Plage de la Moara - ThioWhether you’re staying for outdoor activities, history, or local festivals, immersing yourself in this forgotten destination will offer a total change of scenery. Is it your first visit to Thio? Let our selection of must-see places be your guide!
Don’t hesitate to explore the Sud Tourisme website and visit the tourist offices, where our souvenir-makers will share their best tips and reveal their nuggets!
Mwara Beach, just five minutes’ drive from Thio Mission, is lined with coconut palms. Great for camping, you can also enjoy its shoreline for swimming, stand-up paddleboarding, snorkelling, or just chilling out. Heading south along the magnificent escarpment, you’ll come across the bay of Port-Bouquet. Sheltered from the wind by the îlots Némou and Tupéti, it’s a popular haunt for leisure boaters. The tribe’s inhabitants offer boat trips to the surrounding islets or to the marine reserve of îlot Saint-Thomas. Heading towards Canala, you’ll find an unusual black sand beach at Ouroué.
It’s not uncommon to spot a dugong that seems to have made the bay its home. However, it’s best not to let it approach too closely, as the dugong enjoys playing with humans but doesn’t realize its own strength.
Plage De La Mwara Thio
Baignade à la plage de la Moara - ThioThe Thio mining centre, active since the 1880s, once controlled the nickel of New Caledonia and the world. This was the birthplace of nickel mining. The Mine du Plateau, still in operation, is the oldest open-pit mine in the region. Established in 1874, it reflects the glory days of the town’s past, when, until the 1930s, it was the nickel capital of the world and a major economic centre. It’s also the only mine in the region open to the public. Every month, the Thio Tourist Office organises guided tours of the Plateau Mine and its adjoining museum. This excursion is a must, immersing you in the history of New Caledonia’s industrial heritage and the people of Thio.
Mine de Nickel - Thio
Musée de la Mine de Thio
Mine de Nickel - Thio
Visite de la mine de Nickel - ThioMine de Nickel - ThioMusée de la Mine de ThioMine de Nickel - ThioVisite de la mine de Nickel - ThioLocated in a former colonial mansion, the Mine Museum was established in 1993 before being renovated in 2015. In the 1890s, it housed the management of the Thio mining centre. A visit here is essential to understand how the village of Thio emerged in the mining context of New Caledonia, the trades practiced there, and the mechanisation of nickel mining.
Musée de la Mine de Thio
