This morning we arrived early at Alotau, the capital of Milne Bay Province.
We had booked a day tour with Reef Tours and I can really recommend them. Shannaih and her family arrived to pick up up in the mini-buses and we were greeted like old friends. By the end of the day we felt like part of the family!
The bay is really beautiful. Its 35km long and 16km wide, easy to imagine it being filled with ships during the war.
The Battle of Milne Bay was part of the Pacific Campaign in 1942. This was the first major battle of WWII where the Japanese were defeated by the Allied forces, fought by mostly Australian soldiers. After the battle the bay was used as an Allied base in the area.
Our first stop was to visit the local war memorial site overlooking the bay.
Then we went to the markets nearby, lots of fresh fruit and veggies…
… and theres was lots of tobacco, plaited in different lengths…
Outside lots of people where selling betal nuts – as well as giving people a ‘high’ they also give them red teeth and mouths.
Then back in the min-bus for a bit of a drive further round the bay. We passed the local supermarket.
We saw a few cyclists…
we stopped off here and walked up to this beautiful, huge tree…
… this gives you a bit of an indiction how big it really is…
…the ground was covered in crushed seashells, the snails that live in them are eaten…
We also saw the place where the Japanese were turned back and to airfield used in WWII. Then it was off to visit a local primary school.