New Caledonia shore excursion advice? Wheelchairs

I'm searching and searching the internet to try find out if I'll be able to see a few sites when my cruise ports in the islands of New Caledonia (South Pacific - it's a cruise from Australia).

I think this is my big limitation......I use a heavy power wheelchair and can't stand to transfer so if I need to travel I'll need a wheelchair accessible vehicle. Eek!

We stop at Isle of Pines, Lifou, Mare and Noumea.

If anyone knows anything about these locations, I'd love to find out what I can. For example, are there ample non-beach things to do by the ports? Or are there wheelchair accessible vehicles?

Fingers crossed that someone knows about my obscure query!

Welcome to Cruise Critic. In addition to posting here, you might want to post on the ports of call forum for your ports.

If you can't transfer at all, odds are that any tender port will be a no go for you.

I would also ask this n the forum here for Australia/NewZealand cruisers, and they will be familiar with those ports. EM

I would also ask this n the forum here for Australia/NewZealand cruisers, and they will be familiar with those ports. EM

Thanks for the tip. Will try :)

I've not been to Isle of Pines or Mare - but Lifou is a tender port so I doubt you'd even get ashore. If you do, it's a very pretty, but essentially very small island with very basic facilities (a couple of very small cubicle toilets with a step up - and looked awkward even for fully able-bodies people to manage) and it's quite a steep road up.

The day we were in Noumea was a public holiday, so we chose to go to Amedee Island - they do supply a (very wonky, makes a shopping trolley look easy to steer) beach wheelchair on request - but 1/ you'd be needing someone to push you and 2/ probably not an option if you can't do a standing transfer. They got me on the ferry out to Amedee, but I'm a manual chair user and can do standing transfer...I can't recall whether or not it had roll-on capability.

Pretty sure there are w/c accessible vehicles available in

Noumea though - couldn't tell you what sort, or how hard/easy it is to book something privately, just recall there being accessible options offered by the ship ...I think to the aquarium (so presumably that is at least reasonably accessible - just phenomenonally expensive the day the ship comes to town - as I think you can only go if on a ship tour) and maybe a city drive as well... I apologise for my info not being more precise, as it's a few trips ago, but hopefully gives you something to start with.

Laura

When we were on the Isle of Pines (2000) it was a tender port, which I would assume is still the case. For most cruise lines (you don't mention which ship/line you will be on) this means that you must walk onto/off the tender unassisted, and they will not take a power chair on board even then...only a folding manual wheelchair. Will you be traveling with someone who can both transfer you manually and push a manual wheelchair? This was the case for my mother when we were in both Noumea (docked) and the Isle of Pines. In Noumea we just went shopping (some very nice shell shops). There were curb cuts in most places in the area near the port, but we did bump up/down a few curbs and a step or two into shops. The Isle of Pines has a sandy beach right by the tender pier, and a dance show put on by the native people that is also close by, but there are not paved paths to either. Doable with a manual wheelchair and someone pushing you, but of course if you cannot get onto the tender there that will be out. A beautiful location regardless, even if you have to stay on the ship.

What a fantastic community! Thanks guys!

I am in conversation with the agent about this big error.


Noumea - we did a three hour city tour and aquarium visit, with the bus having a wheelchair hoist and wheelchair area which was very secure. I think there are three such large buses in Noumea.
Alternatively, there is a wheelchair accessible van which can take you into the town area, but really the town is not wheelchair friendly and there is not much to see via your chair. I am not sure if you can hire the van privately, but it may be worth researching this via the internet.


Margo K, how did you get in contact with the w/c van city tour?