| Echti18:11 UTC11 Oct 2018 | Part 4/4: New Ireland (Kavieng + Boluminski Hwy)
It is absolutely worth visiting New Ireland. I experienced it as very safe, easy to travel and with lots of welcoming, helpful and friendly people.
Kavieng:
I flew into Kavieng from Kokopo and stayed at Venbert Cottage, which is (as stated in the LP guidebook) a great place to stay!
Kavieng is a relaxed town with not much going on. There are a few streets forming the city center with some shops and the usual kai bars. The local market near the harbor is nice to visit. However, you are usually not coming to Kavieng to walk around the local market but rather to experience the great diving, snorkeling and kayaking opportunities between Kavieng and Lavongai.
I went out for diving with Scuba Ventures Kavieng (also check out the drone video of my visit) and I was very happy with them. They run one dive boat, have reliable and great guides, a Nitrox filling station and good modern equipment. I was especially happy with the great job of Jason as a dive guide with excellent briefing before the dives, which can be a little bit challenging due to currents.
I went out with them for two days, visiting divesites such as Blow Holes, Echuca Patch, Pygmy Wall and Albatross passage. We also went to two sunken Japanese water planes in the Kavieng harbor. Most of the sites are within a short boat ride of about 10-20 min. Albatross passage is 1 - 1.5 hour away, but absolutely worth a visit! The current can be strong but the dive is just stunning with crystal clear water, lots of big fish (sharks, tuna, barracuda, jacks, …) and also small life! Strongly recommended!
When I went diving, there was a group of 5-8 people leaving Nusa Island Retreat for a guided multi-day kayak exploration of the islands between Kavieng and Lavongai. Apparently, it was the first time, the organizer offered this. I think, this is a great way of exploring the area.
Boluminski Highway:
The chapter in the LP guidebook gives good information on things to do and see on the highway.
The road is in amazingly perfect condition, even better than most streets in Germany! I counted pothole and got to about 10 on the more than 250 km long stretch from Kavieng to Namatanai. There are mini busses leaving Kavieng for Namatanai in the morning. Ask your guesthouse to make a reservation for you a day before you want to leave. The ride will take about 6-7 hours, so it is best to count for a full day.
Besides the LP guidebook there is good information on guesthouses on New Ireland on the website of Scuba ventures .
It is better to split the trip, e.g. into 3 days as I did.
Traveling along the Hwy is easy as you can simply stop a truck, mini-bus or car and hop on. However, almost all mini-busses going from Kavieng to Namatanai and back are full, so they will not stop. Hence, once you decided to split your trip into parts, you will need to do so. The local people are super helpful and friendly and assist you to catch your next ride along the Hwy.
I went from Kavieng to Bol village on the back of a passenger truck for 10K (3 hrs) and slept at Panatalis Dodor Beach Peles, which was under renovation, but I could still sleep there for reduced rate of 50K.
The next day, I took a ride to nearby Libba village as I wanted to have a look at the Malagan art. It turned out, that the people burned the Malagan house at Libba village with almost all the carvings of the former master carver due to ritual reasons. There was still a small Haus Tambaran with a few carvings. Unforunately, also the master carvers son was out of the village (he has a view Malagan art pieces left), so I continued to Konos village (4 Kina) for lunch at the small local market. I was told that I should go to the Tabar Islands if I am interested in Malagan art and Malagan cultures as it is still alive and performed there, but I had no time for that.
From Konos village I went to Karu village (15 Kina, 3.5 hrs, mini bus) to sleep at Rubio Guesthouse. It is a bit expensive, but a superb place to stay with tasty food, clean bungalows with your own bathroom and a great platform at the waterfront to enjoy a relaxed evening beer. They have a cocoa plantation surrounding the guesthouse and you can buy organic homemade chocolate as a tasty souvenir!
The last day I started at 7:00 am from Karu to Namatanai and went with Solwara Meri trucks to Uluputur to catch boats to Kokopo. The boats run in groups twice a day. First in the early morning (recommended!!) and the second time during noon. The boats wait for the last truck as they go in groups and belong to the same company as the trucks. The ride crossing the St. Georges Channel about 3 hrs and, including the truck transfer (3K), costs 70K. The boat crossing is a good option to save flight money, but is extremly rough on mid-day! Really crazy and painful sh...t in banana boats. Thus, I advise to sleep in Namatanai and catch the early morning boats to have most calm waters.
Best,
Alex
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| majordom16:59 UTC12 Oct 2018 | cool - when i was there the last section of the highway heading to namatanai was very rough - good to hear
it has been completed and maintained
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