We are in this beautifully named bay of New Britain, the largest island in the Archipelago. Little dugout canoes manned by boys come out curious to meet us.

Our morning is spent in the Malakur Elementary school.The village has some 2000 inhabitants. We were welcomed with a Sing Sing and local dances. The pupils also danced in their traditional costumes. Some were even graduating their class today.

In the afternoon the explorer took us to a beach of white pebbles and from there we walked through a small village with small subsistence farming all around. Some of the forests have been cleared for more agriculture. The rainforests though stretched high into the mountains. From there a river came down the mountain and formed a waterfall which fell into the sea in a huge cascade of turquoise cold water.

The waterfall from the sea – the two people are standing just in front of it.

We walked to the top of the waterfall and then down to where it met the sea. Peter helped me along the slippery path. We sank into the water and wiped away the sweat and tiredness from our faces. The water was cold, we lay on white smooth pebbles and we dared not move from the sides as the current from the waterfall was so strong, it would sweep us out to sea.