Noumea Explorer Bus & Tour Ideas

[LuckiePuris]

Originally Posted by bazzaw

We took the Auckland equivalent of this bus - and found that 1. we could not see everything. 2 it took some planning to decide which stops to get off at, because getting off at a stop meant an hour there before the next bus came along. 9 stops x 1hour each = longer than we have there!!

I "have heard" of the places at the stops - not that keen on going to Museums/Aquariums (been there - done that) - so would people care to comment on what stops they would recommend (and why?) . We like scenery and basically just getting to understand places - not necessarily in great detail - but to come away, after an enjoyable day, with an "overview".

Thanks for any advice on the following

1. Le Meridien Hotel
2. Palm Beach - Anse Vata
3. Rock on the Sail
4. Lemon Bay Complex
5. Moselle Bay - Museum of New Caledonia - Market
6. Town Museum - Town Center Coconut Square
7. Maritime Museum - Handicraft Market
8. Zoo & Botanical Garden
9. Tjibaou Cultural Centre


Barry

Hi Barry, I haven't been to all of the attractions but will answer on the ones I have been to. While you may not have time to do all of the above attractions, if you look at the price of purchasing the Noumea Explorer bus & admissions package, it is still very good value even if you only use it for a few attractions.

Lemon Bay - this stop had a nice strip of restaurants with a beach view, although we did not eat at any. I heard they were a bit expensive, but if you're a foodie, this might be somewhere you want to stop for lunch. Lemon Bay beach would be a nice spot if you want to go for a swim or walk along the beach. This is also the stop for the Aquarium, when we were there in 2008. Once you get off the bus at Lemon Bay, it is only a short walk. We really enjoyed the aquarium and the exhibits, and was nice to be in an airconditioned venue for a while.

Lemon Bay beach (photos from a Google online seach)




Town Center Coconut Square - here we walked around, through the parks in the centre, and looked at some shops. Generally Noumea is more expensive than Vila, although we did find some reasonably priced souveneirs in the stores.

Tjibaou Cultural Centre - When we went, it was a Monday and was closed. There were no guided tours available but we were able to still go through and do our own tour and sightseeing. I would suggest to confirm this with them in advance. It was designed by Renzo Piano, who also designed Pacific Dawn. Fantastic photo opportunities and if you do a tour, I'm sure it will offer a good insight into the Kanak culture.

[The_Big_M]

Originally Posted by bazzaw

We took the Auckland equivalent of this bus - and found that 1. we could not see everything. 2 it took some planning to decide which stops to get off at, because getting off at a stop meant an hour there before the next bus came along. 9 stops x 1hour each = longer than we have there!!

I "have heard" of the places at the stops - not that keen on going to Museums/Aquariums (been there - done that) - so would people care to comment on what stops they would recommend (and why?) . We like scenery and basically just getting to understand places - not necessarily in great detail - but to come away, after an enjoyable day, with an "overview".

Thanks for any advice on the following

1. Le Meridien Hotel
2. Palm Beach - Anse Vata
3. Rock on the Sail
4. Lemon Bay Complex
5. Moselle Bay - Museum of New Caledonia - Market
6. Town Museum - Town Center Coconut Square
7. Maritime Museum - Handicraft Market
8. Zoo & Botanical Garden
9. Tjibaou Cultural Centre


Barry

Some of the places aren't major stops anyway, e.g. the hotel is just a hotel (near another sculpture/lookout point but wouldn't recommend getting off there with limited time. Some are also not so far from each other, so you could walk between two as we did, which serves a dual purpose.

It depends on personal interest though - some on the tour wanted the beach scene so used it just to go to Citron Bay; for us I liked the cultural centre, which had some nice scenery, the architecture and is a dedicated cultural centre so had many locals doing research there, then we went on to look around the bay and shops. I suggest you plan around which places you'd prefer, then use it as a convenient way to get around.

BTW, on our visit they were running more frequently than every hour; it's somewhat demand based.

[CPlum]

Hi all,
Just wondering if anyone used the Noumea Explorer recently?
Seems like such a good thing, and so much cheaper than the P & O run tours. Just a couple of questions:
1. Would like to see the aquarium, is it very big, and how long does it take to see it all?
2. Is Lemon Bay or Anse Vata better for snorkelling?
3. What is Rock on the Sail?
Thanks in advance guys

[bazzaw]

We used the Noumea Explorer bus about 6 months ago. We used it primarily to get to the Tjibaou Centre, as it is a fair way from the city and we don't like using taxis. This was basically the only stop we used it for - and we spent over 3 hours at the centre. We enjoyed the Tjibaou centre - and spent a fair amount of time walking through the gardens outside the centre. Most people probably wouldn't spend that amount of time there - but it was a very relaxing place for us.

The bus tour also allowed us to have a general look at the area surrounding Noumea. We went around the circuit twice - just watching the passing scenery. It is not very expensive - and even if you only wanted to see a couple of places specifically ( the zoo is also a fair way from town) and would like a general overall view of the place, it is "OK"

Barry

[happyaussies]

reading with interest the Noumea explorer.........any updates RE: ticket purchase at the cruise terminal. does the bus leave from there also? If not is it a long walk to a stop?

We are heading there in nov

cheers B&B

[diy dave]

Originally Posted by happyaussies

reading with interest the Noumea explorer.........any updates RE: ticket purchase at the cruise terminal. does the bus leave from there also? If not is it a long walk to a stop?

We are heading there in nov

cheers B&B

We were there in may last year and presuming rhapsody will tie up at the container wharf, which is within eyesight of the tourist terminal, you will get a free bus from the ship (because your not allowed to walk) inside the building are all the tour operators (no pun intended) the hop on hop off bus leaves from there, a full sized bus, and they take oz money, from memory $10 each.

[diy dave]

Then again it might have been$20 each

[LuckiePuris]

I was in Noumea in January and there was also another hop on hop off bus available, one that also included going over to Duck Island.

I didn't specifically see the Noumea Explorer at the Tourist Terminal (where the P&O ships dock), as from my previous experience, I don't recall the Noume Explorer picking up passengers at the Tourist Terminal.

[johndon]

We were there last May and tied up at the container wharf as another ship was at the terminal wharf. A shuttle bus took us to the Tourist Office (terminal wharf) and we negotiated with some independent bus operators outside of the tourist office for a tour of the city and outlying beaches for AUD$15 each. The tour went for about 2 hours and had a couple of stops, one at the top of a hill overlooking the bay and another at a nice beach. We thought it was good value.
The "independents" operate to a variety of destinations and are cheaper than buying tours from inside the Tourist office.
I think the "Chou Chou Train" operates from here somewhere but I didnt see where it left from. We saw it chugging along from the bus we were on.

John

[sansterre]

If you take the train, does it go to the cultural center? Does it take you anywhere you don't go on the bus? I like the idea of HO-HO, but I want to see as much of the island as possible. Thoughts?