Latest News & Events
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.
International Marathon of New Caledonia
The International Marathon of New Caledonia is held annually in August. It was created in 1983 in collaboration with the city of Tachikawa, a suburb of Tokyo in Japan. This major event on the New Caledonia sporting calendar, it attracts every year a group of loyal runners and plays host to more and more international competitors, from Asia, Africa, Europe and neighbouring Pacific Islands.
The marathon course is a circuit, its highlight the stretch where the race skirts the ocean, bringing all the competitors together as they run along the beautiful bays of Noumea. Locals get right behind the event, offering runners encouragement by cheering them on, playing music and dancing. The race this year will be held on Sunday August 22nd. There is also a half-marathon event held on the same day.
Click HERE to view the full press release.
2010 Melanesian Arts Festival
For the first time in its history, New Caledonia will host the Melanesian Arts Festival this September, celebrating the traditional and contemporary arts from all the countries of the region. Ten years after holding the 8th Festival of the Pacific Arts and on the eve of the 2011 Pacific Games, hosting the Melanesian Arts Festival promises to be a cultural, technical and economical challenge for the entire country and its people.
Every festival, since the very first event was held, has always been organized around a particular theme that expresses the spirit in which the host country wishes to greet its visitors. For this fourth edition, the theme will be Melanesia in the 21st Century: Our identity is ahead of us
Click HERE to view the full press release.
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!
