Beaches and baguettes: tasting Noumea
Unable to visit Greece this year, we settled on a short break in New Caledonia. It is the second time that we have visited Noumea, which is like a small piece of France with azure water at every turn. The overwhelming French influences, deserted white sand beaches and postcard sunsets remain a heavenly reality. Being only two hours away, it is the best way for Australian Francophiles to get a little French fix over a long weekend or mini break. Noumea itself has remained not over-developed and it has certainly not been flooded by the 'budget travel' set. The capital is set on a high peninsula surrounded by sweeping white sand bays. The coastline is dotted with a mix of colonial architecture and the seemingly familiar Southern French style of peachy-pink coloured stucco apartments, bright shuttered windows and faded striped awnings. There is a relatively small number of Australian and New Zealand tourists here (apart from the tiny flood of hurried cruise passengers that have an...