 Detzner 's mission was also to be the first serious attempt to explore the unknown interior and to evaluate and describe its contents . The boundary between Papua and Kaiser Wilhelmsland had been broadly established by a joint British @-@ German expedition in 1909 , but the interior had not been mapped and the German colonial administration maintained that the boundary was imprecise . Since then , Papuan gold prospectors may have crossed into the German territory which , from the German perspective , made the accuracy of the border essential . Detzner had had experience in joint operations in Kamerun in 1907 – 08 and could be expected to understand the challenges faced by the previous commission ; he had a reputation as a methodical and precise engineer . Although small , he was tough and wiry , extremely focused and determined , and seemed like the right man for the job . 
