Think of what a hassle the reef must have been during the great age of exploration. (There are parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef that have not been remapped since Captain Cook.) Nouméa’s aid to mariners is the Amédée Lighthouse (Phare Amédée), on one of the tiny lagoon islands. Enjoy the view of a light that prevented a thousand shipwrecks, and climb to the top for a chance to envy lighthouse keepers.
