Buzz’s
Comments on his trip to Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea
Well I have the miles
to get to Australia free and was able to take 3 weeks off from work, so I
decided it was time to go back to PNG. I
was in Milne Bay about 10 years earlier on the Tieta
(we were originally scheduled on the Telita but it
needed some repairs so we had a substitute) with Bob Halstead and really
enjoyed that trip. I decided to take a 10 day trip on the Star Dancer, because
I had good experiences on other Peter Hughes boats and because it fit my
schedule constraints. I planned my trip
with 3 days in Cairns to get accustomed to the time change and to explore a
little in Australia before going onward to PNG. I also planned to avoid and overnight in Port Moresby because it is not a safe place to travel and with a same
day connection to Hoskins. I planned an
overnight at Walindi Plantation Resort in case there
were any travel delays. Well it was a
good thing I did, when I got to Port Moresby Air New Guinea canceled my flight from Port Moresby to Hoskins and rescheduled me for a flight leaving at 4 a.m. the next morning.
The put us in the Holiday Inn for the night –
we only have to go through 3 security gates to enter the Holiday Inn
Compound. The next morning at 3 a.m. we returned to the airport in buses with bars on the
windows and several armed guards. Some
much for avoiding an overnight in Port Moresby and some much for getting my body used to local time. We
arrived at Walindi about 7 am after a stop and re-ticketing again in Rabaul (do not ask - it does not make any sense). So we still were in time to catch the Star
Dancer, but some much for my night at Walindi.
The Star Dancer was
an excellent choice. The boat is very
comfortable, with lots of common space and no bunk beds. Every cabin but 1 has a large picture
window. I was lucky and did not have a
roommate. The guests were all pleasant
and everyone got along well. The crew
was excellent focused on the important stuff and relaxed about everything
else. The diving was very good, great
density and diversity. We had a day of
muck diving and that was good (I really like muck diving). Upon our return back to Walindi,
they provided an excellent diner show of local music and dancing. I also took the time to take a walking tour
of a local village. My trip home was
uneventful making every connection without any drama.
Click here to learn more
about Cairns
Click here to
learn more about the Star Dancer
Click here to learn more about PNG
Click here to learn more about Walindi Plantation Resort