Plage de Mahamat - New Caledonia - Exceptional Trees on Waymarking.com

On 7 September 1774, Captain James Cook, the great explorer of the South Pacific, disembarked in Balade, near the Pouebo River, onto the land that he had just named New Caledonia. Nearly 70 years later, on 21 December 1843, Monsignor Douarre followed the same route and disembarked from the Bucéphale to celebrate the first mass in New Caledonia, on the edge of Mahamat Beach. Some days later, the first Christmas mass was celebrated not far away, under the banyan tree which still shelters a chapel and an altar today.

On 24 September 1853, in Balade, Rear Admiral Février-Despointes signed the official deed by which France took possession of New Caledonia.

Several hundred metres off the beach, a stone rises above the crystalline lagoon, commemorating the navigator Huon de Kermadec, another great explorer, who died from tuberculosis when he put in at Balade in 1793 on his route searching for the lost Lapérouse expedition.

This highly symbolic place historically is also a pretty, pleasantly shaded beach bordered by secular banyan trees which have seen all the events related above occur.

Genus/Species: Banyon Height: 70 Girth: 30 Method of obtaining height: Reliable source Method of obtaining girth: Reliable source Location type: Other public property Age: 170 Historical significance: As per page write-up Parking coordinates: S 20° 17.688 E 164° 29.154 Walk time: 1 Planter: Not listed Website reference: Not listed Photograpy coordinates: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
A closeup picture of your GPS receiver in your hand, with the tree in the background, is required. If the tree is on private property, this closeup photograph with the tree in the background may be taken from the nearest public vantage point without actually going to the tree.
The required photograph does not need to show the entire tree, but the individual tree must be recognizable.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/21/2015 waiiti20 visited it