My Papuan adventure ended on a high note with several days down in the remote and picturesque Milne Bay Province starting in the capital of Alotau. I would strongly suggest ending the trip here as it is by far the most comfortable portion of the journey and starts to almost feel like a vacation.

EXPERIENCE

It There was a lot to do in Milne Bay and despite being robbed of a day due to flight delays, we managed to get most of it in. Highlights began with the boat ride to the resort during which nearly thirty small dolphins joined the live aboard dive shop and rode through the wake doing a natural show for us. Upon arrival we made a visit to the Skull Caves via a boat ride. Inside these caves are hundreds of human skulls, stashed away by tribal villages after being bludgeoned and cannibalized as late as the 1950’s. This was fascinating and a shocking reminder of just how remote thus part of the world really is. We stopped at another small village, these are only reachable by water, and did a hike to  modest waterfall hidden deep in the dense jungle. Led by barefoot local children wailing machetes, they pointed out some foliage along the way and the “bird eating spider.”

The next morning, we began with a 3:30am wake up call to grab a quick coffee and board the little boats en route to our morning birding activity. The boat ride was the highlight of this entire experience for me, seeing that bioluminescence was absolutely magical. These boats somehow were able to find the pull off for the beach that led to the trailhead in complete darkness and we began our 35 minute hike up through that jungles search of the illusive Bird of Paradise. Though the bird did not reveal itself on this occasion, the entire ordeal was a very memorable experience.

The day proceeded with another outing via boat, thus time about an hour and a half each way, to a private and uninhabited island called Boiboiwaga Island for lunch and water sports. The snorkeling here was some of the nicest I have experienced with perfectly calm water and that perfect depth of a very healthy reef. Though the fish were smaller, the coral was vibrant and diverse and we saw some incredible royal blue, leathery starfish. Kayaks, hiking and a walk around the island to collect shells were enjoyed by others.

One unique thing about this island is that it appears to be home to hundreds and hundreds of giant fruit bats. The swarmed the skies, disturbed by our presence, from the moment our boat arrived. I have never seen anything like it. Our stay concluded with a traditional pig roast, similar to a luau but called a momo, with an accompanying culture dance put on by the local children. I wish we had more time to relax and enjoy three ocean here, but unlike the other photographers I was with, I got to carry on to Tahiti for my honeymoon, which really quelled by concerns.

STAY

Our stay at the Tawali Resort was quintessential to our time in Milne Bay. The owner, Albert, is that former personal butler of loftier Anan and his experience in the service industry shows. This hotel is tremendously difficult to get to but the complex logistics seem to be well managed. From the tiny airport in Atoult, there is a two hour (horribly rough) bus ride followed by a one hour boat ride to reach the isolated resort. However, that isolation means this hotel is situated right on an incredible coral reef with beach access swimming, kayaking, snorkeling and diving. It also means visitors to the hotel truly feel like they are at an undiscovered paradise, only yet inhabited by local tribesmen living still without water, electricity, roads or cellphones. The only folks you will see aside from other hotel guests are local fishermen our on their outriggers and kids selling shells as soon as the hotel boat shows up to her known attractions. It’s an incredible, wild feeling to be this far from the things we know as “civilized”.

EAT

The food here was surprisingly delightful! The ferry boat greeted us with trays of cracked coconuts and a full seafood and tropical fruit buffet. The prawns and reef fish curries were excellent and continued to be throughout our stay. Breakfast at Tawaki was also well done with an omelet station and many buffet choices. Though the coffee was freeze dried, the bartenders were clueless and the service was non-existent, thus was by far the best dining of the trip outside Wewak.