Overnight, we travelled north from Tufi and arrived quite early, at 07:30, at the Tami Islands.

The Tami Islands are small islands located about seven nautical miles off the Huon Peninsula in the Solomon Sea. They include four atolls: two very small and one not much larger than a strip of sand.

*Map of the region showing our heading* - **Google map link**

Today we will be doing a wet landing at one of the islands for a welcoming ceremony, a chance to meet the villagers and take a walk through the village.

After breakfast, at around 09:00, we assemble in the Delphinus Café for our zodiac ride ashore. As in other landings like this we must all arrive at the same time, or within a few minutes of each other.

We make our way to the shore and then walk about 500 metres from the beach into a large clearing in the village. There, we find a shaded area with bench seating and an esky or two full of bottles of cold water. Although it’s only early, the sun is high, and it’s already very hot.

We can hear drums from the bush. A large group of men and women dancing and singing comes into the clearing.

As in other welcomes, the performance is fantastic. Rhythmic drumming and the movement of headdresses, grass skirts, and feathers combine to create a visually rich experience.

The performers make their way from the jungle further into the clearing. Peter and Nick fully embrace the welcome to film and photograph the performers.

After the initial welcome, one of the young women, beautiful in her traditional costume, comes forward from the group to address us and formally welcome us to the island.

After the speech, the drummers were back and the performance began.

One of the most fascinating features of their costumes was the large and distinctive headgear they wore. I was interested in its symbolism and found out that it represented the Eagle. Once I knew this, it was easy to see the shape of the eagle’s tail, wings, and head.

It’s been amazing to see the different ornaments and adornments the dancers and singers wear, and the colours of the skirts and flowers make the opportunity to experience these welcomes unique.

Several young girls also participated in the welcome, carrying their small woven baskets.

We weren’t the only ones interested in the dancing, and many villagers were watching from the wings, including this young one.

*Young villager watching the performance*

After the performance, we had about an hour before we were due to leave, so we left the performance area and headed back into the village.

The village seemed to be built out of every imaginable material salvaged by the villagers. This results in a textural landscape of rusting metal, netting and palm fronds.

We were fortunate to be taken in hand by an elderly woman who took it upon herself to be our guide.

She took us on a private tour of the village, down past her house, showing us where she cooked…

… and through to the cemetery where her sister and brother were buried.

When we walked into the cemetery, we saw something quite unexpected. There were several graves, most of which were marked by simple wooden grave markers. However, what was unusual was that most of the graves were marked by upturned bottles pushed almost flat to the ground. She told me that the Australians and Americans had left the bottles on the island after the war.

I found this lone grave marker and bottle in the roots of a large tree not far from the cemetery.

On the way back to the beach, I spotted a lizard scrambling up the trunk of one of the large trees planted throughout the village.

Just before we went to the beach, we talked to some kids interested in us and gave them some of the bubble blowers we’d brought.

I couldn't get it to work for my life, but this young girl managed it the first time.

*Young girl showing me how to blow bubbles*

The Orion team has arranged a special treat, a “sumptuous” beach BBQ lunch at the small coral cay not far from the island we are on. Before we head over there, I want to head back to the Orion so we can pick up my Panorama gear so I can shoot a pano on the island and our snorkelling gear.

We hop into a zodiac and push off from the island for the trip to Orion. Just as we turn, who should we see but Justin, in all his New Guinea finery, driving his own zodiac!

We arrive at Orion, collect all our gear, slap on some sunscreen and are back on the Marina platform, ready to board a Zodiac for the beach BBQ in under 15 minutes.

We head out for the short trip to the island, and we haven’t gone more than a few metres from Orion when all around the zodiac, we can see dolphins tracking alongside just under the water. Suddenly they are leaping out of the water and zipping back and forward in front of the zodiac. What a sight. They swim with us for quite a while until the water becomes too shallow for them.

The ride into the cay is beautiful. The sky is an iridescent blue, and the water is crystal clear. Because the reef is so high in the water, we have to navigate through buoys set up by the scouting team so our prop doesn’t hit the reef.

The beach is tiny and leads to a rock wall that frames the whole area. Just in front of the wall, the guys from the restaurant have set up their beach BBQ. They were right to call it sumptuous. Two canopies are set up, one with a BBQ and the other with salads and accompaniments. Strands of flowers are strung along the wall, and everyone is having a great time.

After lunch, we head for the water to snorkel and kayak, but the current between the islands is strong, so we go around in circles.

It’s almost 13:00, and the last zodiac is set to leave at 13:30, so Kelly and I head for the water to cool off. It’s quite shallow, so we walk out quite a way into the channel. A young boy in a dugout is hanging out just around the beach area where the BBQ is set up, and the view down the channel is beautiful. There is a lovely overhang at the end of the island with a palm tree perched right on the end.

We spend the last few minutes just enjoying the beauty of the scene around us before heading back and catching, once again, the last zodiac back to Orion.

Back on board, we headed to deck 6 to wash out our gear and relax in the Jacuzzi. Once again, it was the perfect way to relax before our next event: a lecture by Peter Eastway on “Rock Hopper—Islands of the Southern Ocean” at 17:00.

Wow! What a fantastic presentation! Peter showed incredible images that reinforce the beauty of the Islands of the Southern Ocean. He showed us images of snow-capped peaks, deep-blue glaciers, and minke whales. These images show why Peter is one of Australia's leading landscape photographers. You can view all of the images on Peter’s website.

I walk out of Peter’s presentation inspired to lift the values of my images; I’m so thrilled that both Peter and Nick are on this trip.

Kelly and I finish the day with some room service and another episode of Breaking Bad.

Day #8: New Guinea Adventure - Tami Islands

Tony Redhead