GR® NC1
INFORMATION
23/07/2008
• Horses, bike and motor bike are prohibited on all the GR® NC1 track.
Blue River Provincial Park :
• Dogs are prohibited.
• Hikers leaving from Dumbéa must inform the park administration of their departure (Tel. 43 61 24) and pay an entry fee.
• Tickets for the Blue River Provincial Park and the shuttle are on sale at the Michel-Corbasson zoo and park in Noumea.
First stage : Prony – Néocallitropsis Shelter
25/06/2008
This first stage will lead you into a discovery of the mining and forestry history of the Far South... Prony, the Tchaux mine, the Anna-Madeleine mine... The frozen remains of an old but relentless activity that is gradually being swallowed up by the vegetation and silence. Nature tormented, the luminous and tragic beauty of the earth that bleeds...
Notes
Difficulty : C
Approx. walking time : 4hrs00min
Global time : 6hrs30min
Distance : 14 km
Total positive height variation : 540 m
Maximum altitude : 365 m
Minimum altitude : 1 m
Water : Numerous creeks of varying level depending on the season.
Highlights : The vestiges of mining operations. The water holes of the Carénage river.
Second stage: Néocallitropsis Shelter – Netcha (Alain Grouazel path)
25/06/2008
Leaving the Néocallitropsis shelter behind you, you will follow the long ridgeline separating the Plaine des Lacs from the valley of the Pernod creek. It goes from the Pin peak to the Anna-Madeleine mine. From this platform, which is not very high but stands well out from the surrounding landscape, you will enjoy a commanding view of the Far South, and in the distance the sparkling stretch of the great ocean. Now you can breathe the same air as the birds that drift silently on the currents... Take a deep breath!
Difficulty : C
Approx. walking time : 3hrs30min
Global time : 5hrs30min
Distance : 10.8 km
Total positive height variation : 590 m
Maximum altitude : 620 m
Minimum altitude : 235 m
Water : No water.
Highlights : The high position of the trail, the Col Boisé.
Third stage: Netcha – Ouenarou
25/06/2008
By following the tracks in the Far South that mules endlessly travelled to bring supplies to mining or forestry prospectors, you will pass through the unusual valley of the Pernod creek crisscrossed with meandering, trickling streams that wind unobtrusively under the rushes. After wandering over the dark hard-pan dotted with shiny puddles, you will climb the Cintre peak for a panoramic view of the area. Coming down from these heights, you will then plunge into the darkness and muggy heat of the Bois du Sud...
Difficulty : D
Approx. walking time : 5hrs
Global time : 7hrs45min
Distance : 19.6 km
Total positive height variation : 605 m
Maximum altitude : 495 m
Minimum altitude : 170 m
Water : Several creeks along the trail.
Highlights : The Pernod creek, the hidden forest, the Cintre peak
Stage No 4A Ouénarou Shelter – Muletiers (mule-drivers) Shelter
25/06/2008
Glide high above the Blue River Park. Leave behind horizontal getaway routes and take flight above a vast and luminous expanse… This stage scales the foothills of Mounts Pouédihi and Gwé Daru. In the distance there are places where the shores blend with the sky, horizons of land or water, shadows or sunsets. From the promontories that punctuate the route, you can gaze far down into the surrounding plains. Lake Yaté, like a great silver river, winds between scallops of red earth bordering green islets. The sun caresses the surface of the water and everywhere light sparkles in brilliant showers. The White River marsh spreads its coloured fringes out into the hazy distance…A beautiful hike that is a little challenging but which takes you to dazzling heights…What a privilege.
Difficulty: C
Approx. walking time: 5 hours 30 mn
Overall time: 7 hours
Distance: 14.6 km
Elevation gain: 870 m
Maximum altitude: 545 m
Minimum altitude: 168 m
Water: Some creeks that do not always flow, the Bon Secours rest area and the old White River shelter.
Highlights: The lookouts over Lake Yaté from the promontories. The virgin forest on the Pouédihi Mountains.
Stage No 4B Ouénarou Shelter – Tristaniopsis Shelter
25/06/2008
A long alternative route that directly connects the Ouénarou Shelter to the Tristaniopsis Shelter. Like stage 4A, it climbs the foothills of Mounts Pouédihi and Gwé Daru. There are stunning lookouts over Lake Yaté. Starting from the Bon Secours Creek rest area, it goes east of the main route, avoiding the White River marsh and the Mois de Mai (month of May) forest, and wanders around the shores of Lake Yaté before going back up the Blue River past the Germain Bridge. It also allows you to roam around the Blue River Provincial Park and hike where you want to, exploring the many short hikes that criss-cross the park, or else loop around the White River marsh.
Difficulty: C. Substantial distance.
Approx. walking time: 6 hours
Overall time: 8 hours
Distance: 21.6 km
Elevation gain: 680 m
Maximum altitude: 620 m
Minimum altitude: 168 m
Water: Many creeks that do not always flow, the Bon Secours rest area, Pérignon Bridge and several sites developed along the Blue River.
Highlights: Col Timba between Ouénarou and Bon Secours. The Forêt Noyée (drowned forest) and the long liquid ribbon of the Blue River hidden among the trees not far from the track.
Stage No 5 Muletiers (mule-drivers) Shelter - Tristaniopsis Shelter
25/06/2008
Trekking is not only a matter of altitude or inaccessible areas. You also have to know how to relish a long excursion around a marshy expanse where the rushes sway softly to the gentle murmur of the trade wind. You have to know how to walk under the gaze of curious birds that keep watch over their domain, describing long graceful curves in the sky. After the Pouédihi heights, the fifth stage of the GR® NC1 offers you this gentle pace. The route skirts around the White River marsh by the west. Behind the screen of bushes, flashes of green are spread in long patches of various shades. The route then plunges into the depths of the Mois de Mai (month of May) forest: an enigmatic space where light and shade give the water in the creeks an unusual appearance. Branches and dead leaves crackle underfoot. The acrid odour of damp and slimy earth drifts past your nostrils.
Difficulty: C
Approx. walking time: 5 hours 30 mn
Overall time: 7 hours
Distance: 17.8 km
Elevation gain: 590 m
Maximum altitude: 361 m
Minimum altitude: 180 m
Water: Many creek crossings. Still, it is advisable to take care during the dry season and carry plenty of water.
Highlights: The lookouts over the White River marsh and especially the Mois de Mai (month of May) forest.
Stage No 6 Tristaniopsis Shelter – Soleil Mine (sun mine) Shelter
25/06/2008
There are some things you just can’t miss and the upper Blue River is one of them. It is the heart of the park. Its slopes are covered with magnificent well-preserved virgin forest. Here the river gouges out its steep, narrow meandering route in an area that was long untouched and enigmatic. The GR® NC1 offers you the privilege of access to it. The path, soon swallowed up by the silent shade of the forest, winds in and out of huge trees. The atmosphere is sometimes rather oppressive. The trip can be cool and pleasant or…stifling and tiring. But the final arrival at the Soleil Mine summit, bathed in silence and solitude, is always a release. Up there the discreet murmur of the trade wind soothes burning lungs smarting from the effort of climbing. Up there Nature’s peace and balm fills body and mind.
Difficulty: Very difficult (D). The long climb to the Soleil Mine can be testing. Crossing the Cornes du Diable (devil’s horns) can be dangerous when the river is in spate.
Approx. walking time: 7 hours 30 mn
Overall time: 8 hours
Distance: 15.3 km
Elevation gain: 1,290 m
Maximum altitude: 1,133 m
Minimum altitude: 264 m
Water: No lack of water. The creeks, protected by the dense foliage of the forest, nearly always flow.
Highlights: The Grande Forêt Primaire (great virgin forest), the chaotic course of the Blue River and the remains of the Soleil Mine.
Stage No 7 Soleil Mine (sun mine) Shelter – Dumbéa Dam
25/06/2008
Daybreak flares up, deep shadow flees, dreams and mist disappear with the night. On the mountains, the veil of morning is unfurled. Reluctantly leaving the sweet cool peace of your high-altitude bivouac, you take up your seasonal journey by a path up the mountain flank. It enters the dense foliage of the rainforest before emerging into broad daylight above ravines packed with ferns and rough bushes. This is a high-altitude almost alpine route. The mule track winds around the mountain flanks and meanders through small valleys or along the high ridges overlooking the Dumbéa River.
Difficulty: C. A stage that is more tiring when heading from Dumbéa to Soleil. Two challenging little climbs: from point 186 to point 181 and from point 177 up to the Soleil Mine.
Approx. walking time: 4 hours 15 mn
Overall time: 5 hours
Distance: 9.7 km
Elevation gain: 250 m
Maximum altitude: 1,117 m
Minimum altitude: 158 m
Water: Most of the creeks are often dry.
Highlights: Alpine atmosphere, lookouts and mining relics.