Papua New Guinea part 5

We visited the Vitu Islands, and anchored inside the collapsed crater of an old volcano.  The people here had a small boat-building business.



We had planned to snorkel and see some of the underwater life but the locals told us a crocodile had been sighted that morning lurking about so it was decided that snorkelling would be just tempting fate. We rode around in the tenders instead.



The sides of the inlet were so steep!





It was another magnificent day althought overcast and extremely humid.

The next day we took a trip in the helicopter over Mt Uluwan, which as you can see is an active volcano.



We also flew over these waterfalls in the Nakanai Mountains, which are so remote that they don't even have a name.



We also took the tenders up the river and had a really good morning tea tied up under a large tree.

The next day we arrived in Kavieng and spent the morning sitting on the beach before heading to the airport and flying back to Australia. All in all it was a gorgeous trip and definitely a relatively safe way to see Papua New Guinea, which is usually getting in the news for all the wrong reasons. The staff onboard True North were wonderful and nothing was too much trouble. The chefs were tremendous and delivered five star meals every single day. It was a pleasure to travel on the True North, and I would highly recommend it if you ever get the chance.

Papua New Guinea part 4

Ponam Island.  Just beautiful.  We had a gorgeous day visiting the lovely people of Ponam, who were so very friendly and delighted to see us. We had a look at the school and the hospital, and met the families who live on the island, which has one of the longest coral reefs in Manus Province.



While other people went scuba diving we got the ship's captain to take us for a ride in one of the tenders along the edge of the reef. A storm was coming and the scenery was spectacular.



During the afternoon we visited Rambutyo Island, where we were given a fine welcome with a Sing Sing.





The Chief of the village took his chance to give a long (and largely incomprehensible to us) speech welcoming us to the island. He looked very Chiefly.



I ate the best pineapple I have ever had in my LIFE on Rambutyo Island. And the fresh coconut water was pretty delicious too.

Papua New Guinea part 3

The Hermit and Ninigo Islands.

Lots of lagoons, atolls and reefs.  We snorkelled and lots of people went scuba diving (I don't know how to scuba dive).







In case you're wondering how I got all the overhead shots, the True North carries its own helicopter on board, and passengers can choose from a series of flights, available almost every day of the trip. I HIGHLY recommend this option if you get the chance.



We saw Pilot Whales too. Awesome stuff.

Papua New Guinea part 2

The next couple of days were spent cruising up the Sepik River.  The Sepik is 1,126km long and has a floodplain of up to 70kms across in the wet season.  It is the longest river in PNG.

 

Wherever we stopped on the river the locals would sail their boats (hollowed out logs, kayaks, bathtubs) out from their villages and come visit. We got a lot of fresh fish and fruit on board this way.



We bought some lovely artwork at this village, and the lady holding up the carving (which we bought) in this photo is the person who actually carved it. It depicts village life with the men fishing, the women working in the village and a crocodile lurking about, looking for dinner.



Our second day on the river, we visted another village and were welcomed with a huge Sing Sing.





We then took a long tride in the tenders to visit the stilt village on Lake Kambaraumba.





Judging from the looks on their faces, I don't think the two younger boys had ever seen white people before.



We then had a visit to a village with a special compound where the young men went to be initiated into the tribe. They spend three months there and have cuts made all down their backs and over the shoulders, made to resemble crocodiles. The cuts are stuffed with ash and mud and beaten with reeds daily to force the skin to raise permanently.





Women are normally not permitted but we also got special permission from the village chief to visit the Spirit House.

Papua New Guinea part 1

I'm finally getting around to writing about our trip to PNG last November.  Sorry for being so slack about it.

We flew to Cairns and stayed overnight before being picked up at our hotel by some of the lovely crew members from True North, the ship we would be sailing aboard for our time in PNG.  Being on a charter flight meant no nasty queues at Cairns airport, which is always a good thing in my book.

We arrived in Madang and were taken by coach to the boat.



Taking just 36 passengers, with 20 crew to look after us, it really is a gorgeous ship.

Our first stop was Bagabag Island, which is very pretty. Our first adventure was a helicopter flight over KarKar Island, mostly made up of an active volcano.



The villagers on Bagabag Island were simply lovely, and escorted us on a walk along the water's edge. The little kids, some of whom had never seen white people, were having the greatest time ever, it felt. Every village we visited was given a present of books and colouring pencils and footballs or other things, which were always a big hit.

This is a toilet in a typical PNG island village:


Yes, it is a hut built over the water.

Next up...

... is Papua New Guinea.  We leave on 13 November for Cairns, to board our charter flight to Madang.

Once we get there we'll be board the True North ship for 11 days of sailing around the east coast of PNG.

Looks pretty magical, right?