Forming Groups

For night outings on our canadian canoes we only make small groups (7 to 13 passengers) in order to promote a real immersion in this particular atmosphere and place.
We need a minimum of 7 booked participants to valid each full moon departure. If this number is not reached, you will be refund or postponed, according to your whishes and possibilities.

If you want to privatize a full moon outing and take part in a tailormade expedition, please contact us beforehand so we can make it happen. For larger groups, please contact us for a quote: we also have a larger fleet of recreational kayaks, and we also may propose mixed itineraries : bike or walk daytime visits to discover the Park, then moonlight paddle...

Children are accepted (ratio 1 child/1 parent) if they are familiar with watersports and have already gone on a kayak or stand-up paddle before. Children under the age of 8 are normaly not accepted, unless you can guarantee they can swim and are able to be calm and not annoying anyone. But keep in mind that they will remain passive, maybe cold, and may fall asleep during the paddling time !

Please note that participants must weight 100kg maximum, otherwise our seats may brake then we get big trouble !

Our Canadian Canoe are truly explorers’ boats !

There are two major differences between a canadian canoe and a recreational kayak :
- First, you will handle a simple paddle. As soon as you get the right gesture, the canoe will provide you exceptional gliding sensations and you will be able to reach astounding speed.
- Secondly, you will be in a sitting position on a comfortable bench, not at the level of your feet. This is a serious advantage during cold season as you can keep your bottom dry !

We have 2 and 3 seats canoes. This configuration leads us to form pairs or trinomials according to the participants. You are therefore likely to paddle with someone you don’t know : let the adventure begin ! We do our best to allocate you in familiar groups. If you are subject to a bad repartition, ask to modify the crews midway so you can enjoy the way back better.

Excursion's organisation

We will give an appointment and meet at the entrance gate of the Blue River Park (1hr15 drive from Noumea city), at the time it closes (between 5 and 6pm). A short drive with your car inside the parc will lead us to the starting point of our tour. We will embark before dusk for a first encounter with the submerged forest (takes approximately 1h30).

The night sets gradually and according to the lunar calendar, the Moon can either already be there, or either we can attend to the moonrise over surrounding mountains ridges.

A long break is planned during the tour so everyone can enjoy his meal and stretch a bit. We will provide a traditional French hot beverage : a hot wine ! and set a woodfire to warm up if needed.

On the way back we will be in guided by the Moon light while taking a slightly different route (option depending of water level). 

Equipment
Canoeing can present some opportunities to get wet (most of the time it’s voluntary!). You need therefore to consider this and also bring clothes and spare clothes according to the season/weather forecast.

We can provide you some waterproof bags or barrel in order to pack your reasonable sized picnic. If you own yours, everyone will gain logistical time before departure. Last but not least, you will need headlamps (one or two per pair) only during the time of the break and when walking

Weather conditions

Each excursion is unique!
Here are the more possible and common weather conditions:

A / Clear sky outings are the coolest. The starry sky can be thwarted by a moon too present, but hey ... it is in this case that we observe the most beautiful halos.

B / The most beautiful outings (to our taste!) Are done in cloudy weather, when the clouds project on the mountains around, shades of gray.

C / Clouds carrying showers can be a blessing, when you discover with your eyes, that a rainbow can also be formed at night !!

D / A totally covered sky, produces a "street lamp" effect. Surprisingly, they are almost the brightest outputs, despite less blurred shadows. See her ... will not see her? !!

E / A fine and intermittent rain is not a problem, and from our point of view the interest of the exit is preserved at 80%: an unusual place, an original activity, a service well delivered, an immersion in full nature, with the elements, far from the experience in sanitized conditions! You will be glad to have done it, and to have tried your luck. This can be worthwhile because the weather switches are frequent between 18h and 20h. You may be entitled to the 4 seasons!

F / When the forecasts leave little hope of improvement during the evening, we consult the participants and propose a postponement, even a refund for the people passing through New Caledonia.

Where to sleep?

If you want to enjoy a bit longer the peacefully Blue River Park, we recommend to book a night at Camp Des Kaoris, it is located at the entrance of the Park, very close to our meeting point before the tour. It's kind of a campground, with shelters and facilities... call it how you want but it's simple, effective, original and inexpensive ! Reservations at Loisirs Concept, website https://www.eticket.nc/loisirs-concept-le-camp-des-kaoris (ups... only in french !)

Parc Provincial de la Rivière Bleue
Parc de la Rivière Bleue, Yaté, New Caledonia