deepfried.tv forum - WINDSURFING NEW CALEDONIA ?

04.05.10 9.40 pm

Have booked a holiday away mid june...has anyone any info about either (QUALITY) rental kit available at ANSE VATA BEACH,NOUMEA or should i take my own...and what size rigs are commonly used there ?. Cheers for any help. Kevin.

hey man i was in new cally last novemeber for 2 weeks. spent a week in noumea and a week up north. if you can, rent a car and get up to Poe which is about 170km north. the lagoon there is amazing.

i took my own kit, 2 boards, 3 sails, 3 masts.. got stung on the way over but all good on the way back. you can rent at anse vata and at Poe although it will reasonably expensive (like most things in new cal), plus its not your own.

check out my session logs from the trip, had a mean time.

LINK: http://www.sessionlogs.com/spot-5235/poe-beach-windsurfing-session-by-timhaxell

kevkev, Did you manage to get a trip to New Caledonia? I'm thinking of going in October (just for a week) and hope to get some windsurfing in.

Some great tips there from Tim, cheers, but I'd probably not bring my own equipment as I've only got a 145L board (which the airline probably wouldn't carry) and I'd like to try out some smaller boards. Maybe it'd be worth bringing my 5.5m sail??

I've looked up those sites that SimonF posted but think I'll need to get my french friend to to translate so I can get an idea of the prices.

Have a chat to Glenn at Assault Kiteboarding Centre (Tauranga) they organise trips over there and know the conditions. 027 245 7540 or 027 245 7549

When you get to Anse vata, go and see Laurent Gauzere. He has a big truck parked there and he will sort you out. From memory he does rrd boards and loft sails. In regards to the weather there is not much wind in winter there but you can probably sail with big gear.

We went in August 2008, which was just of out of their season (gets windy for their summer - from about September apparently) but we still got about 3 very sailable days out 7. On windy days the locals were out on 90L boards & 4-5m sails. This is the web site for the windsurf rental place on the beach http://www.mdplaisirs.com/tarifs.html or http://www.naish-nc.com/ they were very helpful - I took a board with me and rented sails. If you are planning on eating/drinking out while you are there, it might pay to get a bankloan organised in advance, as the average price for a decent meal was $50 when we were there. Wine was cheap in the dairies tho. Great place, lots of french totty and very big windsurfing community - have an an awesome holiday!

PS - the websites are all in french (everything in NC is french!) - I emailed them at md.plaisirs@hotmail.fr in advance for the prices and wind forecast - got a (vaguely) english reply

Hi

I went to New Cal 2 years ago and rented kit in Anse Vata. I also went up the coast from Noumea by yacht (best way to get around if you can) and checked out a few spots surfing windsurfing and kiteing along the way. It is awesome there! Hope you have a blast.

Caitie ;-)

hi darcy...yes had a great time in n.c but wind wasnt as constant as it normally is in summer....dont bother taking kit....rent it day by day from LAURENT GAUZERE..he parks by the end of the beach and has 2 big blue vans full of gear...biggest sail he had which i used was 6.6 loft so that give you an idea of the usual wind strength..i had 1 lighter wind day which he let me use his full on race stuff 135l x-fire and 7.7 loft blade( hard going if your not used to sailing race gear though !!!). Laurent has good english and is a really nice guy...his ph # is in the local telephone book( cant find here right now ). Out of 10 days i had there I sailed only 5( but is is their off season....). we rented a car while we were there..is easy to navigate everywhere with the local tourist maps. Kit rental was costing me about nz$70 a day.... sailing is just slalom,blasting and a bit of freestyle...you can sail out past the 2 islands directly in front of ansa vate beach..take a gps if you have one...take your own harness and lines( the lines on the hire stuff are all knackered !!!)i took wetsuit but never used it..just boardies and a rash top( also booties if you plan on stopping close to the outer islands for a rest; the coral around the island is pretty sharp).....wind normally picked up early afternoon so that gives you time to keep the rest of the family happy with regular morning excursions... any more questions dont hesitate to ask. cheers kevin..also take windsurfing gloves as the warm water makes your palms soft...by the end of the second day i couldnt hang on anymore coz of the blisters and raw skin on my hands...gloves made the next few days ok !!!

last thing...if you are looking for a new board while your away there is a shop which does rrd..with the exchange rate a new 74 l rrd twin was only about $1800 !!!!

New Caledonia: Manolo Windshop (687) 27 35 40 Manolo Barlet manolowindshop@lagoon.nc

last thing again....dont bother trying the mdplasairs hire place in the middle of the beach...really unhelpful and rude...plus they give preference to the locals first..stick to using Laurent...CHECK OUT THIS LINK FOR MORE INFO AND PICS

http://www.kiteboarder.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/NEW-CALEDONIA-WINDSURFING/?whichpage=-1&REPLY_ID=570799

ah sounds awesome kevin. i definitely have to get something booked then this weekend. i hear that n.c is expensive for a trip to the islands but it sounds amazing and if i can get some windsurfing in that'll just make my trip. i can really only get away for 7 days but hopefully that should be fine to get in some sailing yet keep my girlfriend happy.

the pics of the equipment from that link looked good and I think there is a number for Laurent on his advert so i can look him up when i get there.

thanks for the advice on bringing harness, booties etc as i was wondering about that.

if i get a good idea of the next board i want that shop could come in handy if i've enough credit on my card by the end of the trip.

don't want to bother you too much more but if you had any advice on the hotels or best way to book that'd also be helpful. i've got some prices from the travelshop and will also check out flightcentre tomorrow, staying at the Ramada Plaza at Anse vata seems like a good option.

Hi Darcy...we stayed at "la promenade" which is right across the road from the beach,just up from ramada plaza..cant comment on the ramada but our hotel was great(was about $300 nz per night allthough we had 3 kids with us so we needed a 2 room suite....had a great view of everything from up on the 8th floor... book a hotel yourself online as it will save you money in the end.....take girlfriend to "le roof" restaurant( walking distance) and she would be stoked !!!

also up behind le surf hotel( easy to find) there is a creperie which you shouldnt miss going to on a nice day..

the wind picks up from early afternoon till dark so do all your touristy stuff early and keep "her" happy...

we booked all our own flights etc;saved quite a bit over an agent doing it....we got flights for 2 adults,11yr old and 2 1yr olds from wgtn to auck to noumes and back for just over $1500

the airport(tontouta) is quite a way away from anse vata so either sort out a rental car to collect from there or arrange a hotel transfer(transfer was pricey though nz$150 one way..) especially if you decide to take kit with you !!!

noumea town is a bit rough...dont expect too much...some nice shops if you hunt around but are few and far between...

supermarkets are cheap..especially for wine,bread and cheese..brush up on some common french phrases as everyone is french and lots dont speak any english at all.....resturaunts are expensive compared to here !.

contact laurent by email( see below) and book some gear( check windguru for that period you are away as well).

sp8ce.nc@gmail.com

expensive...did i mention its expensive !

have a great trip.

did i mention its expensive ?

kev

If you are into wavesailing there, check this out

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/album.php?aid=10644&id=100000778826116

That makes me want to go there!