Papua New Guinea accounts for just one per cent of the Earth’s land area. Yet that is enough to offer a fascinating diversity, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. Part 1: Are the islands in the north of the Bismarck Archipelago a dangerous area?
The swell crashes thunderously against the outer reef; we gaze along the line of breaking waves, yet not even the tiniest islet or rock protrudes from the water – we have dropped anchor in a coral atoll in the middle of the Western Pacific, with no land in sight.
A boat full of men is heading towards us
“Look, over there on the east side! That white dot!” We fetch our binoculars: the wreck of a fishing boat is standing upright on the reef; it still looks quite new. Astonished, we watch as a dot breaks away from the wreck and heads in our direction.
Amazement turns to consternation as the object draws nearer and turns out to be an open boat full of men. Roncador Reef lies on the border between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands; the nearest island is 40 nautical miles away.
We have read the warnings
What’s a boat doing out here? What could they be up to? Surely nothing good. We’ve read travel warnings about Papua New Guinea on cruising websites; last year, a solo sailor was murdered by locals on the mainland and his boat was sunk.
My stomach clenches; I feel a chill of fear. I rush below deck and fetch the pepper spray from its hiding place. They’re already here. Are the men going to ram the ‘Pitufa’ and jump on board brandishing machetes? No, they’re waving and pulling up to have a chat with us.
With a smile, they offer us some fish
It turns out they’ve come from the neighbouring atoll to gather sea cucumbers. They’re staying for a week and are camping on the wreck whilst they’re here. Laughing, they offer us some freshly caught fish. For free. Ashamed of our paranoid reaction, we rummage sheepishly through our gift box and return the favour with a fishing hook and line.
Papua New Guinea, which accounts for just one per cent of the Earth’s land mass, is home to an incredible seven per cent of the world’s biodiversity. It is the third-largest island nation in the world and also the most populous in the Pacific – although the exact population is unknown, with estimates ranging between 12 and 17 million.
An incredible 800 languages
The country is characterised by its cultural diversity. Traditional ways of life are still practised in remote areas. There are an incredible 800 languages, but Tok Pisin, an English-based pidgin language, serves as a common means of communication and, fortunately for visitors, is quite easy to learn!
If you want to get to know the country, you have to head inland, up into the mountains to the ‘wild’ tribes. That’s what we did in 2005: despite travel advisories and warnings from expats, we travelled like the locals, by lorry up the ‘Highlands Highway’ – an unpaved road through the rainforest, past mining areas and through simple villages.
We returned after 20 years
We were given a warm welcome everywhere – although a friendly smile in Papua New Guinea can seem a bit daunting at first: Many people have bright red, rotten teeth and spit out a liquid that strongly resembles blood – it’s the juice from betel nuts, which almost everyone here chews. Nothing happened to us. Instead, we fell in love with this wild, unspoilt country and its people.
We vowed to return soon, but in the end it took 20 years. Visiting Papua New Guinea under your own steam is a completely different experience to travelling with a rucksack, because a gleaming yacht full of expensive gadgets and obvious wealth (even the most ramshackle, oldest and most spartan sailing boat is pure luxury compared to the homes of poor villagers) is far more likely to attract the wrong sort of attention.
We’re heading for the remote north
We therefore decided to avoid the main islands and stick to a route along the remote islands to the east and north. We also fitted metal struts across all the hatches so that we could leave them open safely at night, installed lights triggered by motion sensors, and secured everything on deck with padlocks to avoid attracting thieves.
Part 2 of the feature will follow shortly.
Christian Tiedt
Editor Travel