Ile Nge (Le Larégnère)

Ile Nge (Laregnere): Tiny Island, Seriously Big Reef

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Ile Nge is a perfect, little tropical paradise —also known  as Îlot Larégnère.  This little ilot is only about 1.5 hours away from Noumea!

  • Soft, white sand? Check.
  • Turquoise water? Absolutely.
  • Coral reef? Everywhere.
  • Seabirds? Yep.
  • Turtles? Living in the anchorage.
  • Dugongs: They’ve been known to drop by.

But Larégnère is more than just another pretty patch of sand in New Caledonia’s spectacular lagoon.

So… what’s in a name?

You’ll see the island called Île Ngé, Îlot Ngé, Île Larégnère or Îlot Larégnère, depending on the chart, map or website you happen to be reading. Confusing? A little. 

And tiny is definitely the operative word. The island itself covers less than a quarter of a square kilometer, while the surrounding protected marine area is vastly larger.

The real star is underneath

Larégnère is a protected natural reserve and a bird sanctuary. Southern Provence established the reserve to protect its coral formations and the marine and bird life that depend on them.

And what lies beneath that impossibly blue water is pretty impressive.

Studies and local tourism information have recorded well over 145 species of fish around the island and reef. Parrotfish and damselfish are particularly common, turning a simple snorkel into something resembling an underwater bustling neighborhood.

We had a pod of dolphins including a baby and its mother, hanging out with us for about 20 minutes as we entered the lagoon.

Several turtles lived under the boat.  Ashore we found lots of sea snakes and a Portuguese Man-O-War (eek).

The Breeding Birds on Ile Nge

The surrounding reef also provides habitat for an impressive variety of marine life, while the island itself serves as a nesting site for seabirds.

There are six species of nesting birds (Australian gull, osprey, black noddy, fairy tern, diamond tern, and Pacific Shearwater) that breed on this island.

In the center of the island is a blocked off area where one of the birds nests underground.  They build 1 meter long tunnels beneath the sand.  The baby chicks would be crushed if humans stepped on the sand above the tunnel.

The osprey were out of their nests, feeding, and watching.  We caught one during lunch (top left), a large nest, and two other beauties.

And then there are the turtles and dugongs that feed on the plentiful sea grass below the mooring field.

Larégnère has been identified as a nesting site for loggerhead turtles, adding another layer of importance to this otherwise tiny tropical island.

A sailor’s kind of island

For cruisers, Larégnère has another attraction: it feels wonderfully removed from Nouméa without actually being very far away.

Several covered picnic areas have been established as well as two toilets and a BBQ area.  Making this the perfect place to spend a lazy afternoon.

Small island, big personality

Île Ngé/Larégnère may be tiny, but it packs an impressive amount into its little footprint—beautiful beaches, thriving reef habitat, nesting seabirds, turtles, dugongs, dolphins and some seriously spectacular sailing scenery.

Test your Tracking Skills

Amazing trails of a variety of footprints could be found all over the island.

We had tons of different bird tracks.

A variety of snake tracks.  Super interesting to see the different wavy tracks based on the snake’s trajectory.

And we found two little crab type tracks.  The top left photo shows a long track connecting to a heart shape. This track was created by the little fellow in the top right corner.

Then there was another little guy who had a super long trail coming toward us.

And of course, the only thing we left behind were our footprints (bottom right).

It’s the sort of place that makes you understand why New Caledonia’s lagoon isn’t merely something you sail through.

Sometimes, it’s the destination.

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Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual live events.

We spent 2 days at Ile Nge (Laregnere) in the beginning of September.

New Caledonia Nickel: The Green Gold Beneath Our Feet

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New Caledonia’s tropical climate had spent millions of years weathering the island’s ultramafic rocks. Rainwater slowly leached away some minerals while concentrating others—including nickel and cobalt—into layers near the surface. In other words, Mother Nature had been quietly marinating the mountains in nickel for a very, very long time.

Nickel is one of those things you can see everywhere in New Caledonia without necessarily realizing what you’re looking at. The red-orange mountains, enormous scars in the hillsides, unusual green rocks—and even some of the economic history of Nouméa—all lead back to nickel.

The red-orange mud can be seen up close and personal at Prony Bay.  This clay gets all over your shoes, clothing, feet, dinghy and boat.  It is very difficult to remove.

Getty stock photos from New Caledonia

Getty stock photos from New Caledonia

The unusual green rocks are primarily garnierite—a name used for a group/mixture of nickel-rich hydrated silicate minerals. It forms when New Caledonia’s original ultramafic rocks, particularly peridotite, are intensely weathered over millions of years.

The green color comes from nickel replacing magnesium within these minerals. The more nickel-rich varieties can be an almost startling bright green

This photo came from Ilo Casy.  You can see the green pockets sprinkled on the hillside.

Mining Started

Early miners literally dug the ore out by hand. By the late 19th century, the nickel rush was in full swing, attracting companies and workers from around the world. Thio became an important mining center, and the Société Le Nickel (SLN) was established in 1880.

The industry grew from pickaxes and wheelbarrows into enormous open-pit operations. 

By the 20th century, the landscape around some mining areas looked less like a tropical paradise and more like someone had taken a giant bite out of the mountain.

New Caledonia’s Nickel Today

And here’s the fascinating part: New Caledonia is still one of the world’s significant nickel producers. In 2024 it ranked fifth globally, producing about 10% of the world’s nickel. This metal remains a major part of the territory’s economy and exports.

But nickel has become a complicated relationship.

The metal is valuable because it’s used in stainless steel, alloys and increasingly in technologies associated with the energy transition.

Yet mining comes with environmental costs, particularly on an island famous for its extraordinary biodiversity. Mining can remove vegetation and topsoil and send sediment into waterways and coastal ecosystems. Recent research has documented the long-term effects of terrestrial mining on New Caledonia’s coastal environment.

And economically, the nickel industry has had some seriously rough seas lately. New Caledonia has faced falling prices, intense competition from Indonesia, energy costs, mine closures and the broader economic and political turmoil of recent years. In 2024, nickel production and the wider economy were hit particularly hard.

In 2025, New Caledonia’s metallurgical operations produced more than 72,000 tons of nickel, a substantial rebound from the previous year.

We did not visit any of the nickel mines but we did get the “pleasure” of seeing them hard at work.  In Prony Bay you get the mud color all over your feet, shoes, clothing, dinghy, and boat.  In addition, the rising smoke leaves all sorts of yuckiness on your boat.

So next time you’re sailing past one of those strangely red mountains, take a closer look.

You’re not just looking at dirt.

You’re looking at a geological jackpot that helped build modern New Caledonia—and a resource that has been both blessing and burden for more than a century.

Not bad for a bunch of rocks.

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Le Ponton Nouméa: A Floating Restaurant That Refused to Sink

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There are waterfront restaurants, and then there is Le Ponton—a restaurant where you arrive by boat, eat lunch above the lagoon, and then go snorkeling afterward.

We arrive in between an incoming storm (on the left) and an outgoing storm (on the right).  Le Ponton is right in the middle in front of the dinghy.

What makes Le Ponton really interesting isn’t just the spectacular setting. It’s the story of the floating restaurant itself.

Le Ponton’s History

Built by the Caledonian shipyard HEROS, Le Ponton was constructed beginning in 1991 from Australian plans and launched in 1993. This floating café weighs nearly 60 tons and is built around steel cylinders divided into 18 watertight compartments. The aluminum upper deck measures about 30 by 12 meters.

And holding all that in place? Four enormous chains, each weighing more than 10 tons.

Le Ponton has had several lives. It was originally located near the Fausse Passe de Uitoé. Later it was moved behind the reef at Passe de Dumbéa, where it operated as a tourism and diving facility.

Then, in 2008, it acquired a rather unexpected job: it became accommodation for the production crew filming the underwater documentary Océans.

Then came Tropical Depression Freda in 2012, which badly damaged the structure.

Le Ponton was brought back to Nouméa for restoration. Once complete, it was moved to Tamanou Reef, just behind Sainte-Marie Island.

It was moved there in May 2013, and approximately 90% of the original materials are still part of the structure today.

The Venue

There is a lovely seating area under a roof, additional seating under a large tarp, and lounge chairs on the deck.

We have the pleasure of visiting a few floating restaurants in Fiji.  They were considerably more modern and able to accommodate a lot more people.  However, Le Ponton offered delicious food in generous portions.

The restaurant focuses on fresh local seafood, with the menu influenced by what’s available at the morning market. 

Today, Le Ponton is only about a seven-minute boat ride from Nouméa, sitting over the beautiful lagoon at Tamanou Reef. Visitors can enjoy lunch and drinks, then take advantage of the swimming area, snorkeling, kayaks and paddleboards.

Surprise Feature

There’s a unique underwater viewing tunnel with 20 portholes, where you can watch the reef without getting wet.

Although, really… if you’re already sitting on a floating restaurant in the middle of a tropical lagoon, getting wet seems like part of the deal.

So Le Ponton isn’t just a place to have lunch.

It’s a 60-ton piece of New Caledonian maritime history that has been moved, repurposed, filmed, battered by a tropical system, rebuilt and given a new life above the lagoon.

And after more than 30 years, she’s still floating.

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Our blog posts run 4-6 weeks behind actual live events. 

We visited Le Ponton toward the end of August 2026.