Having just spent a week in Noumea in early December 2009 (2nd trip in a little over 4 years) with my family (wife, and two daughters, aged 7 and 4), I thought I would share some ideas for people travelling with children, along with some general tips.
Transport – I found it cheaper and easier to hire a car for the week, as the airport coach transfers are relatively expensive and it is always handy to have a car, even if it is only to drive to the supermarket or to the beach. I booked 2 months in advance and found Europcar offered the best deal (plus it was an easy English language website to navigate and you don't pay until arrival). A 5 door small-medium size Citroen C3 cost around AUD 400 for the week. I spent about AUD 35 for the week in petrol (no long day trips were undertaken, just to and from the airport and two trips to Kuendu Beach).
Money – there is an ATM at the airport (near the departures hall) and you will need XPF 150 for the toll road to and from the airport. I paid the toll with a XPF 5000 note and it was no problem. Paying with credit card sometimes posed a problem as my AMEX Card was often rejected (but also accepted), as was my 'sign only' (no PIN) MasterCard. All worked out in the end, but I suppose it does help to have multiple cards.
Paid attractions for children – the Noumea Aquarium at Anse Vata was excellent, and pretty good value at XPF 2000 for a family. Our children enjoyed it so much we walked around twice so ended up spending around 90 minutes at the aquarium. Well worth a visit, definitely recommended. We also visited the zoo, which was very good value at XPF 800 for the family. It was very hot and humid when we visited and so we didn't spend too long as there is a bit of walking involved to visit the various enclosures. Not the best zoo in the world, but you can't complain about the price.
Free activities for children – there is a very good playground for children (ages 2 to 12) near the Le Meridien, just past the turn off for Mont Ouen Toro if you are heading from Anse Vata. There is lots of equipment for the kids to enjoy and it is a great opportunity to meet local children. There is also a playground just off the main road between Baie des Citrons and the city centre. There is also an outdoor (not sheltered from the rain) playground at the McDonald's in the city centre. Also worth checking the “What's on this week” free guide the tourist bureau puts out (available every Friday afternoon from the official New Caledonia tourism website and many places once you arrive): the week we were in Noumea there was a circus and a Christmas Fair which we found out about from the guide.
Beaches - whilst both Baie des Citrons and Anse Vata beaches are suitable for children (little or no waves, plenty of shells to collect etc), they can be a little less than ideal (Anse Vata can become windy in the afternoon and the rubbish bins at both are often overflowing, but perhaps that was just first thing in the morning). My pick would be Kuendu Beach. The first day we visited the beach the tide was out and the water was sparkling clear and we could walk out about 50 metres and the water was only one metre deep. There is plenty of shade in the grassed area near the beach and parking wasn't a problem. Plus there is a cafe for drinks and lunches, so you can easily spend a few hours here. Also at Kuendu Beach is a 'water park'. We didn't go in but found out that it costs XPF 700 per person (same for adults and children) and there are two large water slides which you slide down on rafts (supplied), plus a pool. The water park is only open weekends, school holidays and by prior arrangement for school groups (it was open on Monday and Friday when we went to Kuendu Beach and we could have joined the local school kids if we wanted).
Swimming pools – we stayed at Casa de Sole where the pool is a simple square around 10 metres x 10 metres and about a metre deep. Not too bad for kids although there is very little shade to protect yourself from the sun. On a few occasions we visited the pool at the Nouvata Parc complex (four years ago there used to be an arrangement that Casa de Sole guests could use the facilities at the Nouvata Parc but the receptionist at Casa de Sole knew nothing about this). The pool at the Nouvata Parc is excellent, particularly for small children, and is such a massive pool it never seemed crowded. The pool at the Le Meridien is nice, but staff do wander around the grounds checking for interlopers who aren't hotel guests! If you want to do some laps, there is a public pool near the Mont Ouen Toro turn-off (near the Children's Playground).
Eating out with kids – we ate out 4 nights out of 7: La Paparazzi, Le Bellagio, Duke's (all in Baie de Citrons) and Rimba Cafe in Anse Vata. All but Le Bellagio had menus with English translations. Rimba Cafe was the cheapest (XPF 550 for chicken nuggets & chips), but the others had all-inclusive kids' meals (usually consisting of ham & cheese pizza/burger/chicken nuggets & chips, plus a drink and ice cream) for around XPF 1100 – 1300. Certainly these meals were big enough for our two children (7 & 4) to share so I think you can get away with only buying one kid's meal (staff were happy to split the two scoops of ice cream into two different bowls, so no arguments ensued!). The pizza at Le Bellagio was big enough for an adult and the staff were happy enough to pack all our left-over pizza (we also had pizza) in a takeaway pizza box for us to heat up for dinner in our apartment the next night. Both La Paparazzi and Duke's provided crayons and paper for the kids, so they well prepared and happy to have children at their restaurant. There was also no problem asking for “tap water” and receiving a jug of water and glasses for free. The restaurant we all enjoyed the most was Duke's – nice food at reasonable prices and great service.
Food for children – if you have Aussie/Kiwi children who are fussy eaters then you can find many familiar brands at the supermarket (we went to both Super U at Rue Anse Vata and Casino at Port Plaisance). We found Sanitarium Weet Bix, Vegemite, Arnott's biscuits, Golden Circle juice and Mainland cheese (but of course the adults much preferred to eat French brie). By the way, fresh milk doesn't exist in New Caledonia so UHT milk is the only option.
General tips
Weather – the weather forecast for each day we were in Noumea was for 26 degrees. However, the actual temperature was more like 32 degrees most days, with one or two days more like 35 degrees. Make sure you pack plenty of sunscreen!
Cost of food & drink – baguettes from bakeries are generally around XPF 100, croissants or a pain au chocolat around XPF 140, although we found these for around XPF 70 at the Noumea Market. The cost of ham, cheese & tomato baguette was usually around XPF 500. Like anywhere, pre-buying snacks and drinks from supermarkets or small stores will save you lots of money – a bottle of local water was around XPF 70 and a six-pack of local beer around XPF 600 from a supermarket. A bottle of French wine could be as little as XPF 400 from a supermarket. The fruit and vegies at the market was a bit cheaper than the supermarkets.
Overall we had a good time in Noumea with great weather, some good dining experiences and plenty of interaction with locals.
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