Noumea Airport
Recent Review
by ?
"I arrived late in the night around eleven, on a flight from Auckland, N.Z., the last flight of the night. There were many other budget travelers on the flight, and we all congregated outside the now closing doors after claiming our packs. As the last of the airport staff left in there cars, the last bus to take us into Noumea (40 mi.) arrived, and as others climbed abord I could not justify paying around 30U.S. for a forty mile trip (on a budget you know). I was not alone, one girl a German also would not agree to the bus fare, and we stood together as the bus roared away. After a brief introduction we decided we should look for a place to sleep in safety, but no structures were present, nothing like a suitable sleeping area was visible from the airport, only saturated grasslands and swamps. So we went out about 50 meters into the grass, where the lights of the airport were not so menacing, laid out our rain ponchos as ground cover and covered ourselves with my mosquito netting. We talked a bit and made a more formal introduction but were constantly fighting off the mosquitoes that carried the fever and had descended on the netting. This went on for hours until we decided it was not going to allow us any sleep, and after each of our long air flights we needed sleep. Sleep depravation and being pissed off at the mosquitoes voracity in this "Tropical Paradise in the Pacific" had led me to desperation, and the only structure available (or visible) was the airport building. We soon found ourselves emersed in the light we had tried to hide from, a beacon to the night insects and the bats feeding upon them, the doors were locked tight. I saw a chance at a ventilator duct penetrating the thick concrete walls. It was loose and I was inside in minutes making my way down vent ducts until I found louver missing and actually got inside the tiny little airport building. I quickly got to the door and let her (I don't remember her name) inside, we looked for a place that would be less travelled when the airport opened, the most inoctuas spot available...the bottom of a dark stairwell that led to the control tower. We quickly undid our gear and with the aid of a little maglite, laid out our sleeping bags, laughed and hugged each other, then fell sound to sleep. I was the first to awake at the sounds of the airport personnel coming in for work, feeling sour and sore I leaned up and could see my new surroundings, four concrete walls, concrete floor and ceiling. Looking down I saw centipedes crawling on my sleeping bag, talk about a bad way to wake up! I jumped up and noticed I was covered in what seemed like welts, and I had centipedes all over me...FUCK! I looked at her and where she was sleeping next to me, still asleep in her sleeping bag she was covered in them, her bag, her pack, the floor hundreds of centipedes everywhere! My movements awakened her and after a few seconds of rubbing her eyes she became aware of the situation we were in. She grabbed her pack and slammed all of her things into it, (I'd already done the same with my stuff, figuring the centipedes would die if stuffed hard enough into a backpack) and we quickly made our way up the stairwell. We arrived in time to catch the first morning buss to Noumea, amazingly it was only 10, we split up only to find each other in a youth hostile a few weeks later. If "you" (The girl) happen to see this PLEASE WRITE!"
The last review for this airport was in 2000. Have you been there recently? Tell us about it!
Noumea Airport Guide
Airport Lounges
information not available
Airport WiFi / Internet
information not available
Airport Hotels
If sleeping in the Noumea Airport does not appeal to you, there are no hotels near the airport. The closest hotel looks to be the Best Western le Paris, which is 45 minutes away. Search for other Noumea Hotels.
More Services, Facilities and Things to Do at the Airport
- Food
Airside: The Frangipani
- Car Rentals
Notice, Europcar, Hertz, Visa Rentals, Pacific Car, Red Dot, Six/AS, Thrifty. Location: outside the terminal near the bus stop
Airport Hours
unknown
Noumea Travel Sites
- Noumea Hotels - search for deals, check availability and read reviews
>>>Read All Noumea Airport Reviews
Last Updated: 14 Nov 2010
The information in this Airport Guide is based on information collected and/or received from the airport's and their web sites. When you see "information not available" and "unknown", the airport has a lousy web site and/or has been uncooperative in providing information. The information above is subject to change without notice. Use it for informational purposes only to help you during your stay. To report errors, or to add/change any items quoted in the guide, please email me.
