Thursday 11 September – New Ireland guided tour

Firstly apologies for all the weird purpleviper test emails you may have received and for your patience waiting for the new blog. It is all live now, and hopefully sending you automatic emails with each new blog. If you want to catch up with what we have been doing the last few weeks from August 24, please log into the website sailingpolepole.com if you have forgotten the password send me a WhatsApp. Also let me know if you have any issues.

Jen on Profasea had organised a trip around a few sites on New Ireland. With Gran, Judith, and Profasea crew there were 7 of us on the tour, we had a very nice air conditioned minibus to take us around. We travelled for nearly two hours south down the coastal road of New Ireland. Lovely to see such neat villages with well kept garden and verges, it reminded me of Samoa. There were also miles and miles of Palm oil plantations, these palms get covered in epiphytes which is quite interesting. There is a big pulping station somewhere near Kavieng where they press the fruit (date like) into oil to ship. Our first destination was to an eel sanctuary, in a place called Laraibina. We had been told to bring some tinned fish to feed the eels. We arrived at this very clear fresh stream, the owner tipped a couple of tins of fish in the water and within seconds we had huge eels swarming around us. They were like the dogs, they liked to brush up against our legs, particularly Rowan’s! The photos will do it more justice.

Then further down the coast to Fissoa Guest House, for a welcome swim in a gorgeous cool bright blue river. It had an amazing current passing through for the size of the river, it was a wonderful refreshing break. It was a beautiful spot, we sat on the deck and ate our light lunch they provided. A few braver members of the group swung into the river on a rope, it was much deeper than it looked.

Another few miles down the coast to Furial Look Out, a spot the Japaneses used as a coast watch during WW2. We were greeted by a lovely old lady who owned the land. She was beautifully dressed with matching frangipanis in her hair and bag. Her english was very good, she said she went to university to be a bookkeeper for the mines. She obviously had a good job and has retired back to her family land. We walked through a freshly mown path to get to the coral cliff looking down onto the sea, it was amazing colour water with blow holes puffing through the eroded coral banks. They had cut some delicious coconuts, which was a very welcome and refreshing drink for us. Then she took us to this circular coral wall. She said the centre was all filled in now, but it had steps into a cave that led down to the sea. The Japs would arrive in their submarines, the troops would get up to the land through the cave to set up their look out from the top of these coral cliffs. All sounded very credible to me, Rowan was not so sure!

By the time we got back to Kavieng it was after 3pm, after a little stop at the supermarket to stock up on more of the delicious locally made New Ireland dark chocolate. We went back to the market to buy a bit more fresh veg and fruit as we set off tomorrow for a week cruising around the archipelago here. We bought loads of delicious passion fruit, red pawpaws, tomatoes and expensive carrots. Judith and I visited the craft area with all the shell jewellery, where I bought a necklace for Grant’s mum, Natalie. She has just turned 90, and still sharp as anything. Rowan and I have always enjoyed her company over the years, she is a lovely lady.

Back to PolePole, where I needed to spend some time with my guy setting up the new blog platform, then dinner back at the resort with Grant and Judith. Another good meal with a delicious mud crab dish and an avocado with a local green leaf a bit like rocket that was very tasty.