Long before European ships appeared on the horizon, New Ireland had been home to Melanesian peoples for thousands of years. The first settlers arrived as part of a wave from the Malay Archipelago around 50,000 years ago, followed much later by Austronesian peoples from the north who brought new languages and traditions around 3,500 years ago. This mixing of cultures occurred right here in the Bismarck Archipelago before spreading to other Pacific islands - making New Ireland one of the most significant crossroads in the entire human story of the Pacific. 

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The island's indigenous people developed one of the most distinctive artistic and spiritual traditions in the Pacific, known as the Malagan. The word Malagan refers both to the elaborate wooden carvings created for ceremonies and to an entire system of traditional culture unique to New Ireland. Considered one of the most sophisticated carving styles in the South Pacific, Malagan works take the form of friezes, masks and sculptures depicting continuous narrative - used in ritual ceremonies honouring the deceased and in initiation rites. Examples of these extraordinary carvings can be found in museums around the world, yet their true home remains right here. New Ireland alone is home to over thirty distinct languages - a reflection of just how deep and diverse its cultural roots run. 

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Prior to European contact, the indigenous people of New Ireland practised animistic beliefs centred on spirits inhabiting natural features and ancestor veneration, expressed through elaborate ceremonies and carvings. Art-pacific

 

Dutch explorers discovered New Ireland in the 1500s, and it was 1877 when the first missionaries arrived. The development of copra (coconut) plantations soon followed and it became one of Germany's most profitable colonies. During World War II, Kavieng and New Ireland fell to the Japanese and many of the island's towns, infrastructure and industry were destroyed.

 

Nowadays New Ireland is an island paradise of sandy white beaches, coral encrusted lagoons, clear springs, flowing rivers and soaring mountains running the entire length of the island. The locals are warm and friendly Melanesian people — most being fairly religious in orientation — and English is widely spoken and understood, particularly by the young to middle aged.

 

A good quality bitumen highway links north to south, stretching approximately 300km along the scenic eastern coastline. The Kavieng area hosts a myriad of islands that form the Bismarck Archipelago, with waters typically sheltered and easily accessed by boat.