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Living dangerously takes on a new meaning in a place where ash and lava rocks drop from the sky. Travel editor Jim Eagles visits parts of Papua New Guinea that few tourists reach.
Trudging in the tropical heat across a vast, empty plain of black volcanic ash, we came across a crater containing fragments of a huge lump of lava. A bit further on was an even bigger crater with a chunk of solid stone at the bottom still smoking with heat. One over-eager chap tried to touch it and burned his fingers. Ouch.
"I think," said Bruce Alexander cheerfully, "we're definitely within rock range." Then he repeated his earlier safety briefing. "Remember," he said, indicating the brooding shape of Tarvurvur looming overhead, "if she blows, don't run, look up and watch for rocks so you can dodge them."
Fortunately, Tarvurvur was on its best behaviour during my visit. Mostly it restricted its activities to pumping out a huge plume of whitish smoke. There was the occasional earthshaking boom, accompanied by gigantic black clouds of rocks and ash, but none of the debris came in our direction.
Papua New Guinea is one of the most geologically active areas in the world, a place where several tectonic plates collide, resulting in numerous volcanoes, geysers, hot springs and earthquakes.
When you add the risk of being hit by a hunk of red-hot lava to the challenges posed by disease-bearing mosquitoes, the quaintly named - but far from cute - rascals and a fairly primitive infrastructure, it's hardly surprising that PNG has a scary reputation.
But its mix of unspoiled forest, prolific wildlife and extraordinarily diverse cultures also makes it a fascinating place to visit.
For those who want to enjoy the amazing sights without discomfort, a cruise on an expedition ship like the Orion - on which I was making a 10-day voyage round the PNG coast - is an ideal compromise.
You can visit places tourists rarely go and still sleep in air-conditioned rooms, sup cold beers, eat gourmet meals in an elegant dining room and steer clear of risks ... well, mostly.
The Port of Rabaul, over which Tarvurvur looms, is at the heart of PNG's geological activity. Major eruptions have been recorded there in 1937, 1941-43 and 1994, and minor outbursts occur all the time. Walking up to the volcano's base, as we were doing on one of Orion's optional outings, clearly involves some danger.
Still, our guide seemed confident that there was nothing to worry about. "I don't think anything will happen just yet," he said. "You can usually tell when a big bang is on the way."
Alexander has had a fair bit of experience with volcanoes. As well as organising volcano tours, he and wife Suzie run the Rabaul Hotel, which was wrecked in the 1994 eruption by five volcanoes that also destroyed the town. In the hotel bar there's a wonderful collection of family photos showing Rabaul as it used to be, the volcanoes erupting and the destruction which resulted.
The hotel is one of the few businesses which was rebuilt afterwards. Its welcoming oasis of cold beer, a great restaurant and air-conditioned rooms sits in the middle of a wasteland of volcanic ash. Just down the road some abandoned concrete shells, one still bearing a faded Coca Cola advertisement, show where the shopping centre used to be.
Nearby a cluster of wooden crosses sits poignantly on top of a hill of volcanic material, though in fact no one was killed in the eruption.
Further on, at what used to be the airport, are the remains of two wrecked planes dug out of the 3m thick layer of volcanic ash.
"People tried to move back after the big eruption," says local tour operator Ellis Waragat, "but it was very hard. The ash kept falling on their homes, killed the crops and spoiled the water. Some have stayed but most have gone away."
Not only the people but also the airport, the provincial capital and most commercial activity moved down the coast to the new town of Kokopo. The port and the local coconut oil plant are still at Rabaul, there are some commercial buildings and a new market, but the place is only a shadow of what it once was.
"The eruption was bad for Rabaul," acknowledges Waragat, "but it was very good for Kokopo. Afterwards all the roads were sealed, the villages got electricity and many new buildings were put up thanks to the foreign aid which came in."
Of course the eruption was also good for the tourist business since a certain kind of tourist - me, for instance - is interested in danger and destruction, and that has long been the Rabaul area's strength.
For instance, the original local people, the Baining, are best known for their fire dance, an alarming ritual designed to demonstrate equanimity in the face of volcanic fire and hence courage in the face of enemies.
For some years this dance was a star attraction at PNG's cultural festivals, but the elders of the tribe have decided it should be performed only on the land from which it grew, so you can see it only if you go to Rabaul.
Our cruise programme included a special performance on a vacant lot near the port where, as night fell, a huge fire was lit. The dancers, most wearing enormous masks made from wooden frames covered with tapa cloth, shuffled round the blaze looking like nothing so much as giant Donald Duck figures.
But if that seemed a bit funny there was nothing amusing when they started walking through the roaring fire, kicking up showers of sparks, emerging to shuffle smoking feet on the grass or beat clothes to stop them smouldering.
It seemed impossible anyone could survive the heat but the Baining kept coming back for more. When we left for the air-conditioned comfort of the ship they were still going.
Rabaul also saw plenty of danger and destruction during World War II when it was captured by the Japanese in 1942 and developed into the military headquarters for the South Pacific.
At its height this was the base for close to 100,000 Japanese troops, as well as thousands of prisoners of war and conscripted workers, who dug out an extensive network of tunnels to house hospitals, command bunkers, dormitories, garages, workshops and even submarine pens.
Visitors today can wander through kilometres of the tunnels they created, many still littered with the debris of war. There's more such debris at the East New Britain Museum which has an amazing collection of tiny tanks, huge torpedoes, artillery pieces, wrecked planes - including an entertaining example of American nose-cone art - motorcycles and trucks.
That source of destruction is long over, of course, but Tarvurvur continues to cause problems.
The day I arrived the main road between Kokopo and Rabaul was almost impassable at one point because of the thick covering of volcanic ash and workers were on the roof of the hotel clearing off the result of the latest eruptions.
"You've got to clean the roof off regularly," said Bruce, "or there's a risk of the weight of ash getting too heavy for the structure to support. It's a bit of a nuisance but it's just something you get used to when you live beside a volcano."
THE little boy with the cassowary feather headdress was the star of our welcome to the Tami Islands.
Tami consists of four islands with a population of around 600, and it gets few visitors, so just about everyone joined in the welcome when the Orion anchored offshore.
The adults, in traditional costume, with the leaders wearing fearsome pig tusks and carrying spears, and the old folk singing and beating drums in the background, produced some spectacular dances. But the highlight was the performance by the children, who were literally bouncing with excitement at getting the chance to show off their culture to outsiders.
For one dance they jumped like wallabies (which are found in PNG though not on Tami); in another they fluttered about and waved their arms like birds; and in the last dance they swam like so many very serious fish.
Most wore grass skirts, grass armbands and head bands of woven leaves and flower and they were decorated with red paint. One small boy stood out because of his marvellous headdress - I was told it was a valuable piece inherited from his father - which made him look even more ferocious than his classmates.
Fortunately he looked a lot less scary when the dancing was over and he and his mates took off their costumes to help show us round the island.
Tami's four islands are basically chunks of uplifted coral reef, though the two main ones have narrow strips of flat land round the edges. The flat coastal areas are where people and animals live, canoes and fishing nets are parked and larger food sources like sago palms and fruit trees grow.
The top of the island, simply the bare coral of the reef, has to serve as the garden. Over the centuries, people have established tiny patches of soil, about the size of large plant pots, in which they grow yams, taro and other vegetables. It's a remarkable demonstration of the human ability to settle almost anywhere, thrive in the most inhospitable surroundings and, by the look of them, to enjoy life as well.
Quick, quick," said William, our Tufi guide. "Here is one. Look here." And, sure enough, fluttering around the brilliant red hibiscus flower in search of nectar was the beautiful shape of a Queen Alexandra's birdwing butterfly, the biggest in the world.
At about 15cm across this wasn't a really big birdwing - wingspans of 30cm have been recorded - but it was big enough.
Its brilliant blue-green wings and yellow body showed it was a male. Females are the ones that grow really big and they have brown wings with white markings and a cream body.
I was so hypnotised by the magnificence of its shimmering wings that I didn't think about taking photos until it had disappeared.
Papua New Guinea has an extraordinarily rich insect life including 6000 species of butterflies and moths, and you find lovely coloured butterflies almost everywhere. Not only does it have the biggest butterfly, but also the biggest moth, the Hercules, which has a wingspan of up to 25cm.
The Hercules is relatively common - I saw several while staying at Ambua Lodge in the Highlands - but the Queen Alexandra is only found in a small coastal area which includes the Tufi fiords where we had anchored in the Orion.
The fiords were created by lava flows from three volcanoes and they are spectacular, with forest-clad walls soaring majestically from the sea, often going straight up for 100m or even 150m.
Tufi provides superb diving, masses of bird life - including hornbills, whistling kites and sea eagles - and the giant butterfly.
We made our sighting during a walk out to Suicide Pt - though William maintained that the name was incorrect and the poor chap it was named after had actually slipped while carrying a pole - spectacularly placed between two fiords.
Sadly, destruction of jungle means such sightings are becoming increasingly rare.
* Jim Eagles cruised around Papua New Guinea with help from Air New Zealand, Air Niugini and Orion Cruises.
Checklist: Papua New Guinea
Getting There
Air New Zealand is the only airline offering non-stop flights from Auckland to Cairns (four times a week) with online fares starting from $438 one-way. Air New Zealand also offers several non-stop flights a day from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to Brisbane. Online airfares start from $322 one-way.
See www.airnewzealand.co.nz.
Air Niugini has daily flights from Brisbane and Cairns to Port Moresby. Until the end of May one-way fares start at $250 from Cairns and $472 from Brisbane. See www.airniugini.com.pg.
Orion Cruises
Orion will have two PNG and Melanesian Islands expeditions later this year. The 10-night Melanesian Islands Cultures cruise starting on November 2 includes Alotau, Deboyne Lagoon, Kitava Island/Trobriands, Ghizo and Kennedy Islands, Marovo lagoon and Rabaul. Fares start at A$7200 ($8072) per person twin share.
The 11-night PNG Highland Cultures cruise starts on November 12 and takes in Rabaul, Sepik River, Madang, Tami Island, Tufi Island, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Samarai and Kwato Islands and Alotau. Fares start at A$7920 ($8880).
For further details see www.orioncruises.com.au.
Further Information
For general information on Papua New Guinea see www.pngtourism.org.pg.
