This was essentially another rest up and reprovisioning stop for us, we only planned to stay one night but that stretched out to three. Here comes that time zone thing again, we arrived 1430 on Friday 6th December (ship’s time) but it was actually Saturday morning Noumea time. Since immigration staff did not work on weekends we would have to wait until Monday morning to clear in and clear out (yip, clear in then walk to another part of the same office and clear out).
On our approach to Noumea we noticed a significant change in topography and urban development, with far less tropical vegetation and trees. Residential housing, multi-story buildings and industrial development lined the coastline. There was a myriad of small power craft and what appeared to be ferries traversing from Noumea to a small island situated just off the headland. As we passed there appeared to be a resort of some description located there. Several small fishing boats, kite surfers, windsurfers and kayakers were all making the most of the sunny day and calm sea conditions. The marina of Port Moselle sits within a horseshoe bay, and as we entered the bay we immediately noticed a fair number of anchored and moored monohulls and catamarans, as well as a humongous cruise liner on the other side of the port.
General Information
Wifi: Wifi was not available at the marina, so we took a short walk to McDonald’s for coffee and an hour’s free wifi.
Transport options: These are limited to bus, taxi, Uber and car hire. We walked everywhere so we can’t provide any information about costs or services. There is also a Hop On Hop Off bus but this appeared to only operate when cruise ships were in port.
Shopping: The Port Moselle marina is right next door to a large local market. We were there Saturday through to Monday (local time) and the markets operated Saturday and Sunday for most of the day, on Monday a handful of stalls were open and only for a short time. The market when fully operational sells a variety of fruit and vegetables, breads and pastries, meats, fresh fish, local handicraft, clothing and jewellery. The market was great for reprovisioning particularly fruit and vegetables, and the quality was great. It’s worth noting that the market is really, really crowded when a cruise ship is in port.
A supermarket is located within walking distance of the marina. It is a Carrefour Supermarket operating under the name of Johnston. (We think this might be due to Carrefour’s links to France and recent attempts by New Caledonia to become a fully independent country). Just an aside we flew both the French and New Caledonian courtesy flags whilst in port. Back to the supermarket, turn left as you leave the marina walk passed the market keeping to the pathway which hugs the bay. You will come to the cruise liner section of the port, and the supermarket is located just on the opposite side of the road.
Looking for more shops? Then head to the centre of town. Again, within walking distance of the marina you will find heaps of shops of all sizes, selling everything you could possibly want, with differing levels of quality and price brackets. Chinatown with its own range of shops and restaurants is located here as well.
Restaurants: A privately run bar/restaurant is located within the marina precinct, McDonalds is a short walk away and directly opposite the marina, other eateries are located in the city centre. We checked out the bar/restaurant at the marina, food was okay but we have had better. We grabbed a coffee at McDonald’s each day and made use of the 1 hour free wifi that came with the coffee.
ATM: you’ll find these in the city centre and also near Johnston’s supermarket where a couple of banks are located.
Chandlery: there isn’t one located at the marina, and we had no need to locate one so we can’t provide any comment here.
During our time here we berthed at Port Moselle Marina, for our review please check out http://seagoddessadventures.com/port-moselle-marina-noumea/ .
In our view Noumea is another city grappling with modernisation in every sense of the word. The city revolves around tourism with two cruise ships arriving and departing back to back in the short time we were there. We are definitely planning a return trip to New Caledonia though we intend to focus our time in the islands surrounding Noumea.