German couple in Bilas Ples

Weekender
TOURISM

By NAMALIU TOYET
A COUPLE from Germany, Han and Christa Gert took a very long holiday trip to Papua New Guinea and all the way to New Ireland “Bilas Ples” last September.
At 5.30pm on Friday, Sept 9 they landed at Kavieng airport on an Air Niugini Fokker 100 plane from Port Moresby.
After a few minutes’ waiting for their luggage they headed straight into the Kavieng Village Resort (KVR) tour bus and drove off.
The next day, Saturday, Sept 10 PNG EcoTours Ltd managing director Namaliu Toyet took them out for the Boluminski Tours.
We picked them up at 8am in a 15-seater bus and drove smoothly out of the resort and turned left onto the old Boluminski road which runs through the Kulangit village beach and out of Mongol village along Nusalik Drive towards Bagail urban village where the Franz Boluminski cemetery is located. We had a few minutes briefing there.

The couple enjoying veggies with fresh fish at Rawal Estate, Kavieng

Boluminski was a German administrator in New Ireland in the late 1900s until his passing on April 28, 1913 just before World War 1 begun in 1914.
He engineered and supervised the Boluminski Highway (which is now named after him) in less than four years using karanas or dead coral with the native tultuls and several Germans. (The 100-plus kilometer road runs from Kavieng to Namatanai).
The next stop was at the busy Kavieng market to buy some mais or necklaces and New Ireland baskets, however we managed to buy one necklace only for K30 and a coconut leaf basket for K5.
It was Saturday morning so the place was packed to capacity as usual. People came in from different walks of life to buy garden produce and nice fresh seafood like fish, mud crabs, lobsters and mussels.
As usual people from Lelet plateau also came in to sell the Kavieng people’s favourite choko leaves and vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, capsicum, ginger, onions and garlic.
Kavieng Memorial Cemetery was the next stop as we walked in to take pictures and looked at the head stone bearing the names of fighters who died during World War 2.
The people buried there were from the Allied forces and other countries of the world who fought during the War.
From there we took a 20-minute drive to Putput Village where the run down Tree House Village Resort is. It was built in early 2000 and owned by a New Zealander Allun Beck. Currently the resort is running renovations to all the existing buildings.
We also did sightseeing along the white sandy beaches and into the mangroves and back.
After an easy drive we arrived at the Lakurumau oil mill and strolled around to see how the oil palm fruits were being processed into oil and then transported out by big oil tankers to overseas market.
We then walked into the oil palm plantations to have a closer look at the oil palm fruits.
We then drove to the ever popular eel feeding at Lugagon village at a little quiet lagoon called Laraibina where the outspoken late Cathy Hiob looked after eels.
The eels were so big and came swimming from different directions towards the care-taker eel lady who was holding onto a Besta tinned fish and pouring its contents into the crystal-clear water to attract them to come out from hiding. At least they can feel and touch the monster eels and also take pictures of them.
The late Cathy Hiob (well known as Eel Lady) passed on early 2019 after a long illness.
The next stop on our itinerary was Libba village where master carver Ben Sisia Junior is.
There was a variety of carvings displayed in a small traditional hut of bamboo walling and sago thatched roof.
The couple bought small carvings as the big ones were for special orders or occasions only.
Most carvings bought by tourists in the past were being stored and displayed in museums and arts galleries in countries around the world like Germany, England, USA, Australia, Japan, etc.
A U-turn took us back to the Fissoa waterfall for a light lunch there. We spent about an hour there mingling with small kids swinging on ropes from the trees into the crystal clear river and also heard different species of birds singing from the tree tops. The natural environment around us was really cool and nice.
We left Fissoa and turned back to town and a had few minutes’ stop-over at Lossuk Guesthouse owned by John Knox, a local businessman who also owns and runs Route 7 PMV buses.

Tour guide Namaliu Toyet (right) with the couple at War Memorial Cemetery.

We had fresh kulaus and ripe bananas for light refreshments and then off we went back to town all the way to Rawal Estate for a traditional basket presentation, local aigir and traditional whip dance to finish off the day tour.
The couple really enjoyed the long tour and traditionally prepared meals and whip dances. They say they cannot wait to come back in future to get the same treatment offered to them.
At 5pm we departed Rawal Estate for Kavieng Village Resort to overnight there.
Han and Christa Gert enjoyed a holiday in Kavieng, a place their German compatriorts like Franz Boluminski had a hand in building.
So for your next hideaway holiday in Kavieng why not book with PNG Eco Tours Ltd operating as New Ireland Tours, on Mobile 7122 2529 or email:http://[email protected].
You can enjoy your Boluminski Tours and an unforgetable stay in Bilas Ples.”