Information Office Point I : Just 50m. in front of the church, in the village square, Vao, is Point I. It is staffed by a well-travelled Kunie, Marie-Jeanne, who, in addition to her own native language, speaks English, French, Italian, Czech and Polish.

Office hours are from
8-11.30am and 2-4pm, Monday to Saturday.

• BEDS FOR ALL BUDGETS

Isle of pines caters for all budgets, ranging from camping to luxury hotels.
Check out our accommodation section for more details.

TIPS FOR REDUCING COSTS IN NOUMEA

• Public buses run regularly between Tontouta International Airport and Noumea (a distance of about 50 Km). A one-way fare costs 400 cfp. The bus-stop at Tontouta is at the west end of the terminal ; in Noumea it's beside the Bingo.
E-mail: office-tourisme@canl.nc

• Beds for back-packers: the Lantana Beach Hotel, Anse Vata, now has 6 rooms with 3
or 4 beds each.
E-mail: lantana@canl.nc

• BIKES TO HIRE

Bikes with a comfortable saddle are for hire at the Snack Bar-Petit Café at the southern end of Kuto Beach, just before the gendarmerie (police station).
Price : 1,000 cfp half-day ; 1,500 cfp full day plus a deposit and some identification – driver’s licence or passport.

The Snack Bar-Petit Café, now managed by professional chef, Christophe Cagnewa, offers lunches, sandwiches and good coffee. Open every day except Monday, from 9am-5pm.

• CONVICT RUINS – “ THE CONVENT ”

If you’re out exploring on foot, on bike or by car, visit the convict ruins and soak up a little of the island’s history. 2 imposing stone buildings – barracks for military guards in the 1st ‘ Commune ’ – have recently been cleared of bush by a group of young islanders. Situated about 300 m. north of the bakery, they date from the mid 1870s when 3000 political exiles were banished to the island from Paris. The buildings subsequently housed some 200 common law French women convicts governed by a community of Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny, hence the local name “ Le Couvent ” / the Convent..