Monuments to visit New Caledonia

Téremba, named after a small islet in the Bay of Uarai, was a penitentiary with a post office, telegraph and store. Construction of the buildings began in 1871, but following the Kanak revolt in 1878, a fort was erected there to serve as headquarters for the French army. After 1897, the site lost its importance and was sold at auction in 1919. The Marguerite de La Foa Association has been very active in the restoration of the site and participates in the dissemination of a past that has long remained taboo. It is an excellent museum.

Built in 1984, the bridge that separates Lékine from Mouli Island is not to be missed. The view of the cliffs and the blue sea of the lagoon is simply grandiose. Every hour, the water seems to change color! You can see the island of Fayawa and a great diversity of aquatic fauna: schools of fish, turtles, rays, even sharks, if you are lucky. Continuing south, the 8 km long peninsula offers an exceptional white beach on its western side and beautiful coral cliffs on its eastern coast.

In the blue-roofed halls overlooking the marina of Port Moselle, the archipelago's largest marina, flowers, fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, meat (deer sausage!), pastries and souvenirs are displayed. While tourists and locals mingle every day, the market is a big hit on weekends! You can have breakfast at the kiosk inside the halls. You can go there from 6am to have your coffee or to find a snack to take away for lunch. Be careful, Caledonians are early risers and from 11am the stalls are empty.

Lucien Bernheim, a mining owner, donated money to the colonial administration in 1901 for the construction of a library. Built on the colonial model of the time, in the image of the pavilions of the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900, the building is one of the most eloquent architectural testimonies of Nouméa. Within its walls are grouped 700,000 volumes, a large part of which deals with New Caledonia and the Pacific. Researchers also have at their disposal the collection of all the public newspapers of the territory.

This monument, erected in 1992, commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of the first 20,000 American soldiers in Nouméa on March 12, 1942. Nearly a million of their compatriots followed them and transited on the Rock, so that New Caledonia constituted one of the strategic bases of the American army during the Pacific War against Japan, particularly during the Battle of the Coral Sea. It can be found near the market and Port-Moselle. A solemn pause during your visit, but unfortunately not very well highlighted.

In 1887, the prison administration decided to open the Brun camp, a disciplinary internment site for the hardest convicts. It can be found along the RT1, 17 km west of Boulouparis, indicated by a sign. Turn right, drive 400 m and stop at the entrance of the track. The remains are overgrown, but you can make out a staircase, remains of walls and rusty rings to which convicts were sometimes tied. No roof had been built, so as to better monitor the prisoners. Moving.

Once you have reached the Forêt-Français, and before reaching the Nekoro pass, which culminates at 128 m, cross the Muéo river. On the mountain side, you can see on your right the Muéo station, installed in the castle built in 1882 under the direction of Major Escande. About 200 m further on, on your right, you will find a white fence. The place is now a private property, so you can take pictures, but only after asking for permission. It is not possible to visit it, but it is a very nice viewpoint on the lagoon.