New Caledonia: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive New Caledonia feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 40 written places.
A French-Pacific blend of baguettes and Kanak custom; polite, laid-back and firmly on island time.
✓ Considered polite
- Say Bonjour first in every shop and cafe - French manners apply
- Offer la coutume when visiting tribal lands - a length of fabric, food or a small banknote, announced and presented to your host with a few words
- Ask permission before entering tribal areas or crossing to beaches on customary land
- Dress modestly in Kanak villages - swimwear stays at resort beaches
✗ Better avoided
- Tip - service is in the price and tipping is simply not the custom
- Shop over lunch - Noumea closes roughly 11:30 to 14:00, and Sunday afternoons shut down almost entirely
- Photograph people or ceremonies in tribal areas without asking
- Treat tribal land as public space - paths, beaches and rivers may be customary property
Worth knowing
- The CFP franc is the only currency accepted
- Cards work almost everywhere in Noumea - carry cash for markets and the outer islands
- Fresh baguettes and French groceries are everywhere, and self-catering blunts the high prices
- Prices run high overall - Noumea restaurant and grocery bills compare with big-city France
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.