Opening as the first car rental company on the Pacific Island of New Caledonia in 1964, Hertz is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

In 1964, Robert Laubreaux obtained an operating license and opened New Caledonia’s first franchise to provide a cost-effective means of transportation for visitors. Since its launch, Hertz has expanded to new locations on other islands of New Caledonia and has an airport location.

“I am extremely proud that Hertz is celebrating 50 years of operation in New Caledonia,” said Claude Laubreaux, Robert’s son and current manager of the location. “It’s wonderful to know that Hertz has played an important role in helping visitors create their memories here. We started with just two vehicles and now run a fleet of 170 cars including private, off-road or utility vehicles and minibuses.”

“New Caledonia is honored to share such a milestone with Hertz,” said Caroline Brunel, New Caledonia Tourism sales and marketing director. “As well as being the first company to offer car rental services in the country, Hertz was also the first car rental company to open agencies on various islands of the country, the first to open an airport location and the first to offer GPS navigation.”