Noumea
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Revision as of 17:16, 4 July 2011
Noumea (Port of entry)
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Noumea is the capital of New Caledonia and the only city in this overseas French Territory. It has a population of around 90,000. The next largest settlement is Bourail with a population of about 5,000. Noumea offers the voyaging sailor a full range of services enabling a complete restock or major repairs as necessary. There are marinas in Port Moselle and Baie de L'Orphelinat and a comprehensive slipping facility at Nouville Plaisance in Petite Rade.
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Charts
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Radio Nets
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Weather
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There are two main approaches to Noumea, depending on whether you are arriving from the East or West. In either case, you are approaching a huge barrier reef that is up to 10 miles from land and great care should be taken. The reefs around New Caledonia are littered with the remnants of ships that missed Passes.
On arrival, vessels are expected to continue directly to Noumea for clearance, without stopping. If you arrive at night, you should anchor outside Port Moselle and arrange clearance through the Port Captain the next morning. You should not proceed into the marina at night.
Passe De La Havannah
Vessels arriving from the east, generally either from Vanuatu or Fiji usually enter at Passe De La Havannah. This Pass is approximately 2 nm wide, but is a very long way from the nearest land and is subject to strong and dangerous tidal flows that should be taken into account on approach. There are currently obvious wrecks on the reef that show what happens if you get it wrong.
Note should be taken of the relatively shallow Banc Du Coetlogon some 4 nm to seaward of Havannah. While adequately deep, it may produce difficult seas in unfavourable conditions.
Tide times at Havannah are one hour ahead of Noumea. The tide flow can reach 4 knots and, with unfavourable winds or swell, significant and dangerous overfalls can develop. It is very preferable to enter Havannah at slack water if at all possible.
Havannah Pass is well marked, but, because of the distances involved, the marks / lights may not be obvious to a navigator approaching from seaward in poor visibility. The main marks are the leads on Cap Ndoua, which provide 3 white lead makers defining the Havannah entrance. Note that, when you are in the Pass, you are still over 8 nm from the leads.
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The Goro light is on the northern side of the Pass. This light tower also marks an entrance into Port De Goro. This is only relevant if you have already cleared Customs.
Once through the Pass, there are clear navigation markers which allow you to round Cap Ndoua, traverse Canal Woodin and carry on north to Noumea. Note that the tide flows through Canal Woodin can be substantial and overfalls are possible in the vicinity of Pointe Noukouma at the western end.
Passe De Boulari
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Arrival from the West is through Passe De Boulari. The Passe is narrow (1/3 nm) but well marked. The historic Amedee Light has a range of 20nm and forms part of the pair of lead lights for the entrance. Once inside the Pass, the track to Noumea is clearly marked
Check-in facilities (Customs and Immigration)
Customs clearance is arranged through the Port Captain at Port Moselle. Contact on VHF 67. See New Caledonia for details.
Ports and Popular Stops
Ports
- Port Moselle (Port of entry)
Anchorages
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Offshore Islands
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Tourism and Things to do Ashore
Tourism
Musee de Nouvelle Caledonie. The Museum of new Caledonia is a 5 minute walk from the Port Moselle marina. It is at 42 Avenue Du Marechal Foch. Hours are 9:00 - 11:30 and 12:15 - 16:30 ever day except Tuesday.
Centre Culturel Tjibaou is a stunning display of Kanak culture. It is on the Tinu peninsula about 8km from the centre of Noumea. Regular buses travel to the area. Alternatively, a taxi trip is relatively cheap. This centre is worth visiting just for its architecture, let alone the insight it provides into the people of New Caledonia. It is named after Jean-Marie Tjibaou, the Kanak leader who was assassinated in 1989.
Parc Zoologique et Forestier (Zoological and Botanical Gardens) are best accessed by the Explorer bus or by taxi.
Place des Cocotiers is the heart of Noumea. Look for the regular concerts and markets here.
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Cathederale St Joseph is an obvious landmark when you arrive in Port Moselle. It dates back to 1888 and was built by convict labour.
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Personal Notes
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Last Visited & Details Checked (and updated here)
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