillou (The Stone – the nick...
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