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Gourmet Tour Seeks out the best of New Caledonian Cuisine
A recent gourmet tour to New Caledonia not only highlighted the cuisine of the hotels and restaurants in the capital Noumea, it also took participants off the usual beaten track to see what rural New Caledonia had to offer a travelling foodie.
In conjunction with North Harbour Travel, the tour was also driven by New Caledonia Tourism NZ, with the tour group based at the hotel Le Meridien in Noumea. The hotel has recently launched a series of activities under the name Gourmet Time, whose aim is to encourage hotel guests to seek out local gourmet delights around the city but also see what happens behind the scenes in the hotels many kitchens.
Amongst the activities were a 'Bike & Cook' electric bicycle tour of Noumea, taking participants to such spots as the Noumea daily market and famous local patisseries. Participants then enjoyed a cooking lesson afterwards. The electric bikes proved so popular that the group hired them in their free time to explore the city. A second activity on offer was the Master Apprentice cooking lesson with the hotel's resident head chef, Michael Boussemart. Boussemart heads up the team that nightly, produce gastronomic delights at the signature restaurant, 'L'Hippocampe'.
The tour also saw the group travel outside Noumea to the tiny hamlet of Focola, near La Foa on the mainland's west coast. What took them to Focola was the rural home of Gabriel Levionnois, chef/owner of Au Petit Cafe, a lively market kitchen restaurant and now one of Noumea's most popular dining spots. The aim of the tour was to showcase New Caledonia's local produce, which can often be left aside in favour of imported ingredients.
Levionnois currently sources his ingredients from Noumea's daily market but aims eventually to source his produce from his garden which he has started in Focola. Tour participants dined on a 3-course meal comprising freshly steamed wontons of taro and prawn, also braised local wild pork and croquettes of smoked hapuka and manioc. All ingredients were sourced locally. Tools needed for the cooking such as banana leaves, fresh green peppercorns and tamarind, were harvested by the group with Levionnois' help, from his garden.
New Caledonia Tourism NZ is eager to continue with gourmet tours in 2012.
The participants travelled with Aircalin and were assisted on the ground by Arc En Ciel Voyages.
Crown Institute student awarded scholarship with New Caledonia Tourism
New Caledonia Tourism has presented a talented tourism student with its 2011 scholarship. Samantha Morris, studying Travel and Tourism at the Crown Institute of Studies, was one of many students who applied for the scholarship. Out of the several students interviewed, New Caledonia Tourism was impressed with Samantha's enthusiasm.
"When interviewing students for our scholarship we look for certain qualities such as strong communication skills, a positive attitude and passion for the industry," said Simon Duffy, General Manager of New Caledonia Tourism. "Samantha demonstrated all of these qualities, expressing a desire to pursue a career in the airlines or the retail travel sector. We look forward to having her as part of the NCT team."
With a view to offering an opportunity to a burgeoning travel professional whilst bringing destination New Caledonia to the foreground of the learning environment, General Manager of New Caledonia Tourism in New Zealand Mr Simon Duffy, founded the scholarship program in 2006 in conjunction with the Crown Institute.
"I chose Crown as I felt it was the most professionally run school I had visited; I was also impressed at their graduates' rate of success finding employment post-study," says Mr Duffy. It was a former flatmate of Samantha who mentioned her positive experience at Crown Institute; the same person had gone on to pursue a successful career in the airlines. That was reason enough for Samantha to go on a visit of Crown. "After visiting the school and being shown around, there was no doubt that this was where I wanted to pursue my studies as I had a very positive feeling from the tutors and staff" - Samantha.
Samantha will undertake work experience at the New Caledonia Tourism office until the end of the year and receive $1000 towards her course costs at the completion of her studies.
CALEDONIA SPIRIT - New Booking Site for New Caledonia
Caledonia Spirit has recently launched itself as New Caledonia’s first online reservation website for leisure or business travellers. Air and ferry tickets, accommodation in the outer islands or on the mainland, various activities and rental vehicles are available for secure online reservation and instant purchase. Caledonia Spirit allows you to combine the various products on the site to tailor-make your holiday, according to your desires and budget. To find out more or go to www.caledoniaspirit.com
Travel Industry Professional? You can also book through Caledonia Spirit.
New Caledonia’s lagoon and coral reef were added on 7 July to UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites in official recognition of their extraordinary wealth of biodiversity.
New Caledonia’s marine waters harbour a unique coral ecosystem comprising 23,400 km² of lagoons and around 8,000 km² of reef formations, constituting one of the world’s most diverse and extensive reef systems. The barrier reef encircling the Main Island stretches over a distance of 1,600 km, comparable in extent to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Exceptional Biodiversity
New Caledonia’s marine biodiversity is estimated at over 15,000 species! However, many species making up the underwater fauna are endangered or even threatened with extinction. New Caledonia’s lagoon is home to the third largest population of dugongs in the world and during July and August, the southern lagoon is a favourite breeding ground for hump-backed whales, much to the delight of local whale watchers. Turtles are also regular denizens of the lagoon, which is home to 4 of the 7 species found in the Pacific Region and, importantly, shelters major green turtle nesting grounds. New Caledonia’s lagoon and reefs are also populated by nautiluses, sharks, Napoleon fish, rays and many more marine species.
A stunning wealth of coral formations
The reefs currently comprise around 350 hard coral species, as many as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef! Soft coral species number around 500 and 90 species of gorgonian fan coral have been listed. The reef’s architecture is exceptional, with arches, tunnels, canyons and caves… The corals are equally magnificent, offering a brilliantly coloured feast for the eyes, with the crystal clear water ensuring perfect visibility.
A diver’s paradise
Many sites can be explored within a 20 metre diving depth, making them easily accessible to amateur divers. So take the plunge and dive into the depths of this breathtakingly beautiful lagoon!
