Papua New Guinea 2020

Welkam (“Welcome” in Tok Pisin) to PNG after a morning flight from Brisbane. In Port Moresby we check-in to our hotel to freshen up before a short city tour.

Visit St John’s Anglican Church, the first Anglican parish established in Port Moresby. The church’s former rector, Father Henry Matthews, is counted as one of the PNG Martyrs having lost his life in WWII. Among the modern high-rise buildings, we find the small, historic Ela United Church, first opened by the London Missionary Society in 1890.

From here we visit the Port Moresby Nature Park, an island of calm in this rather haphazard capital city. More than 2km of walkways thread under and through the jungle canopy, with well-maintained gardens displaying both local and exotic plant species, including native and hybrid orchids. The trees are alive with the clamour of fruit bats, and wildlife displays include tree-kangaroos, hornbills, cassowaries, and a large aviary that houses parrots and birds of paradise. Soak up the natural beauty before returning to our hotel for dinner.

An early flight to Popondetta in the Northern Oro Province, a stronghold for the Anglican Church. The first Anglican Missionaries were appointed to PNG in 1885 and by 1901 there were eleven stations extending influence along 480km of the coast of north Papua. Today 60% of Oro inhabitants identify as Anglican versus 3% nation-wide.

After an early check-in and breakfast, we will visit the Resurrection Church for a tour of the historical mission grounds and church building. Enjoy a visit to Newton Theological College, the only facility in PNG that trains men for the priesthood in the Anglican Church.

After lunch we travel to St. Margaret’s School of Nursing in Oro Bay. With just 67 nurses and 7 doctors per 100,000 population this church- run medical school is extremely important since nurses and community health workers are usually required to step into the doctor's role of diagnosing and treating. After our visit to the school and the adjoining hospital we will stop by Oro beach before returning to Popondetta. A visit to the craft market will have you intrigued as Maisin villagers demonstrate traditional tapa cloth making and design. Return to our hotel for dinner.

Whilst Popondetta is often passed through on the way to Kokoda and the Kokoda track, the Kokoda story really opened and closed at the nearby villages of Gona and Buna.

In 1942 these villages suffered a bloody Japanese Invasion that killed many inhabitants including eight Anglican clergy, teachers and medical missionaries who would not leave their posts and so died for their faith. They became known as the New Guinea Martyrs and today we will visit the Martyrs Memorial Secondary School (established 1948) that is run by the Anglican Church in Popondetta.

This afternoon we are in for a treat when we travel to a local village for butterfly observation; PNG has some of the largest and most beautiful butterflies of which the glorious Goliath birdwing butterfly, is the second largest in the world. Glory in God's Creation.

This morning we travel to Buna Village, stopping along the way to see points of WWII interest. Buna was invaded by the Imperial Japanese forces in July 1942; an Airfield was established here to act as a trailhead for the Kokoda Track and planned overland attack of Port Moresby.
The Battle of Buna-Gona concluded the Kokoda campaign as the Japanese were forced back and finally defeated in the Battle of the Beachheads. This victory came through bloody sacrifice by Australian and American soldiers who were greatly aided by the local guides (or “Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels” as they were then called), often at huge personal cost. We give thanks to the descendants of these brave people as we visit their villages.

In Buna we will be welcomed with traditional song and dance before taking a tour around the village to see WWII relics, the small museum and Australian monument on the beach.

After lunch we walk down to the beach and then take a short boat ride down the coast to Sanananda Village, the centre of the main Japanese defensive position in Oro province.

In late 1942 this peaceful spot was the site of a grisly stalemate that saw the climax of the six-month Papuan campaign in January 1943. In Sanananda we will have a tour of the village and hear how the war impacted the villagers. Our afternoon will be spent relaxing – you can choose to enjoy a swim in the sea, canoe through the mangroves or just stroll through the village and chat to the locals.

Tonight, we will stay at nearby Girewo Guesthouse where you can visit a small museum of war relics collected from the Sanananda area. Dinner at Girewo will be accompanied by local string bands and traditional dances.

This morning we travel 20 minutes by small motorized boat to Gona, best known for being an Anglican Mission prior to WWII. Today this parish is known as Holy Cross, a name inspired by the cross of the All Saints Mission Church that was shot up by the Japanese. Today the bullet ridden cross stands on the now tranquil black sand beach, and we will take time to reflect on those Missionaries who sacrificed their lives here. A 5-minute walk takes us to Gona Station where we will have the privilege of joining a local church service for Sunday worship.

After church we join the local community for a traditional Sunday lunch before returning to Popondetta. As this is our last day in the Oro region we will be joined by members of the clergy and local congregation to spend time in fellowship. What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday!

This morning we fly back to Port Moresby and visit the Kokoda Memorial at Owers’ Corner before stopping at McDonald’s Corner, the original start of the Kokoda Track. Lunch will be at the Kokoda Trail Motel. We pay our respects at Bomana War Cemetery, the largest war cemetery in the Pacific. Today the chaos of battle seems very distant from these peaceful and beautifully maintained grounds where 4000 Australian and Allied soldiers are buried. We return to Port Morseby to check in to our hotel. This afternoon we will visit the colourful Handicrafts Market. Join us or simply relax and enjoy some time at leisure.

We will celebrate our short yet memorable Papuan adventure with a final group dinner.

A relaxed morning before a visit to the superb National Museum & Art Gallery for the best overview of Papua New Guinea's rich indigenous culture. The beautiful exhibits are divided by theme: musical instruments, body adornments, ceremonial kundu and garamut drums, seafaring equipment (including a magnificent Milne Bay outrigger canoe decorated in large cowrie shells and ornate canoe splashboards), elaborate masks and vast totem poles from the Sepik are all present and correct. A wonderful conclusion to our time in PNG. We fly back to Brisbane as a group before continuing onto our various home ports.

We give thanks to God for the incredible sights and experiences our journey has afforded us and the people we have shared this time with.