South Pacific Trip, May 2019

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(4) PAPUA NEW GUINEA Photo Gallery

Tuesday 21st May 2019.
Fergusson Island, Papua New Guinea.
The largest island of the D'Entrecasteaux group, it is volcanic in origin and continues to exhibit low levels of activity, such a hot springs and mud pools.
Soon after our arrival offshore, over a dozen canoes appeared, loaded with fruit and other goods which the islanders wished to exchange for items such as sugar or flour.
The islands hung around the stern of the ship where the loading deck is.
We had run out of pawpaw at breakfast so I expected some more to be obtained by the galley crew from the boat people.

One of many friendly villagers who greeted us onshore.
She had the tell-tale signs of betel-nut chewing, a habit of many in this part of the Pacific.

Men with spears ran and greeted us at the start of the cultural ceremony.

A local lady guide led a group of us inland to an area of geothermal activity.
There are three volcanoes on Fergusson Island, though in this area the activity is confined to a line of hot springs and mud pools in the jungle.
Here was one such hot spring, which would gush up for few seconds every few minutes.

I'm talking to the guide as we stand near an area where several hot springs had created a veil of steam above the flat mineral deposits.

An inviting blue pool which could boil any animal or person alive.

Another hole sends up a spurt of hot water.

One of the larger blue pools.
Villagers actually use the geothermal pools and holes to cook their food.

Back in the village, male and female dancers in traditional costume (which often means almost NO costume) entertain us.

The local English teacher strums his guitar as the dance troupe join the party.

The local diva with red teeth from chewing betel nut beckons me onto the dance square.
Will Rik take up the offer of a dance?

Of course! I have still much to offer with my classic 1970's dad-dancing.
I even did a bottom wiggle, which had the local women and children in fits of laughter.
Having set an example, more guests take to the dance floor.
A second woman later asked me to dance so I accepted and did another twirl.

Some local children blow raspberries in front of the camera.

Guests start to return to he ship for lunch.
This afternoon there will be a visit to a nearby smaller island for a welcoming ceremony and then a swim or snorkel session out over the reef.

The ship sails down the Dawson Straight with our afternoon destination, the volcanic Dobu island in the distance, on the left behind a headland.

I decided to miss out the village visit, but here two of the Zodiac drivers take a full boatful of local children on a trip out on the sea.

With a second wave of Zodiacs heading out towards the island I had finally been in a position to get my snorkelling gear together and my swimwear on as we head towards Dobu.

At long last, with my cut ankle now healed sufficiently, I prepare my flippers and snorkelling mask for another attempt at seeing something worthwhile below the water surface.
It was well worth waiting for. Here is a picture of the kind of living coral formations down there at between 3 and about 10 feet deep.
I saw two long grey Hawaiian needle fish, those two sightings themselves made the whole session worthwhile, it was a fantastic experience, the best of my very few snorkelling experiences.
The day after the ship's doctor removed the stitch from my ankle wound and things look rosier.

I don't remember seeing this particular Clown fish but someone else with a camera obviously did.

In the early evening we set sail from Dobu Island and head for our second PNG destination, which would turn out to be not the expected place.

Wednesday 22nd May 2019.

A change of plan is needed.
After a death of a village elder on Bonarua Island, and the wishes of the local population not to have visitors at this time of mourning, it was decided by the captain and expeditionary leader to find an alternative program for the day.

The island of Suau was chosen, along with a proposed Zodiac cruise up a river within a mangrove area on the PNG mainland on the other side of the strait from Suau. After lunch we boarded the Zodiac fleet and in this picture I'm in the boat driven by Phanoras we move close to the shore at this village on the mainland.
We waved to the local villagers, though didn't land.

Shortly afterwards we withdrew as another Zodiac was approaching the shore and headed along the coastline to find the mouth of the mangrove river.

Here is another boat moving close to the village.

Having located the river, Craig driving the Zodiac ahead of our boat, leads our small flotilla up the muddy river.

At this point we are fourth in the line, following Seb and another driver.
Along the banks is mud and mangroves, not a lot of wildlife, though we did see a large mud skipper which we startled as well as several kinds of small crab.

The photographer's boat here is up a side channel amongst the mangroves as another boat continues up the river.

The mangrove roots are densely packed on the muddy banks, it would be very hard to move through this tangle of vegetation if one was marooned up here.

With the tide going out, the water level in the river was going down so all boats were instructed by Craig to head back to the sea and continue on to the village of Suau on the opposite shore.

This is our boat, I am at the front, on the port side of the boat.

After leaving the river, Phanor made an error of judgement trying to navigate the shallows and his boat got stuck on a mud bank.
Phanor tried everything to get us off, but it looked like we would need to be rescued.

However, as Craig's boat was heading back towards us, Phanor asked us all to jump up and down in the boat while he steered the outboard motor.

After a spell of leaping from us he managed to drive the boat into the deeper channel, so we were able to proceed on to Suau Island.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this little adventure and it made my day!

Here we are approaching the jetty at the island of Suau.

This was a captive possom that Craig and Sam had been told by the villagers was here.
Before photographing this particular creature, the three of us had been up a steep hillside nearby looking at a specimen of a Boa Constrictor which had been reported by villagers to be up near a tree .
It was indeed a Boa but only about a foot long!
Couldn't imagine that swallowing a pig whole.

Some young lads enjoying the attention and larking about on the jetty.

Three young girls, one of whom had a small kitten sitting on her head.
Well, what's so odd about that?

Lots of helpers around to get one of the boats away from the sand as we begin the exodus back to the ship.

A Zodiac approaching the stern of the 'Island Sky' for disembarkation.
Afternoon tea awaited us on board as the ship weighed anchor and got going again for our final destination - Cairns in Australia.

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Tuesday 21st May 2019. Fergusson Island, Papua New Guinea. The largest island of the D'Entrecasteaux group, it is volcanic in origin and continues to exhibit low levels of activity, such a hot springs and mud pools. Soon after our arrival offshore, over a dozen canoes appeared, loaded with fruit and other goods which the islanders wished to exchange for items such as sugar or flour. The islands hung around the stern of the ship where the loading deck is. We had run out of pawpaw at breakfast so I expected some more to be obtained by the galley crew from the boat people.
One of many friendly villagers who greeted us onshore. She had the tell-tale signs of betel-nut chewing, a habit of many in this part of the Pacific.
Men with spears ran and greeted us at the start of the cultural ceremony.
A local lady guide led a group of us inland to an area of geothermal activity. There are three volcanoes on Fergusson Island, though in this area the activity is confined to a line of hot springs and mud pools in the jungle. Here was one such hot spring, which would gush up for few seconds every few minutes.
I'm talking to the guide as we stand near an area where several hot springs had created a veil of steam above the flat mineral deposits.
An inviting blue pool which could boil any animal or person alive.
Another hole sends up a spurt of hot water.
One of the larger blue pools. Villagers actually use the geothermal pools and holes to cook their food.
Back in the village, male and female dancers in traditional costume (which often means almost NO costume) entertain us.
The local English teacher strums his guitar as the dance troupe join the party.
The local diva with red teeth from chewing betel nut beckons me onto the dance square. Will Rik take up the offer of a dance?
Of course! I have still much to offer with my classic 1970's dad-dancing. I even did a bottom wiggle, which had the local women and children in fits of laughter. Having set an example, more guests take to the dance floor. A second woman later asked me to dance so I accepted and did another twirl.
Some local children blow raspberries in front of the camera.
Guests start to return to he ship for lunch. This afternoon there will be a visit to a nearby smaller island for a welcoming ceremony and then a swim or snorkel session out over the reef.
The ship sails down the Dawson Straight with our afternoon destination, the volcanic Dobu island in the distance, on the left behind a headland.
I decided to miss out the village visit, but here two of the Zodiac drivers take a full boatful of local children on a trip out on the sea.
With a second wave of Zodiacs heading out towards the island I had finally been in a position to get my snorkelling gear together and my swimwear on as we head towards Dobu.
At long last, with my cut ankle now healed sufficiently, I prepare my flippers and snorkelling mask for another attempt at seeing something worthwhile below the water surface.
It was well worth waiting for. Here is a picture of the kind of living coral formations down there at between 3 and about 10 feet deep. I saw two long grey Hawaiian needle fish, those two sightings themselves made the whole session worthwhile, it was a fantastic experience, the best of my very few snorkelling experiences. The day after the ship's doctor removed the stitch from my ankle wound and things look rosier.
I don't remember seeing this particular Clown fish but someone else with a camera obviously did.
In the early evening we set sail from Dobu Island and head for our second PNG destination, which would turn out to be not the expected place.
Wednesday 22nd May 2019. A change of plan is needed. After a death of a village elder on Bonarua Island, and the wishes of the local population not to have visitors at this time of mourning, it was decided by the captain and expeditionary leader to find an alternative program for the day. The island of Suau was chosen, along with a proposed Zodiac cruise up a river within a mangrove area on the PNG mainland on the other side of the strait from Suau. After lunch we boarded the Zodiac fleet and in this picture I'm in the boat driven by Phanoras we move close to the shore at this village on the mainland. We waved to the local villagers, though didn't land.
Shortly afterwards we withdrew as another Zodiac was approaching the shore and headed along the coastline to find the mouth of the mangrove river.
Here is another boat moving close to the village.
Having located the river, Craig driving the Zodiac ahead of our boat, leads our small flotilla up the muddy river.
At this point we are fourth in the line, following Seb and another driver. Along the banks is mud and mangroves, not a lot of wildlife, though we did see a large mud skipper which we startled as well as several kinds of small crab.
The photographer's boat here is up a side channel amongst the mangroves as another boat continues up the river.
The mangrove roots are densely packed on the muddy banks, it would be very hard to move through this tangle of vegetation if one was marooned up here.
With the tide going out, the water level in the river was going down so all boats were instructed by Craig to head back to the sea and continue on to the village of Suau on the opposite shore.
This is our boat, I am at the front, on the port side of the boat. After leaving the river, Phanor made an error of judgement trying to navigate the shallows and his boat got stuck on a mud bank. Phanor tried everything to get us off, but it looked like we would need to be rescued. However, as Craig's boat was heading back towards us, Phanor asked us all to jump up and down in the boat while he steered the outboard motor. After a spell of leaping from us he managed to drive the boat into the deeper channel, so we were able to proceed on to Suau Island. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this little adventure and it made my day!
Here we are approaching the jetty at the island of Suau.
This was a captive possom that Craig and Sam had been told by the villagers was here. Before photographing this particular creature, the three of us had been up a steep hillside nearby looking at a specimen of a Boa Constrictor which had been reported by villagers to be up near a tree . It was indeed a Boa but only about a foot long! Couldn't imagine that swallowing a pig whole.
Some young lads enjoying the attention and larking about on the jetty.
Three young girls, one of whom had a small kitten sitting on her head. Well, what's so odd about that?
Lots of helpers around to get one of the boats away from the sand as we begin the exodus back to the ship.
A Zodiac approaching the stern of the 'Island Sky' for disembarkation. Afternoon tea awaited us on board as the ship weighed anchor and got going again for our final destination - Cairns in Australia.