Papua New Guinea
After a month in the wilderness of Tasmania we head over to Papua New Guinea in November to continue the search for the Tassie Tiger. Fossil remains have been found in the southern highlands so we'll start there before diving down towards the Strickland River and Gulf of Papua. Wild country awaits. Daily reports will be logged here so you don't miss a moment of the fun.
19 November 2010
Obo- Fly River (FINISH)
Elevation: 9m
Word of the day: docked (as in- 'We are docked for good.")
The morning hum of mosquitoes was intense as we packed for the last day of the Tassie Tiger Hunt expedition. It was as if they'd come out in especially high numbers to mark the occasion. The last few kilometers of the Strickland River slipped past at about 8km/h just as a huge crocodile slipped in off the bank. Eyes to the front, paddle harder! Soon we rounded a bend to find a fisherman perched in a small canoe. He pointed around the corner and confirmed that Obo was klosto liklik (not far away). The current was slower but pulling against it for 7km was not easy. We stayed close to bank and paused for a swim under a tree. Obo came to life around the bend. People are here to receive compensation payments from the Ok Tedi mine and it is humming with activity. Our arrival caused a minor stir as people gathered around to hear how we'd arrived from Nomad. We arranged to stay in the guest house and found Peter a ride to Kiunga on a motor boat tomorrow. In the morning we'll try and sell the canoe because we're running very low on kina. It has been another fantastic day and it's a good one to say goodbye from...for now. This will be the last post for this year but the forum will still be running and I'll be checking in there regularly if you have any questions or would like to post your thoughts on this year's project. The home page will be worth checking in the coming weeks as I post news and more photos.
It looks like a deserted island awaits next year so I hope everyone will be back for the next instalment of adventure learning. For this year I have a list of thankyou's as long as a dugout canoe. Here goes- Nic and Bec have been the engine room of the website and the forum for the past 2 months, couldn't have done it without their help. Cheyne for putting up with me on the PNG leg, Thomas, Ekanda, Pari and Peter for guiding us through a beautiful land, Niall and co. at the Bookend Trust (support their work if you can- it helps keep projects like this alive), Kylie at Australian Geographic, Damian at the Mercury NIE, Jeannie-Marie at UTAS SET (slideshow coming up in Hobart at the Centenary Lecture 6.30pm, 9th Dec!), Philippa and Judy from Tas Education Dept, Col Bailey, Sea to Summit, Wilderness Equipment, Solution Paddling, Par Avion Wilderness Tours, Peter from Upstream Paddle, Parks and Wildlife Tas, Tourism PNG, Tasmap, Janet and Geoff Fenton, Richard Awesa, Nick Mooney, Jenni Burdon and all the forum experts... umm, who am I forgetting... scratching my head... of course... STUDENTS and TEACHERS who have participated and learnt with me along the way. Without you the whole show doesn't work at all, so thankyou for sharing your enthusiastic spirit and understanding that learning is the ultimate adventure, and it never ends. As always, it has been the best Expedition Class so far. Now, who knows where we can find a deserted island?
18 November 2010- Water lily camp- Strickland River
Elevation: 11m
Reptile of the day: monitor lizard (at lunch a monitor wandered past in the scrub. It looked like a lace monitor like in Australia- are they found in PNG?)
Another very early start with the fire going by just past 5am. Boiled up some water for rice, cup a soup and hot drinks and roll up the tents. Cheyne has a touch of the gastro and a strange rash on his leg but Peter is fighting fit. The order in the canoe hasn't changed since the first day. Peter standing or sitting at the back steering and paddling, Cheyne navigating from the middle and myself paddling and rocking the boat from the front. Around lunchtime we noticed hundreds of yellow mayflies (that's what we're calling them at least) skimming along the smooth river surface. Sometimes they flew into the air but mainly they raced around looking for a partner like hovercrafts. Flycatchers and small brown kites with white heads raced right after them for an easy feed. We are guessing that these insects emerge all at the same time, go crazy finding a mate and then die back into the river to start the cycle over again? Our camp tonight is only just above the water level in a clear patch of forest. It is obviously a place the local people use because there is a turtle pit, fireplace, low shelter and cut sticks rolling towards the swamp where huge water lilies are flowering. Peter says the Lake Murray people are known for gathering the flower heads and getting the nuts. Apparently they are like peanuts.
We made good distance today and should reach Obo by late lunch tomorrow. Last day on the water coming up... yep, we're excited.
17 November 2010- Grass camp- Strickland River
Elevation: 20m
Pigin words of the day: pekpek wara (this means poo water, or because I drank pekpek wara I have an upset tummy.)
Yep, I have the dreaded gastro tonight. It might have been from a number of sources but bad water is the most likely culprit. It's not too severe at present so it shouldn't hold us up on the charge to Obo by Friday. Because it hasn't rained for a few days we are very low on fresh drinking water and have had to boil water out of the Strickland River. This is not ideal and none of the local people drink it because a huge mine dumps tailings into it further up in the mountains. It also collects a lot of fine sediments naturally and is like a huge drainpipe into the ocean. We passed a family at a bush camp this morning and they filled our bottles and offered more cassowary. They were from the Lake Murray area and were hunting, fishing and looking after their garden of bananas and coconut. Other than a few families like that the river is completely empty of people. Parts of the bank are lined with 3m high grasses or dense vegetation. The little spot we found to camp on is a ripper with a patch of low grass and an open area under some trees and palms. A storm is brewing so maybe we can catch some fresh water off the tarp tonight. It has been a great day!
16 November 2010- Fishing camp- Strickland River
Bird of the day: White bellied sea eagle (the same species as in south west Tassie circles over the Strickland River.)
After a hearty breakfast of eggs on toast and rice bubbles we said thanks and farewell to the Talisman Energy crew and loaded the canoe for another day on the Strickland. By our estimation we can be in Obo in three days if we keep going about this speed. The river has become more twisted but the current still pushes us along at about 7km/h. With paddling added to that we can punch out 8-10km/h without too much muscle ache. The only problem today was going down a 'shortcut' which ended in a log jam and retreat against the current to the main river.
We have pulled up at a disused bush camp with some basic shelters. I've put the Dart 2 up on a platform of bark and sticks and the other two are under mozzie nets on other platforms. The mozzies are deadly here where before they were only coming out after 6pm. There are prawns heads jammed into the sago thatched roof above me- people catch them in palm baskets or nets in the river. There are also dozens of turtle eggs discarded around the camp. Looks like there was a feast here recently. Maybe only 2 more sleeps until Obo!
15 November 2010- Yavo Base Camp
Elevation: 44m
Word of the day: air conditioned (If you could only have one temperature for the rest of your life what would it be. Mine would be 23 degrees celsius.)
This is Brian. He's a big bloke and he gave us a big welcome here at Yavo base camp. Talisman Energy are doing work all around the Western Province on petroleum projects. Their forward camp happens, luckily for us, to be right smack bang on the Strickland River. We'd heard some stories further up the river but didn't know what to expect. Would there be anyone there? Would they let us take a shower? Did they have anything to eat other than sago, pineapples and paw paw? Yes to all of the above, and they've popped us in a room with air conditioning and a very comfortable bed for the night as well. Dinner will be roast pork with all the trimming and we might catch up on the news too. There's also things like jam, tomato sauce and fresh bread. Did my eyes go as big as a frying pan? Yes they did! A bit overwhelming? Yes to that as well. Okay, enough of answering my own questions (what's it called when you do that anyway?), the truth is we are very happy campers who might find it difficult to leave in the morning!
Even thought the river has slowed down and widened a lot we are making excellent progress in our leaky canoe (by the way Peter has called it the Nomad Chief), and we expect to be docking in Obo in 4 days. All eyes are on the end point now. That means the expedition is nearly over. If you haven't voted for next year's expedition on the forum, do it soon for a chance to win a free school visit. It also means I might well be back in Tassie a week early so there is a tiny bit more room for other school visits before Christmas snatches us away.
14 November 2010- Strickland River bush camp
Elevation 65m
Reptile of the day: Crocodile (How many toes does a crocodile have on each foot?)
We woke to the news that Agiwa had been successful hunting last night and have taken a small cassowary. I asked how he hunted and he showed me his bow and arrow. It's made almost entirely of bush materials with palm, bamboo and bush string. The arrow tips are metal. The meat tasted a lot like chicken and was welcomed after a fair few days on sago and fruit. What is the cassowary's status in Australia -(rare, common, endangered??)
The canoe was more evenly loaded today and felt much better to paddle from the front. I even have a backrest of Cheyne's pack. The current took us along with only light paddling at between 7-14 km/h, usually around 8-9km/h. There are very few people on the river and only a couple of small villages were passed early in the day. Otherwise it's wall to wall jungle and birds. The light was fading when we pulled in to find a camp and on the loose pebble beach was a distinct crocodile track. It could be some days old but we are camped up on the bank out of harms way anyway. The speed we are moving means we might be at Obo within a week.
13 November 2010- Deermouth hunting camp- Strickland River
River animal of the day: Cassowary (Yep, that was yesterday's answer but we saw a wild one beside the river today too.)
Last night we had a change of guides when Gilamon had a family issue. This morning we had another change when Wass couldn't find anyone to look after his children. We decided to just buy the dugout and go it alone. In a place like this having a local guide is more fun but we packed up ready to go. Wass took us down to the river with Gilamon and Peter. His canoe has a few holes which we patched with nails. Peter was keen as mustard to come and when I experienced the first light rapids I quickly hired him for the journey to Obo. I'm not shy to admit that myself and the dugout do not fit hand in glove. Cheyne has better balance but I feel as though I'm about to be rolled into the river any moment. We followed the Nomad River down to the junction with the Strickland. WOW- finally here. We continued a few kilometers to camp at the hunting camp of Agiwa Gilabe and extended family. They spend a month or two hunting for pig, cassowary or wallabies before returning to Nomad. No-one has seen or heard of anything that looks like a Tassie Tiger!
12 November 2010- Nomad R&R
Big bird of the day: These birds don't fly like an eagle and are found in Australia. Do you know what it is?
We had high hopes of buying bags of rice and tinned tuna at the local market this morning. Our food bags are virtually empty and the sago and sweet potato is hard to stomach in large quantities. No luck however and we came home with a massive lump of sago (it's like moist compacted flour), five drinking coconuts, several hands of delicious little bananas, a bag of boiled peanuts, four paw paws and two enormous pineapples. It all probably cost about $10.
We also found 2 local men willing to take us and their canoe down to Obo. It will take between 7-12 days hopefully and we leave first thing tomorrow morning. The mystery caged bird in today's photo is three years old and in another 2-3 years will be eaten like a big chicken. The feathers will be used in ceremonial dress as well. How do you think a Tassie tiger would go in a fight with this fella?
11 November 2010
Elevation: 90m
Word of the day: extreme (What is your favourite extreme sport? (mine is bog snorkelling).
It has been a day of extremes. It started with an extremely gorgeous sunrise over Mougulu as we woke to eat breakfast with the pastor. I chowed down some extremely dry sago pancake with the coffee. Next we walked along an extremely good road which was also extremely flat (compared to the mountain tracks anyway). We walked past several extremely poor villages and into the extremely hot midday sun. Our bodies heated up and were extremely grateful for water and shade when provided. At 4pm, with extremely sore feet we arrived at Nomad. By a stroke of extreme luck the government man here is letting us stay for 2 nights in an extremely comfortable and recently completed empty house.
Now it is raining extremely hard and we will get extremely wet if we try to gather firewood for the fire (to cook dinner). We may be extremely hungry tonight!
This is the end of the walking part of the PNG expedition and the end of our time with Thomas, Chief Pari and Ekanda. The word has been spread that we need 2 new guides with a big canoe to explore the Strickland River. One thing I do know is there are pukpuk's in there. Pukpuk is pigin for crocodile. If anyone out there has good info on pukpuk behaviour, diet etc, please post it to the forum... URGENTLY! And sorry for ruining what is normally an extremely useale word.
10 November 2010- Mougulu
Elevation: 262m
Pigin word of the day: bigpela ren (big storm)
The tarp is secure so I've dived in the tent to dash off the report quickly before dinner. Today started sunny and clear, blazing hot in the open garden areas and steamy hot in the forest. The walking is flatter every day so we chewed through the kilometers to Mougulu by a little after lunch, even allowing for a long swim in the river just down the hill. We found the local church pastor and he's let us set up next to the airstrip above his house. We quickly set the tarp up to get some shade from the sun. Mr Ade took me for a tour of the Tom Hoey Primary School and this is a photo of his wife processing sago. The palm is felled and the hard husk removed. Then the softer middle is crushed into a coarse grain. This is then washed through a bag with water. The fine particles (the yummy bits) fall into the tub below and settle to the bottom. After that I don't know the next step. I'm disappointed not to meet Tom Hoey himself but he's either in Mt Hagen buying parts or in Australia, depending who tells us. He must have an incredible story to tell, setting up the station and various air strips in this region as a missionary. After returning to the tents a bigpela ren smashed in from the mountains and it was all hands on deck to hold the tarp down. Lightning continues with steady rain. Welcome to the Western province, Nomad tomorrow?
9 November 2010- Habi village
Elevation: 296m
Pigin word of the day: klostu liklik (means not far)
Somehow we'd strayed off track. Actually I know why- I was in front and walked everyone to a garden house. We stopped for a break thinking we only had a few minutes to reach Habi. Ekanda took us along a log (slippery as usual) and soon we were bushed in a large garden plot. Searching around didn't help and we ended up about a kilometer off course. Luckily a local man walked past and took us back to the hut (Ekanda and Pari would have been able to as well, but it made life quicker). "Is it far" Cheyne asked in pigin as we parted. "klosto liklik' was his reply. That can mean anything and turned out to be a another hours march right when it hurt most. It's been a hot day with sunshine and we have lost much sweat.
At the village we were welcomed by Pastor John and given a unused school house to sleep in. It is heaven to be out of the weather and people are bringing peanuts, coconut and cooking bananas. To Mogulu tomorrow.
8 November 2010- Dodomona village
Elevation: 600m
Plant of the day: Kewa (the cane that was split to tie the bridge together in today's photo.)
All downhill, that's what we thought today would be. WRONG! The rain came late last night and continued heavily until 8am this morning. That delayed our start and meant the 3 main rivers we had to cross were swollen. At the first one we decided to build a bridge instead of tempting fate with a swim. It took everyone (must admit I wasn't a great help), about an hour to cut the sticks, drag them into place, lash them together and get us all across.
The leeches are magnificent in a persistent and aggressive sort of way. We passed a small village where they gave us lemons to rub on our legs. Thomas, Ekanda and (Chief) Pari are walking barefoot and are constantly scraping them off with a stick or bush knife.
After two more river crossings, both barely wadeable, we arrived here at Dodomona to a friendly welcome. It is set on top of a steep ridge with views across the foothills. Gorgeous. We're sleeping at John's house and having dinner with the pastor. Sago and shaved coconut is delicious.
7 November- Aya village rest day
Local food of the day: sago (the pulpy part of the palm is processed by hand and is a staple food of this area.)
A day of rest was called today to let our legs regain their spring and sleeping bags dry in the sun. Max is our host here and this morning we walked around the village. For the first time we could see where we'd walked and it was frightening! The landslide we climbed down yesterday is visible in the right of today's photo with Mt Haliago through the gap. The view to the south is of Mt Bosavi rising out of the plains and to the west the valleys drop away towards Nomad. The villagers can't recall anyone visiting here the way we have and it's caused quite a stir. The nearest elementary (prep-3) school is an hours walk away (local speed!). Max is the teacher and says he only has three books in the school and 120 students. There is a very basic aid post here for medical needs but basically everyone looks out for each other. Government services are a long way from here. As I finish writing this, Pari is turning a sago patty over the fire pit and Cheyne and Ekanda sleep on either side.
6 November 2010- Aya village
Elevation: 964m
Huli word of the day: kindi (means leech, eg. there are thousands of kindi creeping craftily towards my... knee.)
Outside the tent there is great excitement at our arrival at Aya. The village is perched on a hilltop at the junction (roughly) of the Western Province, Southern Highlands and Gulf Province. It is spectacular! The rain has just arrived but we have the tents up and food on the way. It's been a huge day of downhill (rainforest magic), up again (sore thighs), down again (leech heaven) and finally up to the village. If we didn't have Thomas, Pari and Ekanda we'd be lost for sure. With the drop
in altitude the temperature has risen and the forest vegetation changed.
The hillsides around here are dotted with large family gardens of the villagers. My head is buzzing with things to report but better save the battery. Let's just say it was an epic day with no Tassie tigers, one heck of a steep climb and a cool river to cross. Cheyne's knee is bagarup, Thomas' knee is bagarup, Ekanda and Pari are as tough as I've seen and we all have a few sore spots tonight. Thanks for the info on tigers liking the rain Tassie Home (from the forum)- they'd love it here right now!
5 November 2010- Mt Haliago flank
Elevation: 1930m
Bird of the day: Black sickle-bill (we can hear it but haven't seen it!)
Pigin word of the day: bagarup (pronounced bar-gar-rup it means very tired or broken. Eg. Cheyne bagarup = Cheyne is very tired)
A pile of damp sticks lies over a small fire. We are all sitting around the entrance of a low bush hut. It's been built around a huge fallen tree trunk on the track off Mt Haliago. This morning the track continued to follow a spectacularly sharp ridge over the summit of the mountain. It was slow going as we crawled under logs and grabbed handfuls of moss to steady our legs. The whole forest is green and dripping, with just a few bird calls to break the silence.
At lunch we came to a clearing which Thomas thinks is a future site for a Digicel (local mobile phone service) phone tower. We had reception on Cheyne's phone all the way to the summit from towers built for Tari and Komo! Cheyne took his boots off to dry the skin and lay back with eyes closed. Pari cheekily noted, "Cheyne bagarup!", and we all had a laugh. Later the storm came early than hoped. We paused to crounch under ponchos before deciding it would probably just keep raining and walked onwards. Ekanda skipped ahead at speed and when we caught up he'd started a fire at this hut. Cheyne and I will sleep near the fire but Thomas claims to be terrified of snakes and will take to the tent with Pari and Ekanda.
Asthe wood dries and the fire brightens, we are drying out and thinking of dinner. Rice, noodles and tinned tuna. There is talk of a few river to cross and we're still not sure how long it will take to reach Nomad. Maybe 4 days, maybe 8?
4 November 2010- Mt Haliago
Elevation: 2489m
Animal of the day: Millipede
Word of the day: Expecting
Thomas, Ekanda and Pari are squeezed into the new Dart 2 (thanks to Wilderness Equipment) and having an excited conversation next door. Thomas called out that there's not much space and the ground is uneven but everyone is happy to be sheltered from the rain.
We have climbed steadily and then steeply through rainforest to camp near the summit of Mt Haliago. On our map I think it is O'Malley Peaks. Cheyne and I weren't expecting to be going straight over the top but avoiding the thick and steep gullies is no doubt the fastest route. It is certainly the traditional way as we are following the well worn track to Nomad. Locals can walk it in 2-3 days, carrying little gear and basically jogging. With our heavy packs and less nimble feet we'll take much longer. The ground is a maze of slippery roots and fallen trees that have to be carefully negotiated. I gladly accepted the walking stick Pari cut with his bush knife this morning.
It became a race to beat the rain as we walked into the clouds with heavy thunder booming up from the Tari Valley. The 6x3m tarp went up quickly with all hands helping and we have squeezed the two tents in to have a comfortable camp. The rain finally came as promised to fill our nearly empty bottles. The smoke from the cooking fire drifts through the tent and we're all having an early bedtime! Tomorrow we start the long walk downhill towards Nomad.
3 November 2010- Tagari village (near Komo)
Elevation: 1779m
Vegetable of the week: kau-kau (sweet potato)
Word of the day: Tradition (there are over 800 traditional languages in PNG)
Hare Kulai (pictured), son of Kulai Maga, is painted here in the traditional colours of the Huli people. Cheyne and I left Richard at the end of the road near Komo and began our trek to Nomad with guides Thomas and Kulai. Up the hill on a village track we slipped a little and stopped to buy bananas for 10 toea (about 5 cents) each.
Upon reaching Kulai's village we dropped packs in the house and walked down to the river where the children collected a bilum (bag) full of water cress.
Kulai is a local teacher and can't guide us past here so his cousin Richard agreed to continue in his place. Just a moment ago Tony decided not to come and two other relatives are coming instead. We're staying flexible which is the only way to do it in PNG!
Kulai also just showed us his collection of ceremonial feathers and decorations which included an entire bird of paradise which we don't know the name for. Search for Huli wigmen to have a look. Going to be a long day tomorrow with the last mountain on the highlands to climb. There is a village on the other side but I think we'll be camping in the bush. Judging from today, the next few weeks are going to be incredible.
Don't forget to vote for next year's expedition on the forum for a chance to win a free school visit in December.
2 November 2010- Tari
Elevation: 1668m
Bird of the day: Ribbon-tailed astrapia
Work of the day: Pineapple (Does a pineapple look more like a pine tree or an apple?)
We left Mt Hagen for the long drive along the Highlands Highway. I soon had a sore neck from twisting around to see all the new tropical scenes- so very different from the isolation of SW Tasmania. People were scattered along the road selling piles of kau-kau (sweet potato), pineapples, soft drink and 2 minute noodles. The hillsides were scattered with traditional and more modern houses among the rich gardens that produce fruit, veggies and coffee.
Richard's family own the Kiburu Lodge in Mendi so we stopped by for lunch. Cheyne took the chance to interview the manager, Thomas Sena, on camera and we heard a bird of paradise cooing up the jungled hillside. The lodge has been filled with contractors from the huge LNG project for the past year but they have moved out and the bird watching tourists are moving back in.
We continued the drive to Tari (where the plane was cancelled yesterday), stopping at Tari Gap. It is 2700m above sea level and was REALLY COLD! The birds were chirping away on the hillside and as I looked up a ribbon-tailed astrapia (Cheyne identified it) was dragging its long white tail feathers across the sky- amazing.
We haven't quite made it to Komo and are at a guest house in Tari tonight. Walking tomorrow perhaps?
1 November 2010- Mt Hagen
Plant of the day: City flower (it's a large yellow flower that is named city flower because it was introduced from the area around Port Moresby.)
Word of the day: Cancelled (If you could cancel one day in history, which would it be?
It has been a day of whoopsie-daisie's. We arrived at Port Moresby domestic airport to discover the flight to Tari was cancelled due to 'civil unrest'. The landowners in Tari have shut the airport while they continue to negotiate payments related to the huge LNG development. Whoopsie-daisy!
Off to the Air Nuigini ticket desk to make a new plan. With sweat dripping off my nose and Cheyne on the phone to Richard Awesa (organising guides in Tari) we decided to try to reach Mendi. The plane was full so no room for us. Whoopsie-daisy!
Next closest airport was Mt Hagen and Richard advised he would drive the Highlands Highway and meet us there. There were seats on the flight for 12.00 so we grabbed them. Woo-hoo, on our way!
The flight departed on time and we arrived in a slightly cooler and thunderously wet Mt Hagen airport to await our packs. The passengers trotted off with bags, bilums and bottles full of stuff but there were no packs. Whoopsie-daisy!
Off to the Air Nuigini ticket desk for an explanation. Yep,they were left in Port Moresby but would be on the 4pm flight today. Small woo-hoo for us. We checked into a motel and Richard has driven since 4am to meet us finally. They had a flat tyre on the way which counts as another whoopsie.
Our plan is to drive to Mendi in the morning, pick up our guide(s?) and continue to Tari and Komo by road. It's been a long day but we're closer to where we need to be- in the jungle- than we were this morning so it's been a good one.
31 October 2010- Port Moresby
Hotel of the day: The Shady Rest (that's where we're staying tonight in Port Moresby)
Word of the day: Humid (When it's humid what is likely to form on your forehead?)
Hello after a weeks break in the expedition! This chap in the photo is Cheyne and he's joined me for the month in PNG with his video camera. We left Brisbane airport this morning and it was a little tiny bit humid, but when we arrived in Port Moresby it felt humid with a capital sweaty forehead! Boy this tropical air is different to the South West, I reckon it'll take a few days to adjust. Cheyne grew up in West New Britain (see if you can find it on Google Earth,so he's more used to the weather.
Tonight we'll catch up with friends from the 2008 expedition- the Chang family and tomorrow it's back to the airport to fly up to Tari. Just getting to PNG is a big adventure but tomorrow the fun really begins, I can't wait to show you what the Southern Highlands is like... actually I can't wait to find out for myself either!
Just a quick thanks to Aunty Marg and Brendan from Sea to Summit for their help in Brisbane last night.
