New Caledonia

End of " wal lpaper" bank notes in New Caledonia

Visitors to New Caledonia who’ve struggled for years, their purses bulging with the old New Caledonian “wallpaper” bank notes, will be relieved to hear that new notes have begun to arrive from France.

New 1,000 franc notes (about $A10) have been in circulation since April 3. By the latter half of the year new 100 then 500 franc notes are expected, with a 5,000 denomina tion to be released about 1971.

These will gradually replace the old 20, 100 and 1,000 franc notes.

New 10, 20 and 50 franc coins were issued more than a year ago, adding to the existing 1, 2 and 5 franc pieces.

The French Government has created an overseas “Institut d’Emission” (form of Reserve Bank) to supply the local money, which had previously been issued by a private bank—the Banque de I’lndo chine.

The franc CFP (French Pacific Currency) is approximately equal to the Australian cent and is used throughout all French Pacific territories New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Wallis and Futuna Islands and French Polynesia.

In pink and orange, the new 1,000 franc note shows a flower-bedecked Tahitian and cottage on the front, the reverse depicting Caledonian deer and cagou (a bird) before the Isle of Pines church.

The size is a convenient 61 x 3J inches (approx.) which means Cale donians will soon be able to throw away their money-carrying suitcases!

Airstrip For Wallis . . .

Civil aviation authorities in Noumea have announced the award ing of a contract for the building of a bitumen airstrip in the Wallis Islands.

Successful tenderers are Gubbay and Company of the New Hebrides, who are scheduled to begin work in June.

The new airstrip will allow UTA jet Caravelle to call en route from Fiji.

. . . AND A BETTER ONE FOR

Isle Of Pines

And the Isle of Pines resort, off Noumea, will soon have its primitive airfield much improved. Civil aviation plans to spend $A 150,000 on build ing a new terminal and a sealed airstrip for jets.

Le Nouvata In New Hands

The most dynamic French com pany in the field of catering and hotel management has just moved into New Caledonia.

It is the SHRM (Hotel Manage ment and Maritime Supply Com pany) which since April 1 has leased the Nouvata Hotel from its joint French-Australian owners.

The Nouvata was running into difficulties under the previous man agement. A 100 per cent, staff turn over was reported in 12 months, with the restaurant finally being closed down early this year.

The management company which has now taken over operates through out the world. It provides for luxury liners in the Mediterranean and oil bases in the Sahara and caters for

all jets passing through Tahiti air port.

An enthusiastic young team has moved into Noumea from Tahiti.

Manager Henry Chombeau and his assistant Bertrand Le Roux seem to know what they are doing, supported by barman Jean-Paul Chevalier and chef Rolland L’horset, who have both been around the world in their trade for nearly 20 years.

Caledonians, who traditionally find eating one of the major pleasures of life, are hopeful that Le Nouvata will be back on its feet.

Caledonians For Norfolk

New Caledonians have begun to discover a new destination for week end holidays—Norfolk Island.

Though there is no regular air link between the two islands, several groups have already used the UTA DC4 on charter flights.

Over Easter, 60 members of the Ballande Stores Staff Club made the trip. In the second half of last year it was Rotary, then the Lions and Junior Chamber of Commerce who organised excursions. For the Bastille Day weekend around July 14, the Progress Association from Bourail, on the West Coast, is enthusiastically waiting to visit the island.

Apart from the shopping, major attractions for the Caledonians seem to be the refreshing green forests and spectacular sea coast, as well as what they call “depaysement” (getting away from it all) among the hospit able islanders.

May Opening Of Tahiirs

Hotel Maeva

The new 5-star luxury Hotel Maeva is scheduled for opening in Tahiti on May 5. Built at a cost of some SA2 million, the Maeva (mean ing “welcome” in Tahitian) will blend such salons as its “Restaurant Gauguin” and “Cafe de Paris” into a Polynesian seashore overlooking Moorea.

Just five miles from Papeete, the new construction resembles a sliced pyramid of seven floors, with 230 rooms and suites air conditioned throughout.

The French artist-collector Mic houtouchkine is adding to the decor some of his finest Melanesian and Polynesian artefacts, pieces which have already been exhibited in the Pacific, Australia and Paris.

Ivan Falesitch, experienced Swiss hotelier, will manage the Maeva for UTH (hotel arm of the UTA French Airlines).

Norfolk Tourist Changes

The Norfolk Island Tourist Bureau, which has functioned inter

mittently on the island since the 1930’5, recently amended its constitu tion to become the Norfolk Island Tourist Auxiliary. It is represented by two members, Miss M. Bailey and Mr. T. Lloyd on an interim body—the Norfolk Island Tourist Committee—pending new legislation which will bring the Norfolk Island Tourist Board into existence.

The secretary of the Tourist Com mittee is Mrs. J. Mosse, who has had 20 years’ experience in the tourist business. She has been a travel manager in Cyprus and London and was with Qantas in Singapore.

Tourism is booming again on Norfolk after a drop last year in the

number of visiting New Zealanders.

In January over a thousand visitors arrived, compared with 850 in January, 1968. February and March figures were also well above those of the previous year. In an endeavour to attract more New Zealand tourists the Committee this year organised a stand at the Auckland Easter Show.

The number of group visits to the island is increasing.

Two parties from the Sydney National Trust will visit the island within the next few weeks, to be followed by two groups from the Auckland Historical Society in June.