Prehistoric discoverers
While New-Guinea has been populated by man about 30 000 years ago, human settlement
in New Caledonia happened much more recently. The oldest dated archeological
sites have 4 000 years. However it is possible that the archipelago was
occupied by man at a somewhat earlier time.
Initial migrations of people came from Asia along a Borneo - Philippines, New-Guinea, Solomon line. This migration went beyond New Caledonia to Fiji Islands.
Later and until XIXth century, groups of austronesian people came from western Polynesia (Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Wallis) and settled regularly on Grande Terre coasts, in the Loyalty Island and in Kunie.
European discoverers
(Extrait de la carte de Cook. Le nord est à droite)
Captain Cook is the first European to discover the Grande Terre.
This was during his second voyage. Colnett was the first one on board to see the Grande Terre on 4th September 1774. Cook named it "New Caledonia". He landed in Balade on the East Coast. He was amicably welcomed by the Melanesians. Colnett name was given to the cape located between Pouebo and Panie further South of Balade and to the mountain above the cape. It is the third highest mountain of Grande Terre.
Cook then navigated along the East Coast to the South of Grande Terre and to Kunie Island which he named Isle of Pines. He mapped the East Coast and although he did not see the West Coast, his map suggests it remarkably close to its actual position.
French navigator d'Entrecasteaux, sent to research de Lapérouse, was the first one to explore the West Coast in 1792. He landed in the Isle of Pines (Kunie) on 16th June. He then navigated along the West Coast and despite several attempts to enter its lagoon, eventually decided safer to give it up. However the coast was well observed from the sea and was remarkably mapped by Beautemps-Beaupré. North of Grande Terre, d'Entrecateaux discovered the Surprise Islands, Huon reef and Beautemps-Beaupré atoll.
The
comte de Laperouse left France in August 1785. His mission
included to further explore New Caledonia. He was lost with his
two sister ships La Boussole and l'Astrolabe which were wrecked
in 1788 at Vanikoro ( Santa Cruz Is. between Vanuatu and Solomon
islands).
It has been always assumed that Laperouse was then coming from
New Caledonia as this was his logical itinerary. But no writing
proves it and logbooks were of course lost.
The mystery is still unsolved but
several clues
give a strong indication that he indeed visited New Caledonia.
The Loyalty Islands were discovered in 1793 by captain Raven on a British trade ship. He was coming from Sydney.
Mapping and hydrography of the Loyalty islands were done only in 1827 and 1840 by Dumont d'Urville.
The first one to enter the West Coast lagoon was captain Kent. He discovered and named St. Vincent bay. From his logbook he had very good contacts with the Melanesian people.
Whalers and sandal wood traders
Towards 1793 American whalers started to land in New Caledonia for their winter rest. Sandal traders started to come in 1841. This trade became intense in 1846. Sandal trading was halted after the French taking possession in 1853.
Sandal
is a small tree. Its wood contains an essence which was and still
is a perfume base. It was intensively exploited in all the islands
of the South Pacific.
Sandal traders and, to a lesser extent the whalers, induced
an incredible technological change for the stone age natives. They were
swapping the precious wood against steel tools, weapons, clothes material
and glass objects.
The missionaries
Religious lecturers of the London Missionary Society arrived in 1841 at the isle of pines (Kunié) and in 1842 at Touaourou (Southern end of Grande Terre). They had to flee from these places in 1842.
The LMS settled in the Loyalty islands in 1841.
The catholic missionaries of Société de Marie (marists) led by Monseigneur Douarre settled in Balade in 1843. They had to leave in 1847. They came back in 1851.
In 1848 marists succeeded at last to settle in Kunié which then became the main base for their action to convert the natives of Grande Terre.
Kunie chief was initially interested in having a mission settled
in his island. But he became hostile to the new religion which he
held responsible for an epidemic which struck the population. All
religious teachers were killed.
In Touaourou, South of Grande Terre, missionaries had just the
time to flee before the killing and eating of all the converts.
In Balade a marist brother was killed and other missionaries had
to flee.
The root of these grave problems encountered by the missionaries
was the lack of knowledge of the natives. Particularly they did
not understand their language and traditions. Periods of food shortage,
epidemic and wars were usually triggering factors.
The only immediate success was the missionaries settlement in the
Loyalty islands.
The French taking possession
Catastrophic mission : before the annexation, corvette L'Alcmène was sent on an exploratory mission by the French Government in 1850. Its purpose was to study the eventual setting up of a settlement and penal colony.
This mission had a tragic ending in the North of Grande Terre in Yenghebane island. Many officers and sailors were killed and eaten by the natives.
Napoléon III instructed several French war ships to carry-out annexation of New Caledonia, with the provision that this had not been previously done by Great Britain. The first to arrive was admiral Febvrier Despointes who declared taking possession of Grande Terre in Balade on 24th September 1853.