Island sights in Central, Oro & Milne Bay Provinces
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Kwato Island
China Strait and the surrounding islands have a reputation for witchcraft and, despite the influence of missionaries, superstitions linger. Strange lights, ghost ships and sirens (the singing kind) all crop up. Just 3km west of Samarai, Kwato Island was once an educational centre and home to a thriving boat building industry. The remnants of the old machinery lie where they were discarded in the tall grass and today the island can be eerily quiet.
The Reverend Charles Abel and his wife, Beatrice, founded a non-hierarchical church in 1891. Even though they 'belted' the Bible pretty hard, it wasn't until the 1930s that the last of the nearby cannibal tribes was 'saved'.
If…
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Kaileuna Island
Of the islands off Kiriwina, Kaileuna Island is the easiest and cheapest to access as boats carrying buai (betel nut) travel from Losuia most days. The villages of Kaisiga, in the south, and Tawema to the north have beautiful white-sand beaches and predictably relaxed locals. Ask around the wharf to see if a boat is going.
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Vivigani
The most northwesterly of the group, Goodenough is one of the most steeply sided islands on earth, with Mt Oiautukekea reaching 2566m at the summit. There are fertile coastal plains flanking the mountain range and a road runs around the northeast coast through Vivigani, site of the major airstrip in the group.
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Bolubolu
Bolubolu is the main settlement, about 10km south of Vivigani. In the centre of the island there is a large stone, covered in mysterious black-and-white paintings, which is said to have power over the yam crops.
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Doini Island
Doini Island is a privately owned and stunningly beautiful place about 10km southeast of Samarai, is where it's possible for overnight stays with Milne Bay Magic Tours.
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