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ATOL 4112. ATOL Protection extends primarily to customers who
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| Kavieng |
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Kavieng
Dive Sites
Treehouse Village Resort
Lissenung Island Resort
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|  Kavieng
lies at the northern end of New Ireland, the second
largest of the outlying islands. Kavieng was attacked
by the Japanese on exactly the same day as Rabaul, 23
January 1942, and became one of their primary bridgeheads
into Papua New Guinea. Kavieng, like Rabaul, was subject
to almost constant air attack by American planes. From
2-4 April 1943 a squadron of 26 US Flying Fortresses
sank 7 Japanese warships, including 2 cruisers and three
destroyers. An additional 5 auxiliary vessels were also
sunk, including 2 freighters. On 15 February 1944 8
allied planes were shot down in raids over Kavieng,
but 5 days later America reaped its revenge by sinking
2 8000 ton tankers, 8 cargo vessels of between 1500-2000
tons, a 500 ton freighter, a destroyer and 2 corvettes.
The waters around Kavieng are littered with wrecks!
The northern part of New Ireland is predominately flat
land, with some small forest clad hills sprouting upwards.
The Kavieng Archipelago is a mass of low lying coral
islands and a maze of intricate reefs. Mangroves or
stunning white beaches surround these islands, and corals
grow right off shore. This is your typical "South
Sea" locale! Kavieng is now a sleepy and idyllic
town in an exceptional position. It has had little tourist
traffic and is totally unspoilt. But it does have a
golf course in the centre of town!
The area is dominated by a limestone foundation, and
there are a number of cave systems in the forest that
can be visited. One, about 10 miles from Kavieng, looks
like the mouth of a large monster, with stalagmites
and stalactites forming its teeth. It has 7 freshwater
chambers dropping to a depth of 75ft. It has been possible
to dive the cave in the past, but at present the local
landowner is not allowing divers to enter the underground
waterways.
The town has a commanding position overlooking the islands,
and a limestone bluff in the centre of town was turned
into bunkers and gun emplacements by the Japanese. It
can still be explored today. Down the coast at Panapae
are the remains of 5 Japanese tanks, slowly being dissolved
by the sea. Some have their Toyota engines still in
place, but they need some work! Guns, planes and other
military machinery, as well as trenches and shelters,
are constantly being discovered in the forest.
Kavieng has a colourful cultural backdrop, perhaps the
most famous local inhabitants being the Konto, renowned
for their custom of shark-calling - they knock wooden
rattles against the sides of their boats to attract
the sharks and then lasso their tails and drown them
by towing them backwards! When you consider that the
sharks are often as big as the canoes, it's a wonder
no one gets eaten! The local people to the Kavieng area
are the Malagan, celebrated for their ritual head masks,
coveted by museums around the world. A wealth of World
War II paraphenalia can be seen in the surrounding forests
and on the shoreline. Caves, rainforest and rivers await
your exploration and discovery! Day or extended tours
to these sites can be arranged on request.
We offer a choice of two locations in Kavieng. The Treehouse
Village Resort, on the western shore of New Ireland,
and on nearby Lissenung Island, the "get-away-from-it-all"
Lissenung Island Resort.
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Treehouse
Village Resort
Located about 20 minutes from Kavieng, on the western shore of
New Ireland, Treehouse Village Resort is the latest addition to
our portfolio of resorts in Papua New Guinea. Right on the beach,
the resort is designed around a 200 year old callophyllum tree,
a species of mahogany. 20 feet above the ground the main Treehouse
contains the restaurant and bar, and a large open balcony with views
to the sea beyond the beach.
On the top floor of the treehouse is the Treehouse Suite, accessed
by a spiral staircase from the reception area, with a private balcony
that offers panoramic 360° views of the sea and mountains behind.
The Treehouse Suite has a queen-sized double and single beds with
an ensuite hot shower - and flushing toilet up in a tree! The cooling
sea and mountain breezes preclude the need for a ceiling fan, but
one is provided in case!
The 6 traditional bungalows are elevated above the beach on mangrove
posts and are located amongst the beachfront trees. Their spacious
balconies reach out through the trees over the golden sand beach
and provide an uninterrupted view of the lagoon beyond. All the
bungalows have a queen-sized double and single bed with ceiling
fan. Each has a private bathroom with hot shower, hand basin &
solar toilet. Each room is decorated with local materials, such
as woven saksak ceilings and pangel wall pannelling.
Meals are served either in the TreeHouse over looking the Pacific
Ocean and resort, in the Haus Wind, on the beach or delivered to
your bungalow. Breakfast & lunch is your choice and the evening
dinner is selected from a tropical buffet. Fresh lobster, mangrove
crab, snapper and other reef fish are usually available and for
those special occasions a traditional Mumu can be arranged. Organic
fruit & vegetables are sourced from the surrounding villages
Treehouse Village Resort is energy efficient with solar lighting
and deep screened windows to keep you bug-free. 240v AC is provided
each evening for recharging camera batteries etc.
Scuba diving is arranged with Lissenung Diving, the local dive
operation, and they pick up and drop-off at the resort's private
jetty.
Between dives and for land lubbers there are rainforest treks,
canoe trips across the lagoon and through mangrove swamps, night
canoe trips to look for crocodiles, great kids' adventures to search
for bugs, birds and possums, cycle rides, surfing (between November
& April) and big game fishing. For the less energetic, the resort
offers aromatherapy massages with their own essential oils, evening
walks to watch the fireflies dancing in the trees, relaxing private
beach evenings, tours to local villages to watch carvers at work,
and observe a traditional way of life that has remained unaltered
for hundreds of years.
For those looking for that extra special and unique place to stay,
away from the hustle and hustle of daily life (no TV, no phone,
no nothing!) then the Treehouse Village Resort should be top of
your list of places to visit!
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Lissenung Island Resort
A 15-minute boat ride from Kavieng, Lissenung Island is a low lying
coral island surrounded by a sandy white beach and fringing coral
reef. Palm trees bend gracefully across the beach, and much of the
interior has been cleared to allow uninterrupted views across the
island. Accommodation is for just 8 people in rustic wooden huts
on stilts. Each of the 4 rooms is very simply furnished with ceiling
fan, 2 single beds, each with its own mosquito net; cloths storage
space consists of open shelves! The windows have fly screens to
deter mozzies! A central bathing hut offers clean & functional
facilities for your ablutions and the restaurant/bar are in a similar
style. For those who want to get away from it all this is the place
to be! For those who want some creature comforts it’s not!
A generator, set well away from the living areas, provides electricity
from 7.00am until 11.00pm.
Lissenung Island Resort has it’s own in-house dive operation.
Lissenung Diving operates a small partially covered 24ft fibreglass
boat with two 75hp outboards that boasts gear bins, tank racks and
a purpose built entry/exit ladder. The boat caters for just 6 divers,
but larger back-up boats are always available for groups. Compressors,
tanks & rental equipment cater for all your diving needs. 2
or 3 dives a day are on offer, the boat usually going out for the
entire day. Lunch is eaten on board or on a nearby island, depending
on where you are diving. During your surface interval you can relax
on the boat, snorkel or fossick on an uninhabited beach!
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Scuba Safaris | Hill Cottage, Chapel Lane, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5BU. United Kingdom
T: 01342 823 222 | EM: info@scuba-safaris.com
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