Parc Territorial de la Rivière Bleue (Blue River Park)

The Blue River Park is usually very busy with locals during the weekends and on holidays, but the rest of the time you'll probably be the only visitor. The park boasts virgin forests of araucaria and kauri pine, swimming holes and many walking tracks. It is an excellent place for hikers and nature lovers. One of the parks main features is the giant Grand Kaori. The tree is estimated to be more than 1000 years old.

There are countless bird species in the park, including the red-crowned parakeet, the black honeyeater and New Caledonia's national bird: the cagou, which was once threatened with extinction. Thanks to a successful captive breeding and reintroduction program its numbers are now rising again.

The Blue River Park is about 40 km (25 miles) inland from Nouméa. You can get there via the paved RT2. Buses that ply the route to Yaté stop at the park, but once inside the park, there's no public transport.