Melanesia, May 2025

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Photo Gallery for Papua New Guinea

We docked at Rabaul on the evening of Thurs 29th May, the first of 7 visits to PNG.

Our first excursion followed on the same evening, a convoy of minibuses with guides took us to the Baining area where we were to witness the famous Fire Dance.

Sailing into Rabaul harbour in the afternoon, the blackened volcano Tavurvur, which erupted in Sept 1994 can be seen in front of another, dormant volcano.

More ships at anchor in Rabaul Harbour, which is a natural harbour created from a sunken caldera during the 7th century AD.

The distinctive rocky island in Rabaul harbour is the remains of yet another volcano.

The Baining Fire Danced, where young men, specially prepared in jungle retreats, run and kick through burning embers.

It's not known how the skin is protected and whether any of the participants get any burn injuries.
A very hot and uncomfortable evening spent somewhere in the New Britain hills, under a clear star spangled sky! The air conditioned Silver Cloud ship was a welcome contrast later that night.

Friday 30th May
A tour round Rabaul

There were two minibus tours on offer, I had chosen the town tour.
We drove up to a viewing point overlooking Rabaul's spacious natural harbour.
It was a nice view.

A slightly different angle showing the geography of the northern tip of New Britain.

Next stop was at the Rababa Hot Springs, with the looming prescence of Tavurvur volcano beyond.
Islanders had set up mats on the beach to sell things. I bought three pigs made of balsa wood.

Part of the hot springs, not spectacular, but shows how volcanic activity is never far away from the northern part of New Britain.
The major eruption in 1994 forced the capital to be relocated to Kopopo, a new town some 12 miles to the southeast.

The wreck of a Japanese light tank on display near the modern day club-house adjacent to Yamamoto's Bunker, the nerve centre of the Japanese forces in the southwest Pacific campaign.

A triple machine gun turret near the Bunker.
Perhaps, I wonder whether this installation was originally installed on a Japanese destroyer?

Sunset as we sail away from Rabaul to our next destination, Jacquinot Bay.

No holiday would be complete without a self-portrait.

An important part of any cruise is the food.
This is my dessert of some sort, the pud selection was always scrumptious, I was never disappointed with my puddings!

Sat 31st May
Jacquinot Bay, New Britain

In the afternoon, I was in Group 4 doing the Zodiac cruise up the river.
Afterwards we were landed on the island at a site where there were dances, food and drink and a chance to walk down the road to a village.

The cruise was interesting, not much wildlife to see and the motor cutting out a few times.

A head had been carved into the soft limestone of the river bank at some time in the past.

A dead tree reflected in the stillness of the creek.

A thick canopy of trees competing for the light.

A kaleidoscope of greens reflected in the mirror of water.

The bailey bridge leading to the village.
We passed under it twice during our Zodiac cruise.

The welcome to the performance area was warm.
After a free beer and food in the meeting house, I watched some of the dances and then went on a walk with a group of us led by a teacher called Veronica.
We saw her village and her house under construction.
I learnt how to say 'good afternoon' in her language, 'my-o-pie' - the locals coming back from the dances were much impressed!
Later I donated some of my aussie dollars to her school.

Sunday 1st June
Kuiawa Island, Trobriand Islands, PNG

Today was a full day of activities on or near this tiny island (about 2 miles by a third of a mile). In this photo we are approaching the island.

On shore, villagers are selling their wares - clothing, wood carvings and so on near the village.

Dances take place in the pouring rain, with music, a tug of war and a few moments of a demonstration of their version of cricket.

In the afternoon I most likely did some kayaking and snorkelling, as I hadn't taken any photos.

Monday 2nd June
Tufi, Papua New Guinea

Our group did the snorkelling on Komoa Beach in the morning.
These two following photos were taken on this date.

Komoa beach?

Back to the ship after snorkelling.

Leaving Tufi as the sun sets.
Tuesday 3rd June
Dei Dei Hot Springs and Dobu Island

Well, looking back 6 years, I did the very same itinerary on the Island Sky with Noble Caledonia (21/05/19).
I decided not to revisit the hot springs, but did the Dobu visit and snorkelling in the afternoon. Below: Villagers do custom dances on the playing field.

The primary school of Dobu village.
Some of the children spoke of their school and were very positive about it.

Shell money is an important part of these islanders' heritage.
Here, a collection of these valuable items was on display for the visitors.

Almost seeming out of place in this island village setting was this concrete-built church on the edge of the village.

A trio of huge old gnarled trees edging the village.

Dobu is about 2 miles away from what is probably Normanby Island here in the photo.

I tried out a panoramic shot of the above island from my balcony.

A late afternoon zodiac trip back to the ship after snorkelling.

Wednesday 4th June
Deka Deka Island

This is our last visit to Papua New Guinea, and the last chance to do some kayaking and snorkelling. The island is hard to find on any map, it is tiny, lying off the coast of Logea Island off the eastern tip of PNG. The photo below covers about half the island.

Now looking northwest with Logea Island in the background.

Just a couple of families live on the island and keep the place nice and tidy.

Coral and shells around the coconut tree.

A final kayak session, with Jennifer taking the photographs and me doing most of the paddling.

Time to bring the sea sports to an end, Australia is too dangerous with its sea crocodiles.
I've done quite a few snorkelling sessions and been kayaking about 3 times.

It was an early and relatively brief day of activities, with the ship setting off for Australia at 11 am.
So it's a fond farewell to Melanesia.

Top of Page

We docked at Rabaul on the evening of Thurs 29th May, the first of 7 visits to PNG. Our first excursion followed on the same evening, a convoy of minibuses with guides took us to the Baining area where we were to witness the famous Fire Dance. Sailing into Rabaul harbour in the afternoon, the blackened volcano Tavurvur, which erupted in Sept 1994 can be seen in front of another, dormant volcano.
More ships at anchor in Rabaul Harbour, which is a natural harbour created from a sunken caldera during the 7th century AD.
The distinctive rocky island in Rabaul harbour is the remains of yet another volcano.
The Baining Fire Danced, where young men, specially prepared in jungle retreats, run and kick through burning embers.
It's not known how the skin is protected and whether any of the participants get any burn injuries. A very hot and uncomfortable evening spent somewhere in the New Britain hills, under a clear star spangled sky! The air conditioned Silver Cloud ship was a welcome contrast later that night.
Friday 30th May A tour round Rabaul There were two minibus tours on offer, I had chosen the town tour. We drove up to a viewing point overlooking Rabaul's spacious natural harbour. It was a nice view.
A slightly different angle showing the geography of the northern tip of New Britain.
Next stop was at the Rababa Hot Springs, with the looming prescence of Tavurvur volcano beyond. Islanders had set up mats on the beach to sell things. I bought three pigs made of balsa wood.
Part of the hot springs, not spectacular, but shows how volcanic activity is never far away from the northern part of New Britain. The major eruption in 1994 forced the capital to be relocated to Kopopo, a new town some 12 miles to the southeast.
The wreck of a Japanese light tank on display near the modern day club-house adjacent to Yamamoto's Bunker, the nerve centre of the Japanese forces in the southwest Pacific campaign.
A triple machine gun turret near the Bunker. Perhaps, I wonder whether this installation was originally installed on a Japanese destroyer?
Sunset as we sail away from Rabaul to our next destination, Jacquinot Bay.
No holiday would be complete without a self-portrait.
An important part of any cruise is the food. This is my dessert of some sort, the pud selection was always scrumptious, I was never disappointed with my puddings!
Sat 31st May Jacquinot Bay, New Britain In the afternoon, I was in Group 4 doing the Zodiac cruise up the river. Afterwards we were landed on the island at a site where there were dances, food and drink and a chance to walk down the road to a village. The cruise was interesting, not much wildlife to see and the motor cutting out a few times.
A head had been carved into the soft limestone of the river bank at some time in the past.
A dead tree reflected in the stillness of the creek.
A thick canopy of trees competing for the light.
A kaleidoscope of greens reflected in the mirror of water.
The bailey bridge leading to the village. We passed under it twice during our Zodiac cruise.
The welcome to the performance area was warm. After a free beer and food in the meeting house, I watched some of the dances and then went on a walk with a group of us led by a teacher called Veronica. We saw her village and her house under construction. I learnt how to say 'good afternoon' in her language, 'my-o-pie' - the locals coming back from the dances were much impressed! Later I donated some of my aussie dollars to her school.
Sunday 1st June Kuiawa Island, Trobriand Islands, PNG Today was a full day of activities on or near this tiny island (about 2 miles by a third of a mile). In this photo we are approaching the island.
On shore, villagers are selling their wares - clothing, wood carvings and so on near the village.
Dances take place in the pouring rain, with music, a tug of war and a few moments of a demonstration of their version of cricket. In the afternoon I most likely did some kayaking and snorkelling, as I hadn't taken any photos.
Monday 2nd June Tufi, Papua New Guinea Our group did the snorkelling on Komoa Beach in the morning. These two following photos were taken on this date.
Komoa beach?
Back to the ship after snorkelling.
Leaving Tufi as the sun sets.
Tuesday 3rd June Dei Dei Hot Springs and Dobu Island Well, looking back 6 years, I did the very same itinerary on the Island Sky with Noble Caledonia (21/05/19). I decided not to revisit the hot springs, but did the Dobu visit and snorkelling in the afternoon. Below: Villagers do custom dances on the playing field.
The primary school of Dobu village. Some of the children spoke of their school and were very positive about it.
Shell money is an important part of these islanders' heritage. Here, a collection of these valuable items was on display for the visitors.
Almost seeming out of place in this island village setting was this concrete-built church on the edge of the village.
A trio of huge old gnarled trees edging the village.
Dobu is about 2 miles away from what is probably Normanby Island here in the photo.
I tried out a panoramic shot of the above island from my balcony.
A late afternoon zodiac trip back to the ship after snorkelling.
Wednesday 4th June Deka Deka Island This is our last visit to Papua New Guinea, and the last chance to do some kayaking and snorkelling. The island is hard to find on any map, it is tiny, lying off the coast of Logea Island off the eastern tip of PNG. The photo below covers about half the island.
Now looking northwest with Logea Island in the background.
Just a couple of families live on the island and keep the place nice and tidy.
Coral and shells around the coconut tree.
A final kayak session, with Jennifer taking the photographs and me doing most of the paddling.
Time to bring the sea sports to an end, Australia is too dangerous with its sea crocodiles. I've done quite a few snorkelling sessions and been kayaking about 3 times. It was an early and relatively brief day of activities, with the ship setting off for Australia at 11 am. So it's a fond farewell to Melanesia.