09 Apr 2013

A day at Kolombangara

This morning we landed at the mouth of a small river at Kukudu on Kolombangara, home to a secondary school and elementary school established by the Seventh Day Adventists.  We headed off into the surrounding forest and saw a number of endemic birds, the highlight being the rarely seen and highly localised Roviana Rail which was described in the early 1990s. A selection of high-quality wooden bowls, masks and other handcrafted items were for sale beneath the shade of a tremendous rain tree.  For three hours we were lucky enough to zodiac cruise the shores of a magnificent lagoon, and explored various tributeries amongst the giant mangroves and forest.  Overhead excellent sightings were had of numerous birds, notably the Red-knobbed Imperial-pigeon and the elegant Moustached Treeswift.