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