A retired soldier makes Manubada Island home

I wanted to live here because every day out here is paradise to me and the nights overlooking the sea towards Port Moresby’s Toguba Hill and vicinity gives me a feeling of renewal and serenity, Mr. Heau Solien.

Mr. Heau Solien, a retired soldier in his early 50s is a local from Vabukori and he owns part of the beach front on Manubada island through his mother and father’s side.   

After spending 16years in PNG Defense force, he resigned to live in the village with his three (3) daughters, two (2) boys and his beautiful wife whom he met at Aiyura National High School days.

Living on an island within the city of Port Moresby sounds exciting but isolated from electricity and water supply systems of Port Moresby city is one of the biggest challenge Mr. Solien and his family has to face each day. His elder son has become a good fisherman and he manages to catch fish each day for the family while his two daughters works in the city and the other one is still in school. The family live an isolated life on the island but self-sustaining.

The Mr. Solien family fetch water from the mainland and bring to the island on a family owned dinghy for their needs. A 20 minute of commuting between the mainland and island is costly but the family have no regrets and manages to live there for nearly two years. Mr. Solien regrets of never saving enough money to develop the area to attract tourist interest but he is always on the island to accommodate needs for picnic or camping out on the island. The bigger picture is of potential in tourism is there on the island but Mr. Solien is starting the tourism business in a small way. It will be a hotspot tourism hub within the city after the installation of the necessary tourism amenities on the island and change the idea of isolated island to island of tranquility and fun for those who need a break out of the city.

When asked of why he made the decision to live on the island; Mr. Solien says, ‘’I wanted to protect my island’s land which some people think its there without anyone’s ownership. I’m scared of the land grabbing trend in Port Moresby so I have settled here to protect my land which I own through my mother and father’s side.’’ I might not have the money to pay for my children’s school fee but I have the land here that my children will settle and live here with their families when Im gone. I want to teach them and show them the importance of living on our own land.

Despite the hurdles in life each day on the island, the family lives a content life on the island with natural see breezes providing coolest atmosphere by the local winds known to the Motuans as Laurabada (South-East) and Lahara (North-West) . The winds sometimes appear bad for the island which is also same to the coastal Motuan villages but at times it brings firewood to the shores and fish as well.  The Solien family have been surviving the two winds on the little bay under their makeshifts and adapted to the island life despite either wind being test to their lives.

Manubada Island is a rocky island and located few miles away from Ela Beach or Vabukori with a little impressive bay which has a white sandy shoreline frequent by Port Moresby local residents on weekends for a day’s picnic.

I was invited to attend a colleague’s son’s birthday and had a chance to met with Mr. Solien who is calm and never speaks a lot but always have something funny to share. Whilst looking around, the island exists within the fringes of Port Moresby but most of the people do not know how to get there and who to inquire before going there. The Yacht Club, individuals and other business houses in Port Moresby which owns boats do go there on their boats and anchors near the shore to use the beach but that has damaged the coral and the reefs which is the biggest concern for Mr. Solien and he wanted to have a jetty installed on the island before boats can be allowed to the island.

Anyone interested to visit Manubada Island or to help Mr. Solien to install tourism amenities on the island then call Mr. Solien on Phone 76762250;

Contact Nathan for further information

nathan.lati@papuanewguinea.travel

Pictures;

1.(L-R) Mrs. Solien and Mr. Solien and Nathan Lati on Manubada Island Beachfront  

2. Children on Manunada Island Beachfront

Get into Port Moresby, Roll over to Hood Lagoon

Get into Port Moresby and get out of Port Moresby is a reality for adventurers to PNG because of the reality of tourism products in the rural areas of PNG.

The city of Port Moresby has boundaries and outside of Port Moresby still exists the rural village life setting with modern touches on the living standards. Over the years the livelihood of the most communities have been improved with agriculture, tourism and other economic turnovers in the rural areas. 

Keapara Village on the Hood Lagoon Point in Rigo District in the Central Province is only 130km from Port Moresby by 4WD vehicles during the wet seasons after the Kupiano turn-off.

The village is first to host the European missionaries in the Papuan Region dating back to 1800s and the then South Seas or LMS missionaries HQ was built there before being shifted to Hula where it is now. The pioneer missionaries in the likes of Dr. Los and James Chalmers were based there before Chalmers met his fate in the hands of Iokea people in Mouru Bay (Kerema).

Dr. Los returned to Britain and the family legacy lives on with possibilities of pilgrimage activities beforehand when tourism development advances in Keapara.

Hood Lagoon itself has its own unique features in terms of marine biodiversity and geographical importance of how the lagoon was formed. For the interest of tourism; the lagoon is best place for kayaking, bird-watching within the waterways of the aged old mangroves, dolphin watching and game fishing are some of which are feasible.

Not far from the lagoon and between Hula point is a long stretch of reef that starts with sea-grass that appears like a garlic garden on a white sand just covered by over flooded sea and colored with different types of starfish. The undersea garden connects to the seaweed of greenish and brownish origin which becomes the colonies for small and colourful school of fish. The garden connects with coral and reef which is geologically connected to Great Barrier Reef between Australia and southern coastlines of PNG.

For the comfort of the visitors who need a weekend our of Port Moresby or holiday in a village setting holiday, the Hood Lagoon Resort is being developed for convenience and ready to be opened early next year. The resort has a 30 meters long jetty built into to the Hood Lagoon and has a bar access to either sides of the deck.
Never forget that, in the afternoon, its the sunset that should cost millions of dollars to be there on the jetty to get a glimpse when it wades off Hula point and horizon.

The resort when opened will comfortably fit 8pax at one time but there is always reserved beds and spaces available for camping in the village or coastline beaches of Keapara village 

For more information and updates follow #raonraonpng 
Photos by:  Wilfred Paka and Stanley Relson (PNGTPA Tourism Product Development Team) 

Sunset view from Keapara Resort Jetty 

Dolphins playing in the Hood Lagoon  in the morning- on the foreground is the Keapara Village 

The Jetty of Hood Lagoon Resort at Keapara Village