Museum sights in Noumea
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Centre Culturel Tjibaou
The wonderful Tjibaou Cultural Centre should be at the top of your list of places to visit. It is built on the secluded Tina peninsula on the site of the 'Melanesia 2000' festival organised by Jean-Marie Tjibaou in 1975, a cultural festival which, for the first time, brought together Kanaks from throughout New Caledonia. A statue of Jean-Marie Tjibaou, after whom the centre was named, stands on the hill overlooking the centre.
The harmony between the contemporary architecture and the surrounding nature is striking and gives the cultural centre the air of a futuristic religious shrine. The main buildings rise from the bush in a series of tall curved wooden structures that …
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A
Musée de Nouvelle-Calédonie
The Musée de Nouvelle-Calédonie gives a fascinating introduction to traditional Kanak and regional Pacific culture. Local exhibits are displayed on the ground floor and there are regional artefacts on the mezzanine level. Brochures and explanations are in French and English.
The ground-floor exhibition begins in a dimly lit area where a magnificent collection of flèche faîtière (wooden roof-top spears) and other esoteric carvings exude a mystical aura. Behind this area is a case (hut), which you can step inside, filled with the distinctive smell of dried straw and woven coconut fronds. Other displays include traditional Kanak musical instruments, clothing, fishing to…
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B
Musée de L'Histoire Maritime
Has interesting exhibitions on the early seafaring days in New Caledonia. There is also an ever-increasing collection of objects salvaged from the wrecks of La Boussole and L'Astrolabe, two ships commanded by French navigator Jean-François de la Pérouse on his ill-fated voyage in 1788. The ships sank in a cyclone off Vanikoro in the Solomon Islands.
For several years now, Association Salomon, a local association, has organised several expeditions to Vanikoro to try and solve the mystery of the shipwreck. The museum is on the way to Nouville, near the Gare Maritime des Îles where the Betico docks.
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C
Musée de la Ville de Nouméa
The Musée de la Ville de Nouméa is housed in the city's beautiful old colonial-style town hall surrounded by towering palms. It has both temporary and permanent displays on the penitentiary and early settler history of Noumea.
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