Tufi Fiords - Papua New Guinea
Our night of travelling had been a rough one. With seas this morning too choppy to snorkel and dive on Cyclone Reef, our expedition leader, Larry Prussin, made the decision to continue onto Tufi to allow us time to explore the harbour, the local resort and enjoy a village tour.
On arrival we explored the tropical grounds of the Tufi Resort, complete with a scenic lookout and resident Blyth Hornbills (three in total) to welcome us. Not to let an opportunity go by us, the resort’s shop was well patronized.
Most of us enjoyed the warm waters of the harbour below. The abundance of fish life and diversity of coral, sponges, and sea slugs amazed those who took the plunge. With the water temperature likened to a bath, many extended their stay.
After lunch we ventured into the ‘fjord like’ surroundings and hiked in file to the top of the volcanic basalt karst cliff. Here we were welcomed to the village with shouts of ‘Oro!’ and a plethora of dancers decked in traditional tapa cloth and birds of paradise headdresses. Warriors darting to and fro, blackened by soot, was thankfully a show of bravado and not there to threaten us. Surrounding the dance arena were demonstrations of traditional fire making, women facial tattoo, string (bilum) bag making, and the obligatory marketplace. The Komoa Village representatives, Luke & William, shared their traditional knowledge, and made us feel welcome. Serendipity played its hand today with an alternative program offering us a unique experience to be immersed into the culture of the Maisin-speaking people. This region is isolated from the rest of Papua New Guinea with no roads and can only be accessed by boat or small plane into a grass airstrip.
To cap off the day we joined our resident Anthropologist Bob Tonkinson in the lounge for his lecture on ‘Welcome to Melanesia’ before yet another glorious sunset over the Solomon Seas ending our day in paradise.
