Alotau is the capital of Milne Bay Province in the southeast of Papua New Guinea. It is located on the northern shore of Milne Bay. During World War II, The bay was the site of a battle between Japan on one side and a joint force of Australian and American forces on the other side. At the conclusion of the fight, the Japanese Army suffered their first land defeat in the Pacific War in 1942. A few months later, the Japanese suffered further defeats at the hands of the Australians on the Kokoda Trail battles.
Our ship tied up at the local pier, a plus since we do not have to tender ashore. We booked a ship’s tour to a local Cultural Festival. The bus took us through the town to a local school right by the shore. The school had been transformed into a major entertainment and vendor event for the day bringing in people from all the villages. Two stages had been set up, one with dancers doing local dances in full native dress. The second stage was in the second story of the school and featured native solo singers and groups. All around the school yard, vendors had set out their wares. Several groups had fires burning and were selling local food items. By the shore, a couple of boatloads of men were taking people out onto the water in dugout canoes. It was interesting to view the continuum from the primitive dugouts to our 2000 passenger ship.
We took the bus back to the ship, cooled off a bit and had lunch. Alotau has turned out to be hot and muggy, to be expected being so close to the equator. After lunch, we left the ship and walked back toward the center of town. There is a monument by the shore to men who fought in the war. There are also a number of plaques with additional explanations and details of the battle. I understand that further up the coast near the airport there is another memorial.
After wandering around the stalls and vendors for another hour, we headed back to the ship and a cool shower. This is the second time we have been to a Papua New Guinea port. Ten years ago we visited Rabaul on New Britain Island. We had to tender into that town and there was an active volcano at the edge of town. Rabaul was also recovering from some extremely heavy rains. This stop was to a much more prosperous community with much more to offer.
Our evening entertainment was Berni Flint, a guitar playing singer songwriter from the 1970s. It ended up being an interesting show.
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| The old and the new |
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| New Guinea Dugout |
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| A Dancing Stage |
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| A Young Singer |
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| Open Fire Cooking |
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| Another Group of Singers |
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| Lone Fisherman |
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| A view from out ship |
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| Memorial for the Battle of Milne Bay |
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