Gulf Province

Every province of PNG is different. I have visited several regions now, but when we arrived in Gulf Province with YWAM, it was different again. Big, fast flowing rivers. So much sago and pandanus along the river banks. Few mountains. 

The highest point around.

Zooming about in zodiacs I was able to see the province from its best angle, the water. In the mornings we would head out to deliver the primary health care team to their village for the day. Mist would often still be on the water, the whole environment softened by its presence. Some days it would be raining on us, making the environment sparkle. Often we would see Hornbills flying about, bats as well.

With all the rain, the river was high and ran fast. This meant few mosquitoes, as all their breeding ponds were being flushed out and little mud, as it was all lost beneath the water. We could step straight from the zodiacs to the river bank, or even on to the steps of houses. Houses on stilts would have water the whole way underneath and a canoe tied to the front step. One village we went in to the creek was deep enough for us to  drive the zodiac right into the middle of town. While offloading people and supplies, we were passed by a man standing in his canoe and using his oar as a pole to navigate the small the creek, so very Venice!

Fast flowing river

Another day we were taking dental patients back to their village when they took us on the short cut. Now, ‘local short cut’ often means ‘I’m off on an adventure and I don’t know when I’ll be home’, but in this case it was actually shorter and far more beautiful. The creek was narrow and wound through a pandanus grove, long leaves touching the water on either side of us. Away from the rush of the big river it was peaceful and beautiful.

When we arrived in Gulf it was raining, and we navigated in by GPS and radar, knowing there were river banks nearby, but not seeing them clearly, knowing there were sand banks nearby and planning not to meet them. Towards the end of our time in the province, the river flow had subsided enough for the sand banks to show themselves. When we anchored at high tide, there was water everywhere. At low tide it was clear how treacherous those rivers are, how narrow and twisted the navigable sections.

Space for one more?

When we left it was sunny as we wove our way downstream. The most direct route was not an option, and so we took the safest one. Satellite images from the internet interfaced with data from the survey-zodiac were our map. Alongside us were riverbanks of sago and pandanus. As we exited the river and headed into the gulf, we still had to be wary of sand banks, for the river continued undersea. If we left the path of the river, we could still run aground, even though well offshore.


PNG: land of the unexpected. Where each province is unique, has its own challenges and its own beauty .