Bushwalk Sunday 30th March 2008

Sorry guys. I will be in ENBP this Sunday so I will not be able to join you on your walk. As history shows, when I am not around, the walk is normally quite memorable and a good time is had by all!

But, if you show up to the normal place at the normal time then you should find a bunch of like-minded individuals who are keen to tackle some heat and mud somewhere.

Please can someone take photos and write a small journal entry and send it to me, and I'll post it here.

See you in maybe 3 or possibly 5 weeks I reckon' :(

Gaire and the March Girls.

Gaire March 16^th 2008

It was the first time that any of us had walked the hills behind March Girls at Gaire and I don’t think it will be the last. The local community although sparse were friendly and we all had a good day. We started off parking at the March Girls and then we made contact with a local family who allowed their son to be our guide and show us the hills behind his house.

The first climb was pretty solid and had everyone resting at the top to catch our breath, except our guide and his dog that were keen to press on. So on we went and the views at the top were fantastic, in one direction we could see Mt Diamond and the cliffs of Varirata behind. Towards the North West we could see Taurama, Bootless Bay, Pyramid Point and Moresby. In the opposite direction we could see the Magi Hwy heading down to wards Gaba Gaba and Kwikila, but framing all this was the blue Ocean and the reef break some distance out from the shoreline.

There was quite a variety of terrain for us to wander through, from open grasslands to closed in woodlands, and the steepness of the track ranged from undulating to very steep. Our guide ensured us that there was a path, and there certainly was after we had all made it from one valley floor to the next.

Meanwhile, the Guide and his dog kept on going up and down the hills until we reached the combined Digicel/BMobile tower of Gaire. From here, it was a stroll along the black sandy beach and to the March Girls. Nearly all of us decided to take a plunge in the ocean as we had been viewing it from a distance all morning and it was warm and hot out on the track, unfortunately there were stingers in the water and the dip in the ocean did not last.

But there were cold beverages to be found at March Girls if you knew the right way to ask and despite the 8-ball table having two number 10s we were all kept entertained.

A good walk, a good day.

The US Warbird that fell out of the sky.

The B-24. 17^th February 2008

An unsanctioned walk, the two of us were lucky enough to be taken to a US plane that crashed shortly after take off during the Second World War. We had spent quite some time walking with our guides in this area over the last 18 months and they always promised to show us the plane wreck one day, and back in February we were fortunate to find the spot.

We have often thought about planning a POM Bushwalk to the wreck site but we thought we should scope it out first, and luckily we did. The Bushwalk to get there was sweet and comfortable, the scramble down and back up the cliff to get to the actual site was the hardest “bushwalking” I have done whilst in PNG, the fact that heavy rain fell while we were at the crash site and then had to climb the muddy, near vertical face whilst wet was only made possible with the help of our guides. In dry weather, the climb would not be as bad, but the rain made it treacherous.

The wreck itself is pretty awesome, it is the third wreck in PNG that I have walked to and although the plane exploded on impact with the cliff face, there is still quite a lot of interesting bits and pieces strewn all over the place, including some fairly massive machine guns and the aircraft’s radio instrument panel is still legible. The distinctive white star on a blue circle supported by the white and red ribbon of the US insignia is still noticeable on the fuselage.

We found old compressor cylinders and some fairly large gauge bullets. The wreck is strewn over a large area and this is attributed to the terrain and the fact that some of the bombs on board detonated on impact. All 12 US crew lost their lives, and the first two attempts to retrieve the dead were unsuccessful as the terrain was too difficult to navigate.

Unfortunately I wouldn’t recommend this walk for a future POM Bushwalk as you really need your guides to outnumber the bushwalkers. The local guides can climb mountains in the mud whereas we amateurs find ourselves wallowing like stuck pigs. The area is sensitive to the local people as it is good hunting ground and the ecology is such that it could only really handle a few at a time. As it was, the two of us and our guides made a bit of a mess…

We were exhausted, we were muddied, there were cuts and bruises but it was a sombre feeling to stand amidst the loss of those 12 men.

Vale.

Lebogoro 9th March 2008

I must apologise for my jellyfish effort this morning as I was sorely left wanting when it came to climbing the last series of hills. My current lack of fitness had me feeling pretty ordinary after we crossed that swampy creek.

But the day was fantastic. After we collected locals and other paraphernalia, we then drove along the Magi Hwy on route to Lebogoro. One could be excused that the Magi Hwy should be renamed the Maggi Hwy after noticing quite a bit of Nestle signage. In fact one of the early Kakaruk signs claimed the Maggi Hwy moniker…

After arriving at our destination we alighted from our vehicles and headed across the footbridge to the primary school. From here we climbed, and we climbed and we climbed. Before we reached the summit, two members of the party had to return back to base camp as the Sun was taking its toll. As there had been some recent rain, the Sun only drew the moisture out of the soil and the humidity levels were extreme.

But the views of the Rigo countryside were awesome from the top, the entire village of Lebogoro laid out below and beyond that, the road to Kupiano and beyond!!! It was along the top of this ridge where there was a nice shady tree lined area which was very pleasant. The descent down the other side was steep but relatively safe as the fresh green grass tussocks provided confident footing.

Then it was up the hill that hurt, and not a tree in site.

But then down the other side to a swampy creek area complete with Sago Palm and then what appeared a nice steady climb up to another hilltop, but it was here that I decided that I was best to head the valley way to the Village, and our guide opted to lead me on home.

After a short rest and a chat with the locals, we then headed on back to Moresby aka Brownsville in the Tropics.

Mt Diamond 24.02.08 (a review)

Well, I didn't make it. Twice now I have missed the Mt Diamond walk. But the first stage of pneumonia is a pretty good excuse. However, I have received some photos which the Photographer guy has said that it is okay to put on the Blog. Thanks M.

Because some of the people in the images may be identified, some of youse may not want the image on a Blog, so please email me and let me know if you want removal of said offending images...

Here is a photo of some guys walking near a hut...And some of the crew crossing a stream...Here's a pretty waterfall.and someone else having a bit of a wash.