The first full day onboard is always invigorating, like opening a new book that has come highly recommended. Once the bags are unpacked and the lines are cast off, a certain sense of relief washes away all those long hours on the journey to start the journey. Meeting fellow travelers and characters (in every sense of the word), that will share in the adventures to come, and fill each activity-filled chapter together as we explore the cultural and natural masterpieces of these regions. Every good tale needs some backstory however, so while we cut through the seas towards the opening act, we are regaled with a unique insight into the local heritage of Papua New Guinea by Dame Carol Kidu. After lunch, to further sate our thirst for knowledge, our shipboard raconteur extraordinaire, Tom Ritchie, elaborates upon the military history of the islands and the important role they played as the setting for the Pacific Theater of World War II. Many of the islands we will be travelling to are hallowed battlegrounds that saw bitter struggles between the Japanese and Australian and American armed forces.
These presentations are punctuated by forays out on deck to observe the wildlife putting on a spectacular display despite being far out of sight of land in the middle of the Coral Sea. Red Footed Boobies soar over an unbroken horizon, streamlined bodies effortlessly gliding in the lee of the ship. This gracefulness is punctuated by frenzied bursts of activity as the ship’s passage disturbs schools of flying fish, sending them skipping over the wave-tops, pectoral fins extended as they catch gusts of wind and glide away from the perceived threat we represent. Unfortunately the plot thickens as this brief absence from their marine environment leaves them exposed and vulnerable to be plucked out of midair by the aerial predators patiently waiting high above. Some are luckier than others and despite being nabbed and taken to new heights, manage to wriggle free from sharp beaks and into the safety of the depths below. Marveling at such visual treats is even more exciting knowing that there are more surprises in store on the yet to be written pages of our expedition that lies ahead.
