The Astrolabe (Duperrey's old ship the Coquille, renamed in honour of La Pérouse) sailed from Toulon in April 1826. Dumont d'Urville was instructed to explore the principal island groups in the South Pacific, completing the work of the Duperrey voyage, on which the commander himself had been a naturalist. Because of his great interest in natural history, huge amounts of scientific date and specimens were collected, described and illustrated in sumptuous folio atlases. The expedition sailed via the Cape of Good Hope, through Bass Straits, stopped at Port Phillip, and arrived at Sydney on December 1, 1828.

The Astrolabe (Duperrey's old ship the Coquille, renamed in honour of La Pérouse) sailed from Toulon in April 1826. Dumont d'Urville was instructed to explore the principal island groups in the South Pacific, completing the work of the Duperrey voyage, on which the commander himself had been a naturalist. Because of his great interest in natural history, huge amounts of scientific date and specimens were collected, described and illustrated in sumptuous folio atlases. The expedition sailed via the Cape of Good Hope, through Bass Straits, stopped at Port Phillip, and arrived at Sydney on December 1, 1828.

The expedition sailed for New Zealand in January 1827, explored Tasman Bay, found a pass between an island in Cook Strait and the northern shore of South Island (the island consequently named d'Urville and the strait "French Strait") and worked up the coast of North Island, completing the "most comprehensive exploration of the islands since Cook's death". They made Tonga in April 1827, explored the Fiji archipelago, New Britain and New Guinea. In November, after a stop at Amboina, they coasted along the northwest coast of Australia and reached Tasmania. In 1828 they continued to Vanikoro in search of traces of La Pérouse, and stopped at Guam in the Marianas, before returning via the Cape of Good Hope, reaching Marseille on March 25, 1829.

"The Astrolabe entered Tolaga Bay in early February, and was of much interest to local Māori. Many waka came to view the boat and the crew were pleased to replenish supplies there. Officers went ashore to make observations, as did de Sainson and the naturalist. D'Urville made an interesting observation regarding the naming of the Bay, "It is worthy of remark that the names of Tolaga...are quite unknown to the Natives; but it has long since been averred that Cook, so full of sagacity otherwise, had little aptitude in acquiring the names of the peoples he visited, and, above all, in representing them in writing. The true name of the bay, Tologa, or, at least, of the district which surrounds it, is Houa-Houa, and it is that which we have adopted." Houa-Houa was the French attempt at Uawa, the Māori name for the area. This plate depicts local Māori interacting with crew men, beyond them to the right is a hut and to the left a waterfall." (Auckland Art Gallery online caatalogue).