GRAND RANDONNEE 1

The surprises for Aussie walkers heading to New Caledonia to tackle the 105km week-long Grand Randonnee 1 track begin before their feet even touch the ground. The first is from the plane window, when—out of a vast turquoise expanse of tropical ocean—a jagged range towers abruptly above the coast, lapped by clouds and clad in dense forest. The second surprise is just how short the flight has been—under three hours from Sydney and less from Brisbane. But the best surprise awaits walkers once their boots hit the trail: the fabulous quality of the hiking.

With nearly 8000m of accumulated ascents and descents, the GR1—a tropical version of France’s great GR walks—is rewarding, challenging and spectacular, full of unique landscapes and exotic forests. The trail wanders from shrublands—thick with endemic grevillea, protea, paperbark—through palm forests and rainforests dotted with massive, ancient kauri pines. It climbs to high peaks