23 Oct 2014

Malaita Welcome

Our exciting day began when we arrived off the coast of Malaita at dawn and found ourselves surrounded by a flotilla of small craft moving backwards and forwards across the bay, all in honour of our visit! The birders departed at day break to board the back of a 3 ton truck which took them out to photograph the Malaita White-eye and other sought after species. The rest of the group headed out to Leli Island where we were treated to an impromptu get-together with the traditional landowners and the paramount chief of the island before enjoying a beautiful snorkel along the sheltered shore of the lagoon. The reef was alive with fish and corals in such diversity that over half of the evening recap was dedicated to introducing just a small selection of the species we had seen!

Juvenie Batfish at Leli Island, Malaita

When everyone was back aboard, we sailed into Kwai Harbour and after lunch we landed on Ngongosila Island, an artificial island in the harbour. The it seemed as if the entire population had turned out to give us a rapturous welcome on the beach, then chief Barry Saide and his men put on a captivating show of traditional dance and culture under the shade of the largest tree on the island.

Woman with her pet Lori on Ngongosila Island

After the festivities we made our way across the island through the back alleys of this heavily populated island to learn about ‘bride price’ and shell money. The party from the Spirit of Enderby then erupted into spontaneous song with renditions of ‘Pokarekare Ana’ and ‘Waltzing Matilda’. All too soon it was time to bid farewell to our new-found friends as we set sail for Makira.