Noumea, Pacific Island - A cruiser's guide

We're sailing past all these beautiful islands in the middle of the Pacific. It's like a fjords cruise but at 40 degrees centigrade. We've just passed through one narrow passage and I'm sure we'll go through more in the 30 odd miles we've got to go before we burn. These islands are historically made from volcanoes and they're definitely stealing the show today as we pass so close by them. The port is actually a container dock and you can't walk in and out of it. So you get the shuttle bus to here, the cruise terminal, and there's lots of things that you can rent. I've got bicycles, I've got some electric books, I've got some small buggies and some scooters and they are available for hire. If you're interested we have plenty of things here, for example a train tour to discover the whole city. A lot of people are going to go straight to Johnson's supermarket which is just across the road from the terminal to get the water and other little bits for their cabin. Two blocks up from the cruise terminal you'll find the park with the bandstand and that will help orientate you with your map. According to the map the park surrounded by the Latin Quarter and the Asian Quarter is beyond the bandstand. We've left the park on the right and the Latin Quarter is on our left and behind us is the cathedral. And this area was originally the old courthouse but after 1960 it was turned into a shopping centre and now it's known as Le Village. The clock was built in the French Jura and inaugurated here in 1912. The organ was made by the firm Cavalier Gold at Paris and was inaugurated on the 28th of April in 1909. St Joseph's Church was built by convict labour to accommodate the growing number of Catholics. And right beside the cathedral is a great statue of Joan of Arc. If you're less mobile you might want to take the guided train tour around the city or the hop-on hop-off bus which will take you down the coastline past the aquarium to the beaches. They both miss out the cathedral. If you've walked up the hill you may as well walk across around the coastline if you're more adventurous and back to the cruise terminal. And this will be about 10 miles so you'll have earned your tea. The Latin Quarter is 8 minutes walk that way. We found a lovely bar in the Latin Quarter. It looked like the band area was bigger than the place we're sitting but they don't take dollars so we couldn't have a beer. Don't expect too much from the Latin Quarter or you'll be disappointed. Across the road from the Museum of New Caledonia is a charming park with totem poles and carvings. The walk from the cruise terminal to get to Lemon Bay takes about 45 minutes. It's a very pleasant walk. It was raining today but it's still worth it. Do enjoy all our films on Cruise Doris Visits and please share.