Originally Posted by
rankourabu
I was there for Bastille Day - a parade of French might down the main street, and some nice fireworks in the evening. One really needs a car to travel around the island. The hostel was actually superb, and the only option under $150!
Easy to get to on an Air NZ award ticket, or a quick flight from Vanuatu
Very fast from Australia, I used to go there for excursions from high school the flight is only a couple of hours from Sydney. We saw a lot of the island, and a visit over the reef and to the Phare - very lucky that I chose to do French at school.
It was a very strange feeling last time I was there, the immigration lines were for "EU Passport Holders" and "Others" - this tiny remote Pacific Island is very much part of Europe (until they maybe vote otherwise within the next couple of years).
It's always been a very expensive place, the cost of a restaurant meal was roughly double that of Sydney last time I was there. But you don't visit N'lle Caledonie for any bargains!