Ninigo Islands Manus Island Kavieng Sepik River Bagabag Is. Madang Pandi River Return charter flights ex Cairns ARE INCLUDED in the cruise tariff. This itinerary is provided as example only – prevailing conditions and local arrangements may cause variation. Helicopter flights can be purchased additional to the cruise tariff as a package or individually. Cairns Sepik Soirée 2 Cairns/Madang – Kavieng/Cairns More present day adventure for the present day adventurer! Day One town in the South Pacific”. Its peninsula setting is a show place of parks, waterways, luxuriant shade trees Your “welcome aboard” is in the vibrant city of Cairns – and sparkling tropical islands. Although small, the a crew member will escort you aboard North Star’s very town has modern urban facilities, including hotels, own charter aircraft! department stores, markets and artefact shops. Now sit back and enjoy the comfortable flight to Madang. The area is world famous for its coral reefs and excellent Colourful Madang has been called the “prettiest visibility making diving popular all the year round. There are a variety of places to dive with all sites featuring and coconuts, which can grow in the same soil due to an abundance of reef and pelagic fish, dramatic drop offs height differences. The large plantations are generally and, both soft and hard corals. family owned. Those who like diving on wrecks will also find the area After lunch we’ll go ashore to meet the Bagabag islanders dotted with sunken ships and aircraft. – there are just 4 villages here and apparently the locals are keen to introduce visitors to their unique culture and Game fishing is also a popular local sport and the coastal way of life. currents off Madang carry sailfish, kingfish, tuna, mackerel, barracuda, marlin, yellow fin and wahoo. Fishing is The island is rich in betel-nut, local pigs and other food. especially good in the waters around Karkar and Bagabag Life on the island can be quite interesting as there are very Islands. few people and they all know each other very well. After clearing customs, we’ll transfer you to the on- Then, you will not be able to resist the charms of Christmas board luxury of the TRUE NORTH and, the delights of Bay – here we can position the TRUE NORTH within 10 our renowned galley! Enjoy a welcome aboard lunch as metres of the beach – all ashore for sunset drinks! we cruise the local area – then join the first of our shore- Days Three, Four and Five parties and discover postcard beaches, palm trees, tranquil villages and a flotilla of welcoming canoes. The Sepik – as far as adventure is concerned, it doesn’t get much better. Just the name conjures up excitement. Day Two The Sepik River is the longest river in Papua New Guinea Bagabag Island is a white-sand island offering excellent and, one of the great river systems of the world. It has a large fishing, snorkelling, and diving. catchment area and supports numerous landforms including In the morning the expedition boats will survey the outer- swamplands, tropical rainforests and mountains. Biologically, reef which is teeming with fish, turtles and dolphins. The the river system is possibly the largest uncontaminated area is also renowned for its endless walls of sea fans, freshwater wetland system in the Asia-Pacific region. pristine corals and large pelagic species. The river’s total length is 1,126 kilometres and it has a The inshore coral will entertain the snorkellers and there drainage basin of over 80,000 square kilometres! There is will also be relaxed opportunities for swimming and a 5-10 kilometer wide belt of active meanders along most beachcombing on a Bagabag beach. of the river’s course and a floodplain up to 70 kilometers wide includes extensive backwater swamps. However, The ship’s helicopter will also be away again – to explore unlike many other large river systems, the Sepik has no the sounding area and nearby KarKar Island. delta – it flows straight into the sea. The entire Sepik basin Karkar is a larger oval-shaped volcanic island about 25 km remains a largely undisturbed environment - there are no in length and 19 km in width. In the centre of the island major urban settlements or mining and forestry activities there is an active volcano with two nested calderas. The in the river catchment. latest eruptions on this island occurred in the 1970s. The Local villagers have lived along the river for many millennia island has a relatively large population of approximately and the river has formed the basis for food, transport and 50,000. The two main exports from the island are cacao culture. European contact with the river started in just of an elaborate coming of age ceremony, young men are 1885 when German colonists first explored the area. In scarified with the image of a crocodile on the river bank. 1886 and 1887, further expeditions by steam boat were The TRUE NORTH will arrive at the mouth of the conducted by the Germans and over 600 kilometers Sepik at first light before proceeding 70 nautical miles of riverine was explored. Between 1912 and 1913 the upstream. Then it’s away in the expedition boats and the Germans sent further expeditions to explore the river and helicopter for days filled with exploration and discovery. surrounding areas. They collected flora and fauna, studied Highlights include the township of Angoram – here the local tribes and produced the first maps. The station town waterside market presents as a fantastic opportunity to of Angoram was established as a base on the lower Sepik purchase local carvings. At Kambaraumba village we for explorations, but with the beginning of World War I, will be greeted by a ‘sing-sing’ featuring giant crocodile exploration ceased. puppets that gyrate through crowds of dancers and After the war the Australian government took trusteeship drummers – truly a feast for the senses! We also explore of the former German colony, creating the Territory of New the maze of swamps and small waterways that lead to Guinea. During this period the Australians established a Lake Kambaraumba and its stilt village - a community station on the middle Sepik at Ambunti and conducted of huts, churches, schools and animal enclosures built further exploration. above the waters of the lake! In 1935 Sir Walter McNicolls, the new administrator of the Day Six Territory of New Guinea travelled up length of the Sepik The Ninigo Islands are a large open-atoll structure to “have a look at the river people and the kind of country surrounded by several smaller atoll formations. In total along the banks”. there are 7 atolls with around 50 small islets – plenty of The Japanese held the area throughout most of the opportunity for exploration. Second World War. By the end of the war the Japanese The largest component of islands forms a 34 km long by 18 had been completely surrounded however, the battle to km wide atoll that is open on its western side. The major defeat the remaining forces was hard fought and drawn island within the group is Mal, located at the southern out due to the terrain. end of the outer reef. Other islands on the reef include: The Australians eventually pushed the Japanese back to Hepi, Lau, Pelipa, Ahu, Sawapil, Chauch, Menan, Longan, the village of Timbunke on the middle Sepik in July 1945. Nahanu, Hepisasa, Chacheon, Maichuch, Potaminam, Eventually the Japanese were defeated and surrendered Amik, Puol, Pisa, Ngi, Onia, Wahangahun, Sabucho, Pihun, at Wewak in September 1945. Keholl, Kamochin, Sand and Nunu. Within the lagoon are the islands of Pingilap, Talil, Hottom, Bahanat and Amot. The Sepik is revered for its art. The tribes living along the river produce magnificent wood carvings and artful clay The diving here is some of the best encountered in PNG. pottery. Many tribes use garamut drums in rituals; the We will endeavour to explore as many of these picture- drums are formed from long, hollowed out tree trunks perfect islands as we can and it’s likely that the day will carved into the shape of various totem animals. As part be filled with magical snorkelling and diving experiences, leviathan struggles with rod and reel, exhilarating dips in The British named the airfield HMS Nabaron and used the crystal clear lagoons and romantic strolls along the it as a forward operations base. After encountering the ever-present palm fringed beaches. enemy, it was not uncommon for damaged aircraft to crash when attempting to land and today the wreckage Day Seven of several planes can be found in the surrounding waters. Today we begin to visit a region that was highly rated by Of particular interest is Ensign Jensen’s plane. The naval the underwater explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau. flyer was the only pilot to report a full-strength Japanese The Hermit Islands form a 22 kilometre long barrier convoy that would have otherwise remained undetected. reef. They are renowned for their clam gardens and the Unfortunately he was later killed when his plane crashed snorkelling is truly spectacular. The gently sloping reef during a take-off from Ponam and the wreckage can edge disappears into the blue depths with visibility be seen in a lagoon on the east side of the island. The usually exceeding 40m, allowing us excellent views of terrestrial remnants of HMS Nabaron should attract the the marine life that inhabits the reef edge. Sharks, manta attention of our shore parties whilst the snorkellers will be rays, turtles and large schools of barracuda and trevally keen to explore the plentiful bommies and coral outcrops all reside here along with the usual array of colourful reef found inside the Manus Barrier Reef.