25 Oct 2017

Exploration and Discovery on Nendo

DAY 5: NENDO, TEMOTU PROVINCE

Such is the nature of expedition cruising that you never know what to expect. Nathan advised us that today would be one of those days and would be an expedition in the true sense of the word – a day of exploration and discovery with no set itinerary or plan.

An early morning Zodiac cruise offered two choices: a nature walk on the island, or snorkelling off the Zodiacs. On the birding front, the group experienced new species to add to their lists including those endemic to Nendo Island, the Santa Cruz Shrikebill; Santa Cruz White-eye; and Sandford’s White-eye.

Ashore in Nendo In the afternoon, we again received a warm welcome from the village people. Then we hopped into the back of a truck for a bone-rattling hour long ride to the inner island and the village of Noipe, where we were greeted by a conch-playing elder and a group of warriors. The dances here seemed even more traditional than those we had already encountered, and we saw some of the characteristic bone nose adornments and shell necklaces featuring a carved frigate bird that Suzanne had told us about.

The villagers had some souvenirs for sale: authentic hand-crafted tapa cloth paintings, wood carvings, shell necklaces, and red feather money. We saw a demonstration of how the red feather money is made and well as tasting some traditional cooking.

Suzanne told us that we were only the fourth group of foreign visitors the village had ever received, as Heritage Expeditions is the only company to visit this remote community. It is a real privilege to be part of only a small group of people in the world who has ever seen and experienced this magical place.

We left school supplies for the village in order to assist with the children’s ongoing education, and exhausted but exhilarated, made our way back to the ship, and continued our journey on to the even remoter Duff Islands.

Written by Kris Madden