Bourail is the main town of the middle section of New Caledonia's west coast, a cattle town of about 4,800 people that feels more like rural Australia than the Pacific. The surrounding plain is ranch country, dotted with niaouli trees whose pale peeling bark gives the savanna a ghostly look, and every August the town holds its big agricultural fair, a sort of country show with horses, cattle and a lot of barbecue. The Pacific side is only a few minutes away, and the coast here has long white beaches and a famous rock arch, the Roche Percée, with a standing stone beside it called the Bonhomme.
The town also has an unexpected history. After the failed Algerian uprising of 1871 the French deported some of the rebels to New Caledonia, and many were settled around Bourail, where descendants still live. There is a small museum and cemetery that tell the story of the convicts and the settlers who farmed this plain, and it is worth a short stop for anyone who likes the human side of a landscape.
The road is the RT1, the main route along the west coast, a well-surfaced two-lane road that rolls across savanna, runs past river mouths and climbs a few low ridges. The riding is relaxed, mostly open and fast, with enough curves to stay awake and a mountain range, the central chain of the Grande Terre, always sitting to the east. Watch for cattle and horses on the verge, especially at dawn and dusk, and for the trucks that carry nickel ore on some sections.
Bourail has fuel, supermarkets and several restaurants, so use it to prepare for the thinner services further north. The dry season from about May to October is comfortable, with warm days and cool nights, while the cyclone season from December to March can bring heavy rain. The Pacific light here is soft in the evening, and the beach at sunset is worth a short detour.