The Amazing Frontier World of Papua New Guinea

Flying into Papua New Guinea ("PNG") was perhaps our most exhilarating feeling of the "unknown" of the entire trip so far. We choose PNG to really see what this remote end of the earth would be like. A little background (in case you're like us and know very little): PNG was under Australian rule until '75 and further back a variety of island colonizations leave history over much of this island chain all focused on extracting the vast resources of the area – gold, copper, forestry, fish, palm oil, cocoa etc. Our destination was a small village called Dalom, 200kms from a small airport in Kavieng on PNG's northern most island of New Ireland province. On the way up we had to do a lay-over in PNG's capital, Port Moresby, which is a city built to support the extraction of the resources and harbours a large ex-pat community. There are massive corruption problems due to a corrupt government and then an even bigger crime problem from the large disparity of wealth around the haves and have-nots created from the dealings with the international markets. Our hotel was a highly secure compound overlooking the airport and due to safety concerns we were advised to not even leave the hotel. The highlands of PNG's main island have become a lawless landscape of gun-runners, drug lords and a bushland gang culture lead by a group called the "rascals" who permeate into the cities as well. Everyone caries weapons – guns or at the least large bushknifes that are often used for things other than clearing bush. Getting to New Ireland where it is mainly plantation workers and village subsistence living changes the tone and outlook to the more passive S. Pacific lifestyle we had hoped to find. Our 3 hour drive to Dalom in the back of the truck was filled with endless waiving to the small villagers – very friendly and welcoming. Dalom is a village of perhaps 100 people built along 2km's of beach front with a village guest house which we stayed in. A family originally from Hawaii discovered the area years back when they lived in Moresby and headed to Dalom for family surf get-aways. They then struck a business deal to start bringing other surfers to the guest house. We turned out to be the last guests they would manage at Dalom as they recently secured land another 30kms down the road and are building their own guest huts at another great break that will open next year. It is a working palm and cocoa plantation which the family is already experienced with. We had fresh chocolate each night and a great lesson on how chocolate is made. (see pic of cocoa fruit with fleshy white fruit covering the pods inside). The setting at Dalom is so pristine with our guest house built on the shore of a 1km long river that appears at the base of a mountain behind the village. The large limestone formations allow the rainforest's water up in the mountains to drain and percolate through the rocks and appear randomly along the entire coastline – each river providing the basis for another village along the coast. We had a blast hiking up to the source of the river and jumping in on boogie boards to ride the river out to the ocean. It also supplies the villagers with drinking water, a bathing zone, laundry area and play area for the village – always someone hanging out and very curious about us (especially funny when the village kids mimicked Paula's yoga poses from across the river!).

The people are very friendly with strong family village structure. Interestingly in New Ireland, only women can own land, therfore retaining a great deal of power. Also striking is many have a unique look you wouldn't expect – black skinned but with blond hair! (see picture of local village kids). All seem very happy and content living off the land in the purist simplest lifestyle (note that there was one tribe discovered in the 1980's in PNGs mountains that had never seen a westerner – and there was cannibalism practiced as late as the '70's and still a law on the books for this!). The men all carry bush knives to clear the paths that overgrow constantly in the plantations (and used to solve disputes - ask Mark about the graphic bush-knife incident one of the guys he was surfing with took in at the Kavieng hostpital) and most are addicted to chewing a local stimulant, betel nut, which they mix with lime and a local mustard stick that turns their entire mouth bright red. It looks like a mouth full of blood with rotting teeth - not that pretty, but common to almost every age group and gender. Travelling through the islands was also different – planes are more like buses. No boarding passes, minimal security, unscheduled stops enroute not on our itinerary, and the locals travelling with anything and everything. (see picture of Taro Route on the luggage carousel!)

Our week was very slow, peaceful and eye opening to be able to watch how people who have only been brushed by western ways live their lives day to day. It was almost shocking to leave our hut in the morning and be in a hotel in Brisbane that night! Today we are off to New Zealand for the second to last stop on the epic journey – back to life in a campervan touring the North Island.

SURF REPORT: PNG has developed a great program to ensure long term uncrowded surf travel is developed. The boat tour operators and the land camps have banded together to set a quota program to be able to surf on the islands regions (no region has over 20 quota for any one period). I was actually trying to get to go to Nusa Island retreat for this trip – but could not get in on the quota due to the holiday and Dalom was the recommended option. Nusa is a more upscale full service setting with boats to take you to a variety of breaks – see picture of the island from the air and the amazing right point called Pikanini. This was the end of the N. Swell season in PNG but I did have waves every day in the waist to slightly overhead size range. I arrived to find a group of local expats staying for the Easter weekend and was fortunate to be able to get to ride along for a venture down the coast to a great left hander called Pitakin – apparently I was about the 12^th guy to ever surf there and that was after the 6 of them!?!? See the panorama shot of the set up off a cool rock point – where the locals were so enthralled seeing surfers they sat for hours watching every wave and hooted and cheered every time we rode a wave close to the point. The rest of the week I was totally solo, except a couple locals who have been learning to surf on donated boards (alls surfers pay reef fees that go to building local surfing clubs with boards and coaching). Shane, who leads the surf resort business for Dalom, had an unfortunate personal tragedy with his wife losing a baby and therefore I was left without transport – or boat to access the amazing surf at offshore islands 30min's offshore. His family has bought a new plantation and building a new resort ready for next year: http://www.newirelandsurf.com/ - that could be really good. I was left to surf on the Dalom Reef that is right off the end of the river's sandbar. Normally the waves break down the reef and peel really well – but the swell all week was a little too North and made it behave a little more like a shifty beach break (see pic of me on average wave) but on a very shallow reef that I felt lucky to not leave with any scars. Lots of good waves to be had – but not the long reef break waves of Bali, Tavarua I was dreaming of. Lots of sea life too – I constantly saw barracudas, tunas, sharks, dolphins, turtles, flying fish cruising the reef – nature at its best!