Grande Terre roads

On this map tarred roads are marked in red. Untarred roads are yellow.

For a long time roads were only tracks. New Caledonia had to wait the US army coming during the second World War to have a tarred road between Noumea and Moindou (136 km). The main land (Grande Terre is a mountainous land) and the ranges were crossed with difficulty through narrow winding tracks, most of the time with an alternate one way scheduled system. Coastal rivers were crossed by hand powered cable ferries.

Nowaday the tarred roads have been considerably extended. The ranges crossing roads were widened. The last alternate one way road crosses the Petchecara pass between Canala and Thio.

One only cable ferry is left on the East Coast to cross the Ouaième river between Pouébo and Hienghène. It is now powered by an engine.