Musée de la Ville de Nouméa

The Kanak have a love-hate relationship with France, but there’s no question: French culture is here to stay. The Musée de la Ville de Nouméa, housed in a beautiful old colonial building, offers an interesting contrast to the native traditions explored at the Centre Culturel Jean-Marie Tjibaou. This museum, which explores Nouméa from the colonists' perspective, seems to suggest that the French simply ignored the fact they were a million miles from home. (In the plus column, that's also why you can buy great baguettes almost anywhere here.)