17 Oct 2014

Exploring Bougainville

Last year the Spirit of Enderby was the very first passenger ship to visit Bougainville after the end of the conflict, so there was a palpable sense of excitement aboard prior to our arrival in Arawa. After an easy landing at Loloho we climbed aboard vans and made our way up into the mountains towards Panguna and the infamous Bougainville Copper Mine. The road itself is a real engineering feat as it clings to the mountainside while climbing steeply until eventually you find yourself at 900m above sea level. At that altitude it was noticeably cooler as we stopped to enjoy the scenery. From the summit the main party continued down towards Panguna Mine and looked at the mine pit, tailings and grinding machinery. They also had a chance to try their hand at gold mining - with some success. The sheer scale of the mining operation is amazing – this really was mining on a grand scale!

For the birders it was all down hill, as they slowly made their way back down the road. Species highlights included Grey-sided White-eye, the Bougainville Crow and both the Bougainville and Solomon Islands Monarch. Later we headed to the Arawa markets to experience the thrill of Friday shopping, Bougainville style. After a delicious lunch back aboard the ship, we headed ashore once again for an introduction to Bougainvillian culture. We were treated to traditional performances and then an artistic battle as the panpipes and dancers from each group sought to establish musical supremacy!