Noumea - General Info
Following violent protests in May 2024 the situation is now stable and Noumea can once again be used as a stopover. See Security for more info.
Where is Noumea?
Noumea is located on the south western tip of the main island and is the capital of New Caledonia. It is the only official Port of Entry.
The city offers plenty of services for cruising boats with a good boatyard at Nouville Plaisance and marinas in Port Moselle and Baie de L’Orphelinat. Cruisers have reported however that finding space in marinas for anything more than a few days and boatyards for hard standing, is very difficult and booking well in advance is advised.
Entrance Notes or Cautions for Noumea:
This is a busy military, shipping and cruise liner harbour. The trade winds can get stronger in summer and in winter watch out for the westerly winds which can get up to 40-50 kts.
Positions:
22°16.6’S, 166°26.12’E (marina entrance).
22° 17.111’S 166° 25.350’E (entry to Noumea Harbour)
Last updated: October 2024
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I am very surprised by what Chris Claydon has to say. When I was there in November 2014 the marina staff were totally helpful, made ‘phone calls and printed documents. They also translated technical requests into French for contractors to understand.
The Wifi is slow but it is free. Faster commercial services are readily available. Nobody measured my boat; the 12-noon rule is universal. The outside anchorages are crowded but the marina staff cannot see them and so do not know how easy it is to anchor.
As a major military, shipping and cruise liner port nobody should be surprised that the harbor channels need to be kept clear of anchored yachts. The marina staff have little control over boats leaving.
If a cruiser leaves late then your berth will not be available. It is a busy marina. It is busy because it is good with first-class facilities!
Anthony sv Wild Fox
We have had a very bad experience at Port Moselle and felt very unwelcome, we recommend that other yachts should anchor instead of using the marina if possible. We arrived at 9 am and were told a berth would be ready for us within a few minutes.
So we circled around for half an hour and then they told us to anchor somewhere and come back in the afternoon! They directed us to n anchorage which was so crowded with boats it was impossible to anchor within the boundary so we anchored very close to the edge and well clear of the channel.
They then kept hassling us to move again although we anchored where we were told and were not in anyone’s way. On departure from the marina three days later, we were told we had to pay for four days, not three because we were departed after mid-day.
Even though we had not even been there for three full days yet due to the delay coming in! The berthing fees are very expensive to start with even before you get overcharged. The wifi is extremely slow, unreliable and we had to keep getting a new password each day.
If we were not around to get a new password during office hours we could not get internet until the next day! It is generally not worth the expense and hassle of being in the marina at Moselle and dealing with the bad attitude of the staff there.
Everything was too much trouble – NO to printing a document, NO to making a phone call (even if we pay) etc. etc. To add insult to injury we were charged for an extra foot of length over what our boat actually measures.
Which cost more than $10 extra a day! The customs, immigration, and biosecurity staff were all great, it’s a shame the marina staff do not welcome visitors.