Live like a Local in ... Noumea

You'll find French cheese and seafood aplenty in Noumea. Photo / Supplied

BREAKFAST: Lemon Bay cafe shares its name with the glorious white sand beach it overlooks. Pop in for coffee – stay for a piece of delicious gateau. A wee gem packed with locals and tourists alike, Lemon Bay's menu is as bountiful as its view, and as a bonus, wait staff speak English (not always the case in Noumea).

Pop in for coffee - stay for a piece of delicious gateau at Lemon Bay. Photo / Supplied

CHEESE PLEASE: In this little slice of France in the Pacific, visiting a fromagerie is a must. They don't come any better than La Crèmerie du Caillou on Rue Felix Broche. The friendly woman behind the counter may not speak English, but she knows the universal language of cheese and is generous with the samples. Taste, nod, indicate the portion you'd like and walk away with a vacuum-packed array of wasabi, truffle, goat, cow and sheep cheese – assuming you don't break into it on holiday, you can take up to 2kg back home to Aotearoa.

You'll find a vacuum-packed array of wasabi, truffle, goat, cow and sheep cheese. Photo / Supplied

LUNCH: Home to the only over-water bungalows in New Caledonia, Escapade Island is a pricey resort popular with Japanese honeymooners. But a day trip is an easy way to experience Escapade – there's several sailings each day, and it takes just half an hour from Port Moselle to the clearest water you may ever snorkel in. Work up an appetite swimming with sea turtles and colourful reef fish in the marine reserve, then head poolside for a tropical buffet lunch that is a seafood lover's dream.

Work up an appetite swimming with sea turtles and colourful reef fish in the marine reserve, then head poolside for a tropical buffet lunch which is a seafood lover's dream. Photo / Supplied

DRINK WITH A VIEW: One of only two nightclubs in town, MV Lounge on Rue Jules Garnier is open from 4pm until late. Its terrace offers ringside seats for watching the sun set over the largest lagoon in the world. Mix in delectable cocktails, a shared tapas menu, twinkle-toed locals and good-looking staff, and you've got the recipe for a great night out.

MV Lounge's terrace offers ringside seats for watching the sun set over the largest lagoon in the world. Photo / Supplied