New Caledonia Maritime Museum
The work of sea lovers
The Maritime Museum of New Caledonia is located in the premises of the former maritime station, James Cook Street, name of the yachtsman who discovered New Caledonia, coincidence?
It was created in 1994 thanks to the enthusiasm of Caledonia sea Fortunes and Solomon associations who are still at the head of his organization.
Completely renovated in 2013, the site has been redesigned to highlight each item and make the most attractive possible visit.
It is a friendly place to go with family, in fact a space is specially dedicated to children enabling them to learn while having fun. Guided tours are organized to learn more about the history of the objects and their stories.
The museum aims to trace the maritime history of New Caledonia in the Pacific and to highlight its heritage. It goes back to the time of ancient navigations such as traditional canoes, the Pacific War, and the American presence in the territory during the Second World War.
Treasures of wrecks revealed
Many treasures of maritime history museum come from wrecked ships, including those from the famous La Perouse expedition, which had been commissioned by Louis XVI in 1785. Commander La Perouse then left at the head of the two ships the Compass and the Astrolabe to conquer the seas and complete the mapping of the area.
They grounded in 1788 in Vanikoro near Vanuatu. Long surrounded in mystery, many years of research were necessary to begin to lift the veil on this drama. Over time, excavation campaigns were carried out, especially by the Solomon Association, which helped to discover approximately 2000 objects that belonged to these two iconic ships.
Today about 50% of museum objects come from shipments of these two ships, the rest comes from other New Caledonia wrecks or are maritime objects such as navigation instruments, models, objects belonging to flagship …
Temporary exhibitions also complement the permanent exhibitions.
The collection of the Maritime Museum of New Caledonia which wants to be as complete as possible, is run by sea lovers and offer us an exciting jump in time and history.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
- Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm
- Phone: +687 26 34 43
- Address: 11 avenue James Cook NOUMEA
- Price: 700 CFP per adult, 350 CFP reduced rate