Papua New Guinea by Sea Kayak with Aurora Expeditions -- April 2009
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Kayaking:  Southern Sea Adventures -- The kayak portion is booked as an add-on to Aurora Expeditions standard Papua New Guinea trip.  Southern Sea Ventures delivered as expected.  7 of the 80+ guests took part in the kayaking package.

Transportation, Meals, Lodging:  Aurora Expeditions  -- Aurora's Marina Svetaeva 100 guest small cruise boat hosted our kayaking on their standard tour.  We booked top of the line double mini suite accommodations.  Aurora Expeditions booking and delivery was a huge disappointment.

Recommendation:  Take this trip if you have an interest in development of primitive cultures but then ONLY IF you can stomach spending half your time in 'tour bus' level activities geared to the special safety needs of the slowest moving of octogenarians AND like tours where the operator is constantly changing the venue AND are do not have posh expectations AND are not looking for adventure or challenge. 

Marketing Literature Description:
Day By Day:
Our Overview: 

 

PNG OVERVIEW
Visiting the coastal villages of Papua New Guinea is an extraordinary experience.  There aren't too many places left on earth where one can experience the development of humanity without the intrusion of  a] communications b] transportation c] storage methods for food.  The only impact seems to be from the missions of Christian churches which have cajoled the people to speak English and wear clothes when others are around and to stop eating one another.  Otherwise there is a subsistence lifestyle not much changed over the millennia. 

We found the indigenous people charming, friendly, and engaging.  The scenery was beautiful and the villages clean and welcoming. Since many of the villages we visited get roughly just a single exposure to white people in an entire year, we are just as much a novelty for them as they are for us.  They were curious to try our swim masks, zoom ahead of friends with our high tech kayak paddles, taste gummy bears, and see themselves in the displays of our digital cameras.  The native dances -- called sing-sing's -- put on by the indigenous people were excellent.

If you have a craving to visit someplace unchanged by recent globalization, don't wait much longer.  The more savvy PNG villages are already learning that tourist ships bring special magic which enables them to amass 'cargo' with values far higher than pigs or shells.

Note:  There is still some level of nudity so if you are offended by this, just stay home ... don't go and voice your criticism as did some ill behaving visitors.

Kayaking
The kayak is an excellent way to explore the costal villages of Papua New Guinea.  Eight zodiacs landing roughly 100 persons can be pretty overwhelming for a village of 20 -200 local inhabitants and the greetings were sometimes awkward.   At times the Aurora Expeditions landing parties were un-announced because either word had not arrived or because the Aurora Expeditions leaders thought it was 'interesting' to 'just-drop-in'.  As one 15 year-old aptly put it:  "I wouldn't be very happy if 100 people showed up at my house one morning and wanted to look around."  

In contrast, a kayak troupe of 8 persons paddling up to a beach always resulted in warm smiles and quick welcome.  We would typically be greeted by as many as a half dozen natives.  As word of our arrival spread, more people would arrive.  By the time we were departing, there would be be a dozen or two involved with us.  Some of our best encounters were with local fishermen and their families in their dugouts hundreds of yards from shore.  We would occasionally give rides and trade boats.  Taking photos were never a problem.

We kayaked every chance we got -- 13 times in total -- averaging 3-5 miles each trip [longest trip was 8 miles].   We also enjoyed the diversity of other adventures -- village sing-sing celebrations, scuba diving, long zodiac excursions.  Our guide -- Judd Hill -- inspired confidence in the kayak and was extraordinary in engaging locals.  Judd also buffered some of what appeared to be negative sentiment on the part of other Aurora Staff toward the intrusion that Kayaking caused during zodiac loading.
   
 ... Read More Details

Aurora Expeditions and Ship Marina Svetaeva
Aurora Expeditions and its ship Marina Svetaeva were the disappointing parts of our Papua New Guinea holiday.  At dinner, over cocktails and while waiting in one of the ever frequent queues the guests constantly grumbled about Aurora's planning, about the ship, and about the staff.  Of the two dozen group organized adventures we have undertaken, Aurora Expeditions as a tour operator ranks in the bottom 20 percent.  The key elements of disappointment individually and collectively were ...

... Changes:  Aurora changed the dates after we had booked which could have put us in an expensive situation with the airlines.  Another shipboard guest from the UK was even more irritated than us.  Aurora took great care for the guests with weak physical condition -- perhaps because of a poor guest feedback just two months earlier -- but failed to take similar care of travelers coming from afar.

 Then, every day, schedules changed to accommodate the interests of the leader -- Gary Miller.  Guests with time management skills were always left waiting.  ...  Read More Details

... Inadequate initial information:   Aurora failed to advise guests about how much local currency might be appropriate.  And they provided no facility on board ship.  As a result, many guests could not purchase the souvenirs they desired.  Aurora failed to advise that swimming in bikini suits was going to be dis-allowed in many of the villages and that women should wear long shorts instead. 

Aurora also failed to advise unsteady passengers of the difficulty of loading and unloading zodiacs from the Marina Svetlana and failed to advise nimble passengers of the boundaries placed upon their freedom by having to accommodate so many unsteady passengers.  In other words, neither the elderly nor the capable were pleased.  If you are nimble and looking for an adventure requiring some physical fitness, some aerobic component, and some level of challenge Aurora Expeditions is NOT for you.

... Ship poorly maintained:  Rusty water the whole trip.  Leaky port hole. Every shirt worn came home soiled with grease and rust.  Air conditioners in the tropics that blow fuses.  ...  Read More Details

... Dining areas hopelessly overcrowded and under air conditioned.  In one of the dining rooms, the tables were so tightly packed that it was impossible for the guest next to the wall to enter/exit without the other 3 persons getting up and clearing the row.  This is quite inconvenient for breakfast which is self serve.  And it's a good thing that no-one had a choking incident. 

Conversations at mealtime were nearly impossible because the other party could rarely be heard.  This caused everyone to shout yielding even more noise.  For those who bothered by noisy environments, meals were a regular and repeated unpleasant experience.

... Aurora's mainstream clientele is not especially incompatible with those wishing an active kayaking adventure.  Due to limited kayaking experience and our ages of 59 & 49 we had some anxieties about holding up the group.  As it turned out this was far from the case and we found ourselves in the top 10 percent bracket as measured by passenger fitness and agility.  Southern Sea Adventures has some very interesting kayaking trips.  Aurora Expeditions seems a poor choice as host.  

As a review from TripAdvisor would suggest, this is not the first time Aurora Expeditions has mismatched the skill and fitness of their guests to the challenge and difficulty of the trip.  Our Papua New Guinea was the opposite of the TripAdvisor Antarctica experience -- Antarctica was too difficult, PNG was too easy.

... The re-arrangement of daily schedules meant that those who do good job with time management were in constant hurry up and wait mode. 

... Poor Leadership by expedition leader Gary Miller.  One week before the trip we were sent a staff profile which listed experienced expedition leader Greg Mortimer as the person in charge.  But it seems that Aurora rescheduled a few more things.  When we arrived in Papua New Guinea we discovered Gary Miller who is  listed on Aurora's website as a naturalist and whose resume shows no leadership experience and whose principal occupation is a research scientist would suddenly be the expedition leader.  At first the chaos on board under Gary Miller's leadership was comical.  Then the dysfunction became the subject of jokes.  By the end of the trip it was annoying.   Our most serious disenchantment with Gary Miller is when he nearly hit Doug with a Zodiac boat motor [approximately 4 feet and closing] while this author was in the water snorkeling.  Gary Miller never offered an apology and instead avoided eye contact the next few days.  ...  Read More Details

... Lots of little things were overlooked
.  These are missed opportunities for Aurora to make a positive impression.  The winners in today's global markets are those companies who not only deliver a solid 'product' but also deliver unexpected positive experience.  Aurora did neither.  ...  Read More Details


SUMMARY
At the time of this review, there are not a lot of alternatives for visiting Papua New Guinea costal villages.  And Southern Sea Adventures hosted by Aurora Expeditions was the only outfitter to offer kayaking.  One has to balance their interest in exploring this exotic locale with the disappointment of working with Aurora Expeditions.

 

MARKETING LITERATURE:

From Aurora Expeditions:
This voyage offers access to a wide range of magnificent tropical scenery and cultures, with a broad exploration of the eastern New Guinea coastline and islands of the Bismarck Archipelago. From walking in the vast tropical jungle to cruising along the Sepik River, we’ll take in a staggering variety of pristine environments. Papua New Guinea is the most culturally diverse country on Earth and our visits to remote coastal and island villages will give us a genuine insight into a traditional lifestyle that has changed little in centuries.

“A largely undiscovered paradise, Papua New Guinea is slowly opening its arms to the world. Travelling by small ship has to be one of the safest, most efficient and enjoyable way to unlock the secrets of this wild frontier, where we hope to discover a wealth of magnificent tropical scenery and cultural diversity.”

From Southern Sea Adventures:
We have two expedition ships to cover the world’s wild places. Both ships provide a comfortable base for our fleets of sturdy kayaks.

Polar Pioneer was built in 1985, is ice-strengthened and accommodates 54 passengers. Marina Svetaeva was built in 1989, is also ice strengthened and accommodates 100 passengers. Both ships are manned by very experienced Russian captains and crew.

Accommodation is simple yet comfortable; all cabins have outside portholes. The ships have medical services, a library, cosy bar and Australian or New Zealand chefs. Onboard lectures by naturalists and historians unlock the mysteries of the areas we visit.

Up to 12 passengers may select to kayak during these voyages. You do not have to be an expert kayaker but you should have some paddling experience. Once or twice daily, we launch our kayaks to glide quietly, exploring our natural environment. We paddle amongst icebergs and ice floes for encounters with wildlife, visit Inuit communities in Greenland, or explore deep Norwegian fjords and the wild and remote coastlines of the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka. On our tropical Papua New Guinea trip, we explore coral reefs, snorkeling from the back of our kayaks.

*NOTE: THESE VOYAGES OFTEN FILL UP MORE THANaA YEAR IN ADVANCE SO WE SUGGEST YOU BOOK YOUR PLACE EARLY. ALL SHIP BASED TRIPS REQUIRE SOME KAYAK EXPERIENCE.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 - Embark Alotau
Flanked by mountain ranges on each side, Marina Svetaeva steams out of the peaceful harbour town of Alotau into picturesque Milne Bay to begin our adventure. The tranquil isles of Milne Bay province are made up of dramatic volcanoes and coral atolls where ancient traditions flourish.

Day 2 - Goodenough Island
One of the most steeply sided islands on the planet, Goodenough's volcanic slopes rise sharply up from the fertile coastal plains culminating in a summit that sits at over 2,500 metres. Mysterious legends and sorcery form a part of everyday life on Goodenough - the yield of the numerous yam crops are said to be under the power of a large painted stone in the middle of the island.

Day 3 - Tufi
The dramatic fjords of Tufi are a breathtaking sight. Often rising to more than 100 metres, the sheer walls of these natural wonders are covered in dense forest alive with birds and numerous waterfalls cascading directly into the sea. Greeted by outrigger canoes and a welcome dance, the local people will share with us some of their ancient tribal customs. We hope to take a walk through the rainforest, home to the world's largest butterfly, and explore the clear waters of Tufi's famed outer reefs.

Day 4 - Lababia
We visit the picturesque village of Lababia, whose inhabitants are custodians to one of the most important conservation areas in PNG - the Kamiali wildlife management area. Led by local guides, we hope to take a rainforest walk along the David Suzuki Trail. With luck we may see some of the prolific birdlife resident here including hornbills, parrots, palm cockatoos and the striking Raggiana bird of paradise.

Day 5 - Tami Islands
The stunning tropical setting of these pristine coral atolls will make for some exciting explorations. The islands inhabitants are famous for their intricately carved wooden bowls and we hope to visit their peaceful fishing villages, beautifully located by a well-protected lagoon between the two main islands.

Day 6 - Karkar Island
Today we plan to visit the remarkable Karkar Island. Dominated by an active volcano that rises over 1800 metres, Karkar is one of the most fertile places in PNG and has a thriving copra industry. We will search out a suitable landing spot from the myriad of superb beaches that surround the island.

Day 7 - Sepik River
The Sepik is one of the world's great river systems and culturally one of the most fascinating parts of PNG. Village life remains virtually unchanged from when first contact was made by German explorers in the late 1800's. We will travel upstream from the mouth of this mighty river to explore the lower Sepik region. Visiting some of the small villages that line the riverbank, we may have the chance to appreciate and purchase some artworks of the famed master carvers of the Sepik.

Day 8-9 Admiralty Islands
We spend two days exploring the remote Admiralty Islands, a scattering of low-lying atolls and 18 islands, most of which are uninhabited. Only a handful of expedition ships have ever visited here and we will spend our time in search of the pristine landscapes and unique cultures that exist. We hope to visit a number of traditional villages and with the help of our anthropologist, learn more about the rich maritime traditions of the local people. These volcanic islands are covered in lowland tropical rain forest and, due to their isolation from other landmasses, contain many endemic plant species. The islands are also home to a number of endemic bird species including the Manus fantail, superb pitta and the Manus hawk owl.

Day 10 - Tingwon/Tsoi Islands
Depending on weather conditions, we will either visit the idyllic Tsoi islands that lie off the northern coastline of New Ireland, or picturesque Tingwon Island located west of New Hanover. We will snorkel the island's crystal clear lagoons and pristine reefs and hope to encounter some of the exceptionally diverse marine animals that frequent these waters. Amid the white sand beaches and coconut palms, we hope to visit some of the villages on these remote islands rarely seen by outsiders.

Day 11 - Rabaul
We awake to the eerie volcanic surrounds of Simpson Harbour and bid farewell to new found friends.

 

DAY BY DAY

 


 

 

 

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