Papua New Guinea 63
But one expeditionary cruise line is working hard to open the country to tourists, to funnel much needed hard currency into the islands while changing perceptions of this wild west of the Pacific. Orion Expeditions, a single-ship cruise company founded by Australian business woman Sarina Bratton, offers unique cruising itineraries to some of the Pacific’ s furthest flung corners, including the Kimberleys of Western Australia, East Timor, eastern Russia, Antarctica, and Papua New Guinea’ s stunning southeast. They specialise in a type of cruising that’ s equal parts soft adventure and comfort, with an emphasis on authentic encounters with people, wildlife and culture rarely witnessed by outsiders.
Orion is the perfect non-cruiser’ s cruise ship. Unique in expeditionary circles because of its levels of luxury, Orion is intimate and beautifully-appointed. Catering to only 99 passengers – more than most adventure ships but a fraction compared to mainstream cruisers – she combines the elegance of a private yacht with the durability of a working vessel, complete with ice-strengthened hull. Guests can lounge in their spacious staterooms – Owner’ s Suites come with living spaces and Juliette balconies, perfect for early morning port arrivals – sample fine dining degustation menus and al fresco barbecues under the stars, and even while away their downtime in the outdoor jacuzzi. However, when the ship comes to port, it’ s all action, with zodiacs craned from the top deck and expeditions launched from the
transom. Evening debriefs combine cocktail hour with lectures on biodiversity and culture by the multi-talented expeditionary team.
Papua had always been on my personal bucket list, as well as that of my brother Daniel. Growing up in New Zealand, we had heard all the myths and legends trickling down from this distant Pacific island and jumped at the opportunity to explore this wild landscape by sea rather than tackling the limited network of often treacherous inland roads. As an expeditionary ship, each day on Orion features activities and excursions on a fleet of powerful French military-grade zodiacs, including‘ wet’ beach landings, river cruises and village visits, interspersed with lectures and presentations by a knowledgeable expeditionary team made up of biologists, photographers and adventurous spirits.
Our first taste of life in PNG, on our 11-day cultural odyssey, which reached from Cairns in Australia to Rabaul on the volcanically-active island of New Britain, is Alotau in Milne Bay, one of the few towns along the southeastern coast of Papua New Guinea. Despite its dusty roads and dilapidated markets, it remains a major hub for the hundreds of villages scattered throughout the bay and the off-shore islands. Milne Bay also saw extensive fighting between Allied and Japanese forces, including a decisive victory by Australian soldiers over attacking Japanese marines. A memorial for the allied soldiers who lost
“ The bright white eyes, dark cocoa skin and tribal facial tattoos of the stallholders captivate the camera lenses of the Orion passengers and offer a tantalising first taste of this mesmerising country.”
their lives remains a telling reminder on the town’ s now serene foreshore.
I follow Justin Friend, Orion’ s operations manager, into town on one of his fascinating guided walks. A bellowing, towering Australian with a keen eye and a seemingly limitless knowledge of Papua, Justin spent many years living in the Highlands, was married to a Papua New Guinean woman, and speaks fluent pigeon, the sing-song, phonetic-inspired dialect of the islands. His love for PNG and its people is contagious – he can barely leave the port without people yelling out his name with a wave and a smile – and he always accompanies the line’ s itineraries in Papua.
Alotau is best known for its lively markets, where villagers from the province gather to sell produce, carvings and the most prized commodity of all, betel nuts, which are chewed by virtually everyone in Papua New Guinea, resulting in plenty of teeth and gums stained a bloody red hue. The bright white eyes, dark cocoa skin and tribal facial tattoos of the stallholders captivate the camera lenses of the Orion passengers and offer a tantalising first taste of this mesmerising country. www. jetsetter. hk