新喀里多尼亞玩樂指南

Grande Terre, the main island, is long and narrow, a mountain spine with red earth, nickel mines and dry grassy plains on the west and wetter, forested slopes on the east. Nouméa, the capital, sits on a peninsula in the south-west, with the beaches of Anse Vata and Baie des Citrons, French bakeries and the Tjibaou Cultural Centre, a showcase of Kanak art and architecture.

A UNESCO-listed barrier reef encloses a vast lagoon around the island. Off the south coast, the Isle of Pines has white sand and tall araucaria pines. The Loyalty Islands, including Ouvéa and Lifou, hold beaches and limestone cliffs. On Grande Terre, the Blue River park shelters forest and the rare kagu bird, and Hienghène on the north-east coast has rock formations rising from the sea.

Bougna, yam, sweet potato and chicken or fish cooked in banana leaves with coconut milk in an earth oven, is the traditional feast, and French bread, cheese and wine are everywhere. Seafood includes prawns and lobster. The cooler, drier months from May to October are the pleasantest, and cyclones can arrive between December and March.