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Published: October 30th 2015
Kawanasausau at dawn
Not many made the early morning trip to deck 14, but we always found this time of day provided different images from the swaying palm trees and dancing ladies that appear in promotional material.Doini Island is one of only a few privately owned islands in the region, and is located a little south east of Alotau which was our first port of call in PNG. It is a resort, and those staying here arrive by transfer jet boat from Alotau, sail in themselves, and maybe land on the Islands airstrip. There are no commercial flights to this resort.
The Island is largely untouched, can be walked around or maybe climb to an observation point in the centre of the island. Normally Marg and I would have climbed to the lookout. But the track had many steep steps and rocks to climb, and I had a grumpy knee, so we stayed on the coastal flat. The beaches here are white sand, water warm and clear all year round, great for scuba diving and fishing.
So what happens when Pacific Dawn arrives and unloads a couple of thousand cruislings on the beach? Well, the 100 population swells instantly as folk from several adjoining islands such as Samuria arrive and set up a market, and they are here well ahead of us. The resort coffee bar does a roaring trade, and the cruislings spread out
Another P&O postcard location
We often see alluring travel photos of ships anchored off beautiful beaches. Well, anyone can get any number of these pictures at Doini Island while enjoying the music from a local band from the café. around the market enjoying the sights and sounds.
It was here that we saw cuscus. I'm not referring to that sticky tasteless grain that is supposed to be a wonder food, but a cute, fury marsupial possum. More on that later.
To get from Kiriwina to Doini Island, Pacific Dawn had to sail through Kawanasausau straits. This is an old navigational route between many islands east of Alahou. Some cruises pass here during the middle of the day and run a commentary to give a little history. We entered the area at sunrise, and sadly not any information from the ship. From a navigational point of view, this narrow strait has a tidal flow averaging 6 knots, so I am sure the Captain was busy keeping us safe, but surely one of the entertainment team could have provided some detail. I must admit one thing confused me about this strait. I heard it referred to as China Strait, but the ship's daily news referred to it as Kawanasausau Strait. One reference seems to indicate that Kawanasausau = 'China'. If you have better information, let me know. Next, I have been trying to locate a map of the area
Sun is up
It is hard to convey the early morning beauty in words, but it was well worthwhile doing the early rise routine. which maybe names many of the small islands (and bigger ones) we sailed passed. The straits seem to pass by Sabrina and Samarai Islands and the main island of PNG. Our final destination of Doini Island is south of the strait.
As we sailed through the strait and the surrounding islands we could see little villages tucked into the trees, mostly right on the shore line. David was pointing out areas in the hills that had been cleared for a veggie patch, or maybe to get timber to build a house. Just like Alotau, these guys fell timber and build a house in a week. Some of the settlements have western style buildings, Samarai being one. We met an Australian lady (now in her 50s?, but looked 35) who went to school on Samarai Island, and this was her first return visit for many years. She had arranged for a motor boat to take her from Doini back to Samarai for the day. She had a ball meeting some folk she knew from school, and the grandchildren of several folk who were community leaders 40 years ago.
I showed her a hand carved dolphin I had bought at
Swaying Palm Trees
Tucked in the trees, someone lives here, but there is no urban sprawl. Doini, and asked about the wood used. The lady I purchased it from lived on an island just off Samarai, and had referred to the wood as being kerosene wood. She had a look and told me that kerosene wood is a native PNG walnut, dark, oily and very hard. She went on and told me that most likely it was carved by a member of such and such family who were well known locally for their wood crafting skills. Naturally, in a couple of days I would have to declare this at customs. This lady said that I should not end up in jail for importing this item.
Now about those cuscus. They are nocturnal, live in the tree tops, and mostly eat vegetation. They are marsupial with mum giving birth after just a couple of weeks, and the joey crawls into the pouch which is home for the next 6 months. There are a variety of colours. The one photographed here as grey and tan tones and quite young, but we also saw a full sized spotted cuscus. For 5 Kina it would sit on your shoulder for a photo. It was actually resting in a cage
A myriad of islands
Kawanasausau Strait. when we saw it.
This day also happened to be Mary's birthday. Everyone except Mary knew a birthday cake was arriving after dinner, but M was determined to have a desert, so we all followed on and in the end over ate again. Chris delivered the cake to our table, and summoned the whole dining room to sing happy birthday. While the singing quality was below studio quality, the moment was enjoyed by all. Oh, some guy then called out 'Aussie Aussie Aussie' with the resultant echo from around the dining room, 'OI OI OI' followed by good natured laughter. That was important as Mary is a POM, but now well loved and accepted here in Australia.
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Mum & Dad
non-member comment
And still they come!
As good as a travel book getting educated free of charge. Good effort again.