If you believe everything the international media says, you hate sunshine, wind, waves and very friendly locals then don't go to PNG because it has all of those and plenty of it!!
In a nutshell the place is pretty wild and has absolutely no tourist infrastructure but that, mixed with the incredible hospitality of the locals we met makes Papua one of the most amazing places i've ever visited. I spent a total of 10wks there, Half that time in the highlands, the other half on the coast around Port Moresby(POM).
As for the kiting, it is epic and completely untapped. The SE trade wind (called Laurabada) starts blowing around April but blows consistently from May through to September, and when it comes, it blows 25hrs a day for days on end. Of the two weeks that the four of us explored moresby, its local islands and Hula village, there were only 3 days the wind didn't blow and most days we got in at least two, sometimes three sessions. Joshbuts has already posted some pictures and pheebobafet has posted a short video of the trip.
Basically what i'd like to do here is plug PNG as a winter kiting destination for Aussies looking for adventure thats reasonably cheap in a wildly exotic place. I'd also like to give the people in Port Moresby (POM) and Hula who helped us out so much a bit of exposure to the kitesurf community.
As i have already said the place is pretty wild but its an adventure and you really can tailor your trip however you want. I think POM could definitly be rough but i didn't have any trouble at all and i think that was mainly because of the good advice and help from expat Jason Pini, (jayp on seabreeze, called the godfather of png kitesurfing on another post :-)) Great bloke, very knowledgeable on the area, and very keen to help out any kiters coming through POM.
Also had some unbelievable luck when i got chatting to Jason Fernandez who runs a small tucker box that sells beer, amongst other things, which is what lured me to his end of the beach. Jason's mum Joan has set up accommodation literally on the sand at taurama which is the safest and cleanest kitesurfing beach close to POM. i got talking to Jason F and was lucky enough to be the first guest to stay at their place. They are also great people who looked after us totally, providing meals and taking us in and out of POM when needed. They are only just starting to cater to foreign tourists and are very keen to set the place up as a kite surfing gateway into PNG. Their place is situated behind an army barracks and you must pass through the gates to get to the beach which makes it perfect for people who are a little worried about PNG's reputation. Anyone staying with the Fernandez family can arrange pickup from the airport with Jason F who will personally pick you up on arrival. The accommodation is basic but very comfortable. There is no hot water but they are right on the beach and have 6 rooms for individuals and couples, a deck overlooking the beach, a tuckerbox/bar on the beach, a dinghy for trips out to the nearby islands and reefs, provide one cooked dinner, a continental style breakfast and cold lunch, washing service and transfers to and from POM. They also have contacts in many villages up and down the coast and can organise 4WD transfers and home stays in villages. They are also willing to take suggestions on how to make the place better for kitesurfers. Two of our suggestions were an outside shower to wash kiting gear and also a pulley system to deliver beer to the deck from the tucker box which Jason F thought would be a great addition. They are also looking at getting internet installed. The more people that go check it out and leave suggestions the better it will get. Everything I mentioned above is provided for 120kina/night for singles, 180kina/night for couples, 1kina=$2AUD. If you want to go to the nearby islands then you just have to pay for dinghy fuel. If you want to go to any villages around POM they will organise a 4WD and negotiate a good price for the transfer. Joan is a lovely woman who treated us as surrogate sons and Jason F is an absolute champ who is up for anything and will jump at the chance to get in on any adventure his guests are scheming up.
Ok so thats POM. The other place we visited was Hula village which is definitely a place you will want to spend some time. It is about 3hrs east of POM and is a small coastal fishing village. It is even more basic than POM but it is much more the PNG experience and the kiting is the next level. We were lucky enough to meet the Vaukona family who offered to vacate their house for us but instead we opted to stay in their haus win (open sided bush material hut). Benni and Kali are, as far as i know, the only two local kitesurfers in PNG and the cheeky bastards are already doing back rolls after two months on a kite. There is no running water and you have to shower out of a bucket hauled out of a well but they live on a small rise overlooking a massive flat water lagoon only 2mins walk from their door. There is also a reasonable wave on the outer reef which is an easy kite or a 25min wade across the lagoon for a surf if there's no wind. They also have a dinghy that can take you out to the reef for surfing, snorkelling and free diving if there's no wind. They have plans to build a more enclosed and mosquio netted haus win with lockup facilities right on the beach at the point which should be ready by next season.
We were all willing to do it pretty rough and just wing things a bit because as i said there is ABSOLUTELY NO formal tourist infrastructure set up and we were the first kiters that have ever stayed with both these families but they are both very well connected in the area and are very keen to show people their amazing country and make PNG a fun, safe and comfortable kiting destination. There also seemed to be many more potential kiting spots further up the coast that would have even better wave and down winder opportunities.
If you do make it over there, just be prepared for everything to happen on PNG time. Since the wind blows all day it doesn't matter if your 4WD turns up 4hrs late cause you can just go out for another kite.
The other option for those with a bit more cash who want a more comfortable and structured trip is a live aboard called the Golden Dawn that gets out to some of the most remote islands in PNG. I didn't go on it myself but from talking to people and reading a few threads before my trip it sounded like another awesome way to see the place.
My number is 0400 032 893 and i would be happy to speak to anyone who is thinking about heading there. I can also provide the detaisl for the Vaukona and Fernandez families. Otherwise by far the best person to contact about PNG is jayP (jason pini) he's into everything to do with wind, waves and water and is a really down to earth helpful dude.
below is some info joan provided on Euphoria, her accommodation in POM and also a few pics from Taurama including a full moon nite kite with glow sticks, and Hula beach
some great info there. cheers.
Did you happen to find any wave-kiting spots or was it mostly flatwater? I've heard about some surfing spots but I haven't heard if they combine well with the wind.
Kym.
Cheers for the correction with the kina/$ rob. that would have made things look alot more expensive. For singles it works out to be about $60/night with all meals and airport transfers. very reasonable by any standard. As for the waves and wind working together i'm not much of a wave rider but pheebobafet came in buzzing from a 2hr session on the outside reef saying he got some awesome down the line waves. And there was also some really fun but not huge beach breaks about 3kms down the coast. Talking to the locals it sounded like there were some places a bit further east where the reef opens up more and lets the swell right into the beach. we're all trying to get another trip sorted for aug/sept next yr to explore a bit more. hope that helps.
Glad more and more people getting stoked on PNG!
We will have the dates for the Golden Dawn PNG cruises for 2013 soon.
Last crew came back yesterday. Will post some photos and vids up soon.
Here is little teaser from film we did 3 years ago with Keahi, Ewan Jaspen, Michael Bell, Joe Millen and few more guys.
The only bugger of a thing for us west coasters is the plane fares aren't cheap relatively. But hey what an experience to be had. Next year I reckon will be in touch in theloop.
Happy to see the good been seen about PNG specially when it is regarding kiting. Please note even though 99% of the people are beautiful and the Country is amazing, it is a 3rd world environment with one of the highest rated for serious crime, if you are thinking of planing a trip you need to seriously consider the safety and health of your friends and love ones. Even though you see postings from people who believe they have the knowledge and experience to give recommendations, you need to seriously consider the risk of such advice. If you do not know anyone who has had 15 years plus of experience with PNG do not make trip!! If you think I am blowing thinks out of proportion just google crime info for PNG. Now I have turned you off the idea of coming let me say this you should come, we can show you a great time with little expense, just contact myself or Jason we would be both happy to advise you to the best way to visit us!
Watch for a new posting soon about our weekend of camping and kiting at our new kite camp.
Mark
marklaruffa@gmail.com
That's the thing about kiting, very rarely do you travel to a nice safe country to find the best wind or waves. From that respect we have it pretty good here in Oz. My last trip overseas I was robbed at gunpoint on the beach! I've heard a bit about PNG however I got the impression the problems mostly occurred in Port Moresby. Either way I think it's still worth the trip. The PNG people would appreciate the Aussie tourist dollar and we could all use a good local alternative to Indo.
